Office:
1.800.428.2855 Cell:
308.530.1144 FAX:
308.532.3686
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Schaffer Cattle Company
of North Platte, Nebraska, is the largest broker of bred
stock in the Midwest, handling 38,000 head in the past year,
as well as quarter horse sales.
Dewey
Schaffer and his wife, Tricia, are proud to have their children
involved in the present operation of Schaffer Ranches, which
has been a family enterprise for over 100 years. In recent
years, the Schaffer family has grown to encompass spouses
and children. Son Cole, his wife Sarah, and their son Quinton
reside in North Platte where Cole co-manages Schaffer Ranches'
day-to-day operations. Sarah, who holds a doctorate in psychology,
partners with her father in their private practice "Behavioral
Medicine Associates", in North Platte. Daughter
Emily, along with her husband Guy Smith, and their children,
Brayden and Taylor, live in Blair, Oklahoma. Emily and Guy
continue to raise and promote Schaffer-bred horses, and
Guy also coaches the rodeo team at Western
Oklahoma State College. Third child, Jacob, resides
in Lincoln, NE where he is a student at the University of
Nebraska College of Law. Jacob is concentrating in the taxation
of business transactions and works when he can at the Omaha
law firm of Koley
Jessen, P.C. Hayley, the last of the four, is in her
second year of college at Howard College in Big Spring,
Texas. Hayley has received several scholarships in rodeo
and choir and is majoring in Business Administration.
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The
Schaffers began operating in North Platte in 1988, when Dewey
brought in their bull lease business and added a livestock
market (later sold). During this time, he also partnered in
the purchase and operation of the 200,000-acre Miller Ranch
in Laramie, WY.
Today, Schaffer Cattle
has grown to 600 Angus, Charolais, South Devon, Maine-Anjou,
and Composite bulls for lease, in addition to bred stock and
quarter horse sales.
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The Schaffers
Dewey and Tricia
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The
history of the Schaffer Cattle Company dates to the early
1900's, when Dewey's grandfather, D.C. Schaffer, went to work
in the Omaha Stockyards as a young man. He soon grew tired
of working for wages, and his entrepreneurial spirit took
him west to Chambers, NE in Holt County in search of his fortune.
During the depression, he purchased 3,500 acres, marking the
official beginning of the Schaffer Ranches.
In
the 1960's, D.C. expanded the ranch to 40,000 deeded acres.
This spread ranged from southern South Dakota to south of
O'Neill, NE, where the Headquarters were located, and included
additional land leased in Texas.
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During
the 1940's his ranching operation brought the first Hereford
cows into the Nebraska Sandhills from the Pitchfork Ranch
in Wyoming. The livestock inventory ranged from 6,000 to
8,500 head of mother cows, with calves carried over to yearlings.
Horses
were an integral part of the ranching operation, playing
vital roles in feeding and caring for the livestock. D.C.'s
son, Larry, (Dewey's dad) started raising Quarter Horses
in 1953. He and Johny Mohr bought a stud named Dutch Owens.
Larry hand-selected mares according to soundness and durability
for breeding. The brood mare band was around 100 head until
1985. Studs included such renown names as AQHA Champions
Smarty Cat (own son of Hardtwist), Smarty Boy, Spade Ace
(own son of Little Joe the Wrangler), and Triple Goldrush.
Studs Corkey Barnes and Rooster Roan were also used. To
this day, Quarter horses are still used in the Schaffer
Cattle daily operations.
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Larry's
son, Dewey, added the bull lease business in 1985 when he
founded "Dewey's Bull Bonanza". At the outset, he
offered 148 bulls. This has evolved into the large operation
(at two locations) that he and his family operate today.
As
the fourth generation of Schaffers joins the family business
entering the new millennium, their contributions will surely
bring interesting changes, as did the hard work and perseverance
of their predecessors.
One
thing that will remain unchanged, however, is the Schaffer
Cattle commitment to breeding, raising, and offering the highest
quality livestock available.
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