Lactobacillius Feeding Program

Prather Ranch in it's continuing effort to incorporate holistic management and solid science feeds a specially designed culture of Lactobacillius acidophiles and other beneficial microbes.&nsbp; This feeding practice improves animal health and the environment.&nsbp; Feeding Lactobacillius provides a steady supply of beneficial microbes to the digestive tract.

These beneficial microbes improve digestion, keep the animal healthy and reduce animal waste products.&nsbp; This proactive and unique feeding practice is consistent with the Prather Ranch concept of supplying consumers a safe, wholesome product that is produced in a environmentally sound management system.

DNA Testing for Tenderness

Prather Ranch, in its never-ending commitment to provide their customers with the most tender and tasty beef on the market today, has implemented the use of new technology available in the beef industry.  The ranch began DNA testing in 2004, using GeneSTAR tests for the tenderness gene marker in their herd sires.  Those bulls that test positive for the tenderness trait are retained in the herd as breeding stock.  Their offspring are more likely to produce meat that will be tender.  This test has been validated by the National Cattle Beef Evaluation Consortium.

In order to evaluate meat tenderness, the GeneSTAR Tenderness evaluates the genes of Calpain and Calpastatin.  Prior to this test, bulls were evaluated by their ability to produce offspring that had the characteristics of tender meat.  This process included following their offspring that possessed the characteristics of tender meat.  This process included following their offspring through the life cycle which would take a period of years.  The GeneSTAR test allows for selecting sires that already carry these positive gene markers. 

Prather Ranch now selects breeding stock that is genetically more likely to produce tender cuts of beef.  To achieve this result, Prather Ranch is testing their herd sires for two different genes by using a DNA marker test.  These DNA markers are a result of research done by the Beef Quality Research Center in Australia and the USDA Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska.  The evolution of this market technology represents a new era in the beef industry by allowing us at Prather Ranch to increase our ability to produce a consistent product that has superior tenderness.