Our Cattle
Our Cows
At Mount Echo Ranch, we take pride in our cattle. Our cows are naturally raised with the utmost care and respect. We rotate the cattle through a series of open pastures on the home ranch 9 months out of the year. The remaining 3, hot summer months, the cows and their calves graze in the El Dorado National Forest.
Ever wonder why ranchers use cowbells? How many cows do you see, and how many bells do you hear? The forest could be full of cows and you would never find them without a bell.
Our Bulls
Our bulls are at the heart of our breeding program. They are very carefully selected for their superior genetics, and temperament. This ensures that the calves they sire embody the finest traits, making them ideal for both breeding and beef production.
A little herd history.....
Our family settled and began ranching in Amador County, California in 1878. In the beginning, the cattle were primarily Herefords. In the late 1950's, Cynthia bought a registered Black Angus heifer, from her grandfather, Elmer Rupley to raise and show at the fair. Ann Blackcap 4 and her subsequent heifer calf, Ann T Blackcap, began our slow transition to Black Angus genetics. Up until around 2010, the herd continued to shift in breed composition. Bulls of many breeds came and went. We cycled through Hereford, Red Angus, Charolais, Black Angus, and even one Shorthorn bull. In recent years, our bulls have been primarily Black Angus.
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Cynthia with the beginnings of our Angus herd 1958-1960ish
