Breeding Program

"The Diamond Peak Cattle Company (DPCC) breeding program is designed around fundamentally sound genetic principles where the cattle must perform in the harsh western high-altitude environment. With the use of large numbers and with ruthless culling it allows us to provide a high quality, functional product."

The DPCC breeding program focuses on developing moderate, muscular, deep ribbed, maternal cattle that are structurally sound and that will perform in the feedlot, as well as on the range. With the use of a few hand selected high accuracy sires we are able to provide a large number of consistent, uniform  31/32 and 63/64 brothers that will sire a uniform calf crop. All DPCC cows (except first calf heifers) are calved on the open range and are required to travel the rugged, sagebrush-covered hills of Northwest Colorado. This has proven to be a huge asset for the bull buyer operating in the west.

To achieve this goal, more than 3000 cows and heifers are artificially inseminated (AI) every year to sires that have been carefully selected to achieve these goals. DPCC uses one or two high accuracy AI sire extensively on 3000 of the females and three to four AI sires on the balance to test the sires for more extensive use in the following years.

The DIAMOND HERD of which the females are known as the “Queens of Diamond” are our elite herd of approximately 1000 head of cows that range in the high desert area in the Northwestern most corner of Colorado.  These cows are all synchronized and bred AI to the same sire for two consecutive years and then when those heifers come into production another sire is used for two years.  This system was started in 2004 with the goal of producing large numbers of full brothers and sisters for cattle operations that desired consistence and uniformity in a calf crop.  The sires that were selected are high accuracy, low PAP, deep bodied, moderate sized and highly feed efficiency individuals that produce animals that are adapted to the high desert environment.  The following flow chart shows the sires used and the dates of use.  DPCC has used at least 10 super AI sires over the last 18 years to create this very unique herd.

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On average, 1400 bull calves are weaned annually the last days of September and placed on test to measure performance on a high roughage ration. In December, bulls are evaluated for performance, structure, disposition and eye appeal. Only the top 650 (50-60%) are retained the others are castrated and fed to finish and carcass data collected. In early January the bulls are PAP tested and the high PAP bulls are also castrated and fed to finish. In 2016, DPCC started offering Igenity Angus Gold scores (now known as the Igenity Beef) on all Diamond Angus bulls. The Igenity Angus Gold Beef genetic test analyzes and evaluates 16 traits based on each bull's genetic makeup. These results are scored against a database of over 20 million head both purebred and commercial Angus cattle. The resulting score allows DPCC to ensure the accuracy of the bull's birth weight and calving ease due to the fact all our "Queens of Diamond" cows are calved on open range and the calves are not individually weighted. This score is also a buying aid to you, to give you the opportunity to evaluate the genetic potential for the traits that are important to you.

We offer bulls at auction in Riverton, WY in February and again in Loma in May. We offer bulls by private treaty and also have a lease program. If you have questions, please give us a call at 970.824.5750. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have!