His father, Gene, showed the grand champion steer at the Indiana State Fair in 1946, and Dale had the top bull at the 1989 National Western Stock Show in Denver. Ind. He says the availability of pastures, the local demand for seedstock and distribution of labor help determine the size of his operation. Grubbs calves about 120 females each year, and, with replacement heifers, he'll take 150 head through the summer. There's no use having more than you can merchandise. Space isn't the only constraint on the size of the operation.
Labor is a precious commodity, too.
Although Gene is retired, he still helps a lot around the farm. The rest is left up to Dale and Louis Meisner, who's worked at Grubbs Angus Farms for seven years. You can just do so much. In his definition, better equals balanced. He wants his customers to have options, so he tries to keep a good mix of calving-ease and performance bulls in his herd.