Registered Cattle Operation
When William T. Harrer
moved to the Lost Lake Ranch, it was stocked with hereford cattle. Two major transitions
have occurred since then. First William T (Bill) gradually phased out the hereford cattle
and developed a topnotch black angus commercial operation. Along the way, he maintained a
small group of registered angus, which were managed along side and in a similar fashion to
the commercial angus herd. The second transition began when Bill very slowly moved into
retirement mode (working only 12 hours a day) and Grant Harrer finally finished being a
professional student who had seedstock production in his bloodstream. Thus, through the
1990's, Harrer's Lost Lake Ranch has moved back to the production of registered angus
cattle with approximately 225 head of cows in this operation.
The major cow families represented in the Lost Lake herd include Anne, Bemindful Maid, Birdie, Blackbird, Blackcap, Erica, Everella, Heroine, Juanada, Lass, Primose, and Queen.
Herd Sires used at Lost Lake Ranch can be seen in this website directory under Herd Sires - Natural or Herd Sires- AI.
Our goals have always been to maintain a high degree of fertility, soundness, calving ease, and other maternal traits. We have long been believers in balancing all traits and in uniformity. In fact the annual production sale at the Green Meadow Ranch in Helena was known as the "Harrer's Uniformity Sale." Performance evaluations have been a part of our approach to registered cattle for decades.
Harrer's Lost Lake Ranch is a very strong believer in "carcass" analysis and subsequent breed improvement:
The sale bulls have undergone ultrasound analysis for several years.
Retained ownership of all our commercial steer calves provides us with input as to how our herd sires are doing regarding various traits.
We are now certified to participate in the Montana Beef Network Program.
The Lost Lake registered
cow herd as well as replacement heifers are each heat-synchronized for one go around of
artificial insemination per year. Herd sires are then with the cows for 60 days and no
more. The breeding of these cattle begins approximately May 1 with calving beginning in
early February of each year. The calves are weaned in October with the bulls going
directly to the Lost Lake Ranch Bull Development Center and heifers going to pasture as
soon as they are bunk broke. From the time they are baby calves through old age, this herd
is under constant culling pressure so that it is constantly improving.
The majority of the bull calves are sold in the "In The Real World" annual production sale the third Friday of March at the Western Livestock Auction in Great Falls, Montana. A tiny percentage are taken to test stations around the state and a small percentage are sold via private treaty. We sell some registered heifers yearly, primarily through the "In The Real World" sale as well. There, we strive to sell a group of heifers of quality equal to those we retain for replacements.
We believe very strongly
that the Lost Lake cattle must work " In The Real World" 
and thus the registered herd must maintain an economic use
of resources for all involved. Stop by for a visit !
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