Mushrush Ranches in Kansas: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Mushrush Ranches is a family-owned Red Angus seedstock operation in the Flint Hills near Strong City, Kansas, founded in the early 1950s. The Beef Improvement Federation named Mushrush Red Angus its 2011 Seedstock Producer of the Year, and Red Angus Association coverage at that time listed 8,000 acres of native prairie, 500 registered cows and about 150 bulls marketed a year.
| Location | Strong City, Chase County, Kansas, in the Flint Hills |
|---|---|
| Founded | Early 1950s, by Robert and Oma Lou Mushrush |
| Sectors | Red Angus seedstock; commercial heifer development; cattle feeding |
| Scale | In 2011: 8,000 acres, 500 registered cows, about 150 bulls a year, a 1,000-head feedlot (Red Angus Association) |
| Why it is elite | 2011 BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year; Red Angus GridMaster award |
| Ownership | Family owned and managed across several generations |
| Official website | Red Angus Association 2011 Seedstock Producer of the Year announcement |
History of Mushrush Ranches
Robert and Oma Lou Mushrush started the ranch in the early 1950s with a commercial cow-calf herd. Their son Joe and his wife Connie joined full time in 1980 and added registered Red Angus cows, according to Kansas Livestock Association material.
A feedlot of 1,000 head was added in 1990. Joe and Connie's children, including Daniel, have since returned to the ranch, and a younger generation is now growing up on it. In 2011 BIF honored the family at its meeting in Bozeman, Montana.
What Mushrush Ranches Grows and Raises
The registered Red Angus cowherd is split between spring- and fall-calving groups, alongside a commercial heifer development enterprise. Per the Red Angus Association, the family buys 400 to 500 commercial heifers a year and manages 8,000 acres of native tallgrass prairie.
Grazing is rotational during the growing season, with supplements in the fall as forage protein drops. KLA material describes winter forage from cool-season grasses and stockpiled annuals such as cereals and brassicas. Feeder cattle are enrolled in the Red Angus Yellow Tag certification program and fed cattle are marketed with full carcass data.
How Mushrush Ranches Makes Money
Bull sales
The ranch markets about 150 bulls a year and holds an annual production sale; sale catalogs for its 26th annual sale and fall online sales appear in industry listings.
Commercial heifers
Developing 400 to 500 commercial heifers a year adds a second product that serves cattlemen looking for replacement females.
Fed cattle and certified feeders
Cattle fed in the family feedlot are sold on carcass data through U.S. Premium Beef, and feeder calves go through the Red Angus certification program, which links seedstock decisions to market returns.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Mushrush Ranches
Close the data loop. Collecting carcass results on fed cattle lets a seedstock producer prove what its genetics are worth to commercial buyers.
Adapt the forage plan to the season. Stockpiled annuals and cool-season grasses stretch grazing into winter, which is a lesson for any Kansas grazing operation.
The Mushrush family gets credit for the best-known color scheme in Chase County, and the rest of us at farm.FM admire any outfit that makes red cows and purple shirts into a brand. Our farm satire and farm humor desk keeps the ranch humor friendly. Even the farm jokes about bull-sale lunches stay respectful.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact Mushrush Ranches
Website: https://redangus.org/mushrush-red-angus-named-seedstock-producer-of-the-year/
No official ranch website appeared in my research, so this is the Red Angus Association announcement. Scale figures date from 2011; confirm current details with the ranch. Information as of November 2026.
Mushrush Ranches Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Red Angus Association announcement - 2011 award and ranch scale
- BIF 2011 award page - Beef Improvement Federation profile
- KLA proceedings: Mushrush Ranches - Kansas Livestock Association summary of the operation
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Official data on Kansas farms, cattle and land
- Kansas Livestock Association - State cattle producer association
Mushrush Ranches FAQ
Where is Mushrush Ranches?
Near Strong City in Chase County, Kansas.
What does Mushrush Ranches raise?
Registered Red Angus seedstock, commercial heifers and fed cattle.
What award did it win?
The Beef Improvement Federation named it 2011 Seedstock Producer of the Year.
How big is it?
The Red Angus Association reported 8,000 acres and 500 registered cows in 2011.
Mushrush Ranches is one example of what elite Red Angus seedstock operations look like in Kansas. For more profiled operations, climate and market guidance, and programs available to producers in the state, read the Kansas farms guide on this site.