CL SuperCross Composite Beef Cattle

CL SuperCross & Sussex
Bulls For Sale
Annual Spring Sale
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CL SuperCross cattle are primarily marketed directly through the local packing plants on Value Based marketing systems, and replacements are used to restock the CL home ranch and also various "Cow-Operators" throughout Western Canada through our CL Beef program.

For a more detailed view of our selection process, marketing system or the CL SuperCross genetic program, contact or submit an Online Inquiry.

A CL Supercross Cow

CL Supercross Bulls

The CL SuperCross seedstock cattle breeding program does not focus on selection for any one trait in particular. We aim to produce cattle that will succeed through all the levels of the industry to the consumers’ plates, with true economic efficiency and the overall satisfaction received by the end user. We insist upon a cow that will raise a strong calf every year under extensive range conditions. Then we insist upon this cow’s calf to maintain a high and efficient post-weaning gain in the finishing lots. When our cattle are slaughtered, we strive for them to be high yielding, tender, and tasty. Our cows function on a 40-45 day breeding interval in rugged range conditions. We expect conception rates in the upper 90% range, and focus hard on pounds weaned per cow in the fall. Our calving dates start approximately on the 10th of April for our main cow herd. Conformation and overall environmental compatibility are essential in the selection process of our cattle, as well as the selection based on the performance figures that we collect at all the stages of production.

Though most of our progeny are retained and “fed or bred” through our various systems, CL does offer a select group of bulls each year through the Annual CL SuperCross Bull Sale in the Spring of each year.

Development of CL SuperCross Beef Genetics
Commercial Horned Hereford cattle dominated the CL ranch herd until the 1960’s. At this time, through the use of widely accumulated research and on-ranch testing, an extensive system of crossbreeding was undertaken. Select American Brown Swiss, Braunvieh and Simmental genetics were added to the Hereford cow base through AI and home bred bulls. In 1973, the herd was closed and a process of intense selection for maternal characteristics through the BeefBooster system was carried out until 1996.

The Beefbooster program was a composite breeding system, in part formed by Marshall Copithorne and his CL cattle in 1969. It was a system consisting of the following:

five unique synthetic seedstock strains of cattle;
three maternal strains each designed for different purposes
an easy calving strain for heifers, and;
a terminal strain for producing efficient feeder cattle.

The CL Ranch cattle formed one of the maternal strains focusing primarily on maternal performance, in an extensive range land environment. Individual animal performance was database recorded, monitored on a whole herd basis, and used for the rigid selection criteria, along with a visual basis of structural selection.

Research & Retained Ownership
CL Ranch focuses on retaining the ownership beyond the ranch and into the feedlot backgrounding and finishing sectors and beyond. In doing so it became evident that the cattle possessed some exceptional carcass traits as well. We decided to move out of the Beefbooster production system in 1996. This allowed us to develop a more “all purpose” type animal which would work for all levels of the industry. We, as cattlemen, are in the business of producing beef. We aim to produce an animal that will deliver the highest quality uniform product, in the most efficient manner possible.

Most of our research beyond the cow/calf production level was developed through the Value Based Marketing system of Western Feedlots Ltd. in which CL has been involved with for more than 40 years. We have been actively feeding cattle right through to slaughter, year after year through Western Feedlots, and have been gathering carcass information on these cattle since the early 1990’s.

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