If you’ve followed the Charolais breed for sometime, you might recognize the Bertsche name .. but not necessarily the BRCHE prefix. After starting their own herd in South Dakota, Brandon Bertsche and his wife Sasha are making a name for themselves — one white cow at a time.
Thanks to both Brandon and Sasha for their support of FMG and for taking the time to answer our questions for the blog. This is one of our favorite families at the backdrop to picture!
? When did Bertsche Cattle get it?s start??
I’ve been raised in the Charolais breed my whole life. Sasha and I started our own operation in the fall of 2015, first with an open heifer off the Thomas Ranch Pasture sale that just happens to be this years feature Donor lot. We made our big move at the TR Dispersal with a bred female that was carrying “Dory”, the heifer that put us on map, and also about 40 embryos. It all started from those purchases.?Visit the Bertsche Cattle LLC Facebook page.
? Who?s all involved with the operation?
The operation consists of myself (Brandon), my wife Sasha and our two Children Briggston (6), and Bevin (5).
? Why Charolais?
I was grew with the breed and love their added performance, their distinctiveness in the feed lot and their ability to stand out from the sea of red and black in the show ring.?
? What does your perfect cow look like?
Well, for starters, WHITE. I like my cattle a little bigger. My easy answer would be Dottie. Our National Champion female from last year. But plenty of rib shape, big bone with an awesome leg set and soft on the ground, nice big ole feet. Long bodied with a big square hip and super fluent on the move.
Dottie, at the 2018 South Dakota State Fair
? Who is your ideal customer?
My ideal customer is the kind that comes back. That’s means they’re willing to build a business relationship going forward and it also means we’ve succeeded in breeding an animal that works for our fellow cattle producers.
? What are your goals for Bertsche Cattle?
My goals have been the same since I started this venture. Some of them have I met much sooner than I expected … but, the number 1 main goal will always be to build something that I can someday pass on to my children.
? What?s your favorite part of your job?
My favorite thing about doing what we’re doing is that while we’re doing what we’ve always dreamed of doing. Building our own cow herd. We get to help other people chase their dreams. This time of year in the cattle industry, particularly on the show side of it, is amazing. Your big breds are getting ready to make their final runs at the fall and winter majors but the next group of babies is also stepping into the show barn to prove what they’ve got. It’s awesome.?
? You?re having your first online sale this fall. What are some highlights of this offering?
We’re very proud of what we have to offer Wednesday on SC. We’ve got all the bases covered from young, proven donors to embryos packages on the best matings we have to offer and even some semen lots on our two herd sires that look to play an important role in our herd going forward. And I can’t forget about the awesome set of show heifers, the main event for this sale. I see these heifers everyday and yet you can still see how much they’re changing and coming on and putting everything together in the right way. Every time I go out there another one catches your eye. You can have a new favorite every day and not be wrong in your assessment.?
Don’t miss the Bertsche Cattle Inaugural “Bred for Greatness” Sale, Oct. 16, 2019 on SC Online Sales.
? How else do you market your genetics?
We market our genetics mostly at winter stock shows. We attend the Black Hills Stock Show every year, the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic, and have had the privlege to sell genetics on the Embryos on Snow sale in Denver the last couple years as well as the Gold Rush sale at the Black Hills Stock Show.
? Where do you see Bertsche Cattle in 10 years? 30 years?
In 10 years I’d like to look at the registration papers on our herd and see a lot of BRCHE prefixes going back three generations. Building on the females that we’re selecting right now to go forward and produce the kind of quality we are offering in this fall’s online sale. In 30 years I hope to be sitting back, watching Briggston and Bevin work their magic with the herd Sasha and I are able to pass on to them.?
? What makes your operation unique?
I don’t know if we’re any more unique than the next guy, but we’ve carefully chosen our foundation females from the best cow families the breed has to offer and we put our heart and soul into making our cattle the best that they can be. That’s the main thing in the cattle business. You have to love what you’re doing and you have to try to out work all your competition.?
