Limousin breeder, Euvonne Wies, is 87-years old, and the feisty red head isn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon.
“Euvonne still has guns blazing for the Limousin business,” said Heather Henderson, herd manager at Wies Limousin Ranch in Wellsville, Mo. “She announced at Christmas this past year that we needed to increase our herd numbers.”
Euvonne is continuing the legacy she built with her late husband, Bob, who passed away in June 2019. The Wies family started the business in the 1970s, purchasing some Limousin bulls for their commercial cows and letting the operation grow from there.
Bob owned a drywall business, which he started by working his way up and learning the ropes along the way.
“In the early years, Bob and Yvonne were living in the city and had purchased some property out here that they would visit on the weekends,” said Heather, who has worked for the Wies family for 17 years. “Over time, their passion led them to the farm full-time, and they joined NALF as members in 1978 and began building their herd of Limousin and LimFlex cows.”
Active in the organization, Bob and Euvonne traveled the world studying the Limousin breed. They toured farms in Canada, Ireland and France, as well as across the United States.
“They have always been very passionate about the breed,” said Henderson. “This isn’t a show place; we raise our cattle on fescue here in Missouri, and we always say if they can do well here, they’ll do well anywhere!”
Henderson describes Bob as a “collector of Limousin genetics.”
“He had a hard time parting with his good Limousin and LimFlex females,” she said.
But when the recession hit during the Obama administration in 2008, and the commercial construction slowed to a near halt, it was time to start marketing and moving Limousin cattle to pay the bills.
“In addition to selling commercial bulls private treaty, we also had a production sale in Columbia and consigned cattle to consignment sales,” said Henderson. “Things evolved, and we found a true market in selling show heifers to junior members.”
Having won every major show in the country, Wies Limousin Ranch is accomplished in the show ring. Many Limousin and LimFlex enthusiasts will recognize the names of some of the Wies’ most famous donor cows, WLR Tainted Love 746X, MAGS Phantoms Prize, WLR Prada, WLR Ugly Betty and MAGS WLR Usual Suspect 538U, who was bred, raise and shown to the triple crown by the Wies crew.
“It’s great to win a show, but at the end of the day, those animals have to go out in the pasture and be able to be a cow,” said Henderson. “We find great joy in raising show heifers that will do well for junior members, but we also believe in raising animals that will go out and work. Tainted Love was a great show heifer, but she is out in the pasture with a calf by her side, and each year, she raises a calf, and we continue to flush her.”
Their breeding philosophy is to keep matings at around 63-75% LimFlex.
“We try not to dip below 50% ever; those are the types of cattle that work best for us,” said Henderson. “This percentage offers the most flexibility, but at the end of the day, it’s still pretty hard to beat a classic purebred red Limousin cow.”
And it was the red Limousin cow that Bob loved the best! Even as the Wies family, and the entire Limousin breed, mourns the loss of the Wies Limousin Ranch patriarch, the business is still in excellent hands with Euvonne “The Red Head” Wies and her right-hand, Henderson, by her side.
Bob was so committed to the breed, that in lieu of flowers at his funeral, a memorial was set up with funds to be directed to NALJA.
“We are still trying to figure out the best way to use these funds, but it was important to Bob to support the youth in our breed, so we are excited to honor him in that way,” said Henderson.
To learn more about the Wies Limousin Ranch, visit www.wieslimousin.com or find them on Facebook.
Photos courtesy of Wies Limousin Ranch:
(Old & 2018 pictures) The late Bob and Euvonne Wies have been NALF members since 1978.
(Heather Henderson): “It’s great to win a show, but at the end of the day, those animals have to go out in the pasture and be able to be a cow,” says Heather Henderson, herd manager at Wies Limousin Ranch.
(Fiona) WLR Fiona ET (Style x Phantoms Prize) was the 2019 All American Futurity Champion Female.
(Usual Suspect) MAGS WLR Usual Suspect 538U was a Triple Crown winning bull for Wies and Magness. His banners include: the 2010 American Royal Grand Champion Bull; 2010 North American International Livestock Exposition Reserve Grand Champion Bull; 2011 National Western Stock Show Grand Champion Bull; 2010 Moe Gold Medal Purebred Show Bull of the Year and Triple Crown Winner; 2010 Missouri Limousin Field Day Ozark Empire, Missouri State Fair, and All-American Futurity Grand Champion Bull; 2010 All-American Limousin Futurity Supreme Champion Bull; 2009 Tulsa State Fair Grand Champion Bull; 2009 Ozark Empire, Missouri State Fair, Iowa State Fair, and American Royal Reserve Grand Champion Bull; 2009 All-American Futurity, North American International Livestock Expo and National Western Stock Show, respectively.
Limousin cattle deliver to your bottom line. With superior genetics, a simple crossbreeding plan and state-of-the-art selection tools, the Limousin breed will serve profit-minded cow/calf producers. In today’s competitive markets, taking advantage of all available opportunities is key. The Limousin breed offers a variety of options from Fullblood to Purebred to the Lim-Flex® hybrid (Limousin x Angus cross) to match your program’s needs and market goals. Crossbreeding for the right blend of muscle, maternal ability and profit is easy with Limousin seedstock.