SG_USA_October_2021

The Salt of the Earth Running R Cattle Shares Stories of Family, Cattle and Service

By Grace Vehige, Contributing Writer

A bout 20 miles north, as the crow flies, off the Gulf Coast, Beau and Amber Robertson and their children operate Running R Cattle in Sweet Lake, La. As fate would have it, Beau and Amber have fostered a rela- tionship with a healthy balance of love for each other and Santa Gertrudis cattle. Growing up, Amber was surrounded by the agricultural community, beginning with her grandfather’s rice and rough stock operations. Amber’s parents participated in 4-H, ulti- mately supporting her to do the same. Her involvement with 4-H and her steadfast love for cattle led her family to raise two to three cow-calf pairs every year. Across the southern United States in Texas, a young Beau rode along with his father as he served as a game warden. A portion of Beau’s father’s territory included part of the King Ranch; it was then, while on patrol with his father, Beau developed his fondness for cherry red cattle. “I had always told myself that if I ever got settled and started running cattle at my home, that is what I wanted,” Beau says in reference to the herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle he saw as a young boy. Years later when Beau and Amber met and married, their shared dreams came true. Amber echoed Beau’s statement saying, “We decided we wanted to get cows and have something for the kids to show and get involved in when they got older.” In 2014, the Robertsons purchased their first few head of Santa Gertrudis cattle to raise alongside their three kids – Cheyenne, Wyatt and Raylan. Finding the Right Fit As with anything in the cattle business, research is key, especially when it comes to purchasing decisions. “We did our homework and tried to look for some animals that would be good in our environment down here in southwest

Louisiana. We were definitely looking for heat-tolerant cattle,” Beau says. The search for the right genetics to begin their Santa Gertrudis herd led the Robertsons to a few different produc- ers. Amber notes their first bull purchase came from Sam Jones with Rafter J Ranch in De Ridder, La. The couple then purchased heifers from both Darrell Pitchford with Pitchford Cattle in Athens, Texas, and Troy Luquette of Luquette Cattle Company, LLC, in Abbeville, La. “Initially, we started with purebred Santa Gertrudis. We wanted to be able to start with something our kids could show and be involved with in 4-H,” Amber says. Today, about one-quarter of the Robertsons’ cattle belongs to their seedstock operation. The remainder of the herd serves a different purpose. Since Running R Cattle’s start in 2014, the operation has branched into the commercial industry, formulating a partnership with David and Kathryn Chambers of Chamber C Cross Ranch in Pawhuska, Okla. Together, the partners developed Osage Bayou Cattle Com- pany – bridging the Osage Hills and Louisiana together. “[Chambers C Cross Ranch] takes in a lot of yearlings and does some backgrounding,” Beau explains. “For us, it was a perfect fit. We are able to run a cow-calf operation down here at home, and then we send our animals up to Oklahoma.” According to Beau, the family retains ownership through the backgrounding process. The Robertsons’ commercial herd still consists entirely of Santa Gertrudis and Red Angus crosses, many of which were acquired from the King Ranch in 2017. At first just a dream, Running R Cattle got its start in 2014 with the purchase of a few Santa Gertrudis females. Running R Cattle operates out of Sweet Lake, La., and is the Robertsons' purebred seedstock business, which runs in conjunction with their Osage Bayou Cattle Company in Pawhuska, Okla.

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Beau and Amber Robertson are dedicated SGBI members. Amber currently serves on the board of directors.

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