Mushrush Red Angus is a family-owned and managed operation that was started in the early 1950s by Robert and Oma Lou Mushrush who ran their commercial cow-calf herd in the heart of the Kansas Flint Hills. The Mushrush family manages 8,000 acres of native tallgrass prairie.
Son Joe and his wife Connie joined in 1980 and began adding registered Red Angus cows to the operation as well as stocker cattle. In 1990, they added a feedlot giving them involvement in all segments of the cattle industry and a unique perspective into their commercial customers’ needs.
Most recently, Joe and Connie’s son, Daniel, and his wife Christine, joined the family ranch. Joe and Connie’s other children, Casey, Cole, Laura, Chris and Maddy are also involved in the ranch or in another aspect of agriculture. Granddaughter Sadie is the fourth generation.
Their diversified cattle operation utilizes Red Angus genetics in each aspect. They run 500 registered Red Angus cows, calving half in the spring and the other half in the fall. They market approximately 150 bulls each year in their production sale and through private treaty sales. Their target customers are commercial producers.
Mushrushes purchase 400 to 500 head of commercial heifers each year from their commercial customers to develop, breed and resell as bred females.
They purchase Mushrush-sired steers from their customers to stock their 1,000-head feedlot as well as bulls and females that do not meet their breeding quality requirements. They also graze some cattle as stockers on pasture until they are ready to enter the feedlot.
Mushrushes enroll their feeder cattle in Red Angus’ Yellow Tag Feeder Calf Certification Program (FCCP) and encourage their customers to do the same. The FCCP qualifies the cattle for increased grid values. They market all their feedlot cattle at U.S. Premium Beef and collect full carcass data.
Joe Mushrush is the current president of the Red Angus Association of America and the family holds active memberships in the Kansas Red Angus Association and Kansas Junior Red Angus Association. They have also received the prestigious Red Angus GridMaster award for breeding and owning cattle that meet and exceed strict carcass quality specifications.
Mushrush Red Angus was nominated by the Kansas Livestock Association. 
PHOTO
(From left) 2011-2012 BIF President Larry Mehlhoff presents the 2011 BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year Award to Connie and Joe Mushrush of Mushrush Red Angus, assisted by Burt Rutherford, BEEF Magazine, award sponsor.
Photo by Troy Smith provided courtesy of www.BIFconference.com.
