Rancho Norte - Registered Texas Longhorns

Rancho Norte is a small cattle operation, sitting at well over a mile above sea level in the mountains of western New Mexico, surrounded by ridges studded with pinion and juniper. Perched on the edge of a scenic mesa, we look down on the trail that John Chisum used to drive his cattle from Billy the Kid’s old haunts in Lincoln County to Fort Apache in Arizona. To meet the challenges of this unforgiving land, Chisum’s cattle were bred for toughness against predators and disease, to be able to travel and forage across a sparse range, and to have the kind of reliable productivity that could yield a top quality product, even under hard conditions. John Chisum’s cattle were Longhorns.

Although times have changed, this country is still pretty much as wild as it was in Chisum’s day. Our stock faces the same harsh climate, cunning predators, sparse range, and rugged terrain that Chisum’s herds faced and, yes, still has to yield a top quality product, which is why our cattle are Longhorns.

We raise top quality Registered Texas Longhorns, as breeding stock, for their horns and hides, for their lean and healthful meat, for their high productivity and survivability, and for their ability to support sustainable ranching strategies that yield genuine economic and conservation advantages. Our goal is to produce cattle that offer real benefits to serious ranchers, to health conscious consumers, and to Americans interested in conserving both the landscape and traditions of the true West. Today, after a century of careful breeding, our cattle are better stock, larger and able to yield a better product than the cattle available to John Chisum; but, the cattle we produce today are the same breed and share the same toughness and robust foraging capabilities that John Chisum would have recognized and admired.

At Rancho Norte, we breed for a balance of size, horn, color, and conformation and our herd showcases famed lineages carrying the best available genetics. We focus on bloodlines derived from Overwhelmer, Senator, The Shadow, Measles Super Ranger, Impressive, Phenomenon, King, Don Quixote, and many other great herd sires; while also blending other blood to reinforce particular traits. At the same time, our ranch is still part of the not quite fully tamed American West. Our native grass range is wild and still supports a variety of natural predators. The real test for our stock is how they perform under range conditions, how they travel to use the range, and how they fend for themselves and still yield that top quality product. We believe that John Chisum might have approved. Take a look and give us a call.