Miller Lowline Angus Ranch, a small family operation, is currently based out of Hotchkiss, Colorado, a town about 70 miles south of Grand Junction. Hotchkiss has a population of a little over 1,000 people and is at 5,396 feet above sea level. The herd typically runs at an elevation of 7,000 feet above sea level—and has run at close to 10,000 feet above sea level in the past. We are not a large ranch, but have plans in the making to grow into a seedstock operation in the near future. 

Our Lowline herd began with the purchase of 3 halfblood cows in 2003. We furthered our herd with a fullblood bull, Fairwyn’s Power, from the National Western Stock Show, in 2005. We are very excited about our 2007 Lowline calf crop, and look forward to the growth and potential that the heifers present. As an added bonus, Power’s ratio for heifers to bulls has gone to 5:2. 

The Lowline herd is in the beginning stages; we also run a small herd of commercial Angus and Angus cross cows. We have found that our commercial cows have been an asset in contributing to the Lowline genetics and we are spending the time to breed up to purebred and fullblood Lowlines from scratch, instead of using the small pool of genetics that are readily available in the United States. This unique mix of genetics will hopefully not only give us the quality we are striving for, but also the diversity to produce superior genetics both at the sire and dam level. 

We understand that a bull is an important aspect of a herd; but we pay more mind to the cows that are producing! The cow contributes half of the genetic makeup of a calf, which means that no matter how good the bull is, if you breed to a low-quality cow you are likely to produce a less-than-adequate calf. We also are looking for good temperament in our cattle and this is greatly influenced by the cow. 

Our goal is more in line with producing quality Lowline Angus cattle, rather than simply producing numbers. Lowlines that will not only win in the show ring, but will also help the commercial cattleman produce higher quality beef with a lower overhead is part of that goal. We do not care to follow mainstream and simply go with what is in style; we are different and hope to produce cattle that show that difference. 

Along with the herd on the western slope of Colorado, we are also developing a Lowline Angus herd in upstate New York, using completely different genetics than in Colorado. We are hopeful that this diversity will enable us to supply even more cattlemen with the opportunity to further their operation in an economical and profitable manner. We are attempting to reach out to cattlemen across the United States and promote the benefits of the Lowline Angus breed. 

This pursuit of quality has us on a constant search for the highest quality outcross genetics that will give us the results we are looking for. We may not be trendy; however, we are moving forward at a steady pace for the long term benefit of the Lowline Angus breed.