Address

Diamond D Angus

Valier, MT. 59486

Mark DeBoo

Phone

1-406-799-3480

I am the third generation DeBoo raising functional Angus cows. My story starts in the 1950s with my grandparents, Charlie and Mary, who were the only registered Angus breeders in the Golden Triangle area of Montana at that time. At that time, my grandfather owned a bull called Pattern of Wye, who became instrumental in shaping the future for Diamond D Angus. 

In 1972, my grandfather’s life was cut short after having hip replacement surgery. My dad and mom, Don and Janet, were married in 1957 and started raising cows on shares with my grandparents, on a small ranch 10 miles southwest of Valier. They raised 7 kids on this small operation. Needless to say, everyone learned how to work and be very thrifty and efficient. That also included the cows. 

In 1962, Mom and Dad bought their first registered Angus heifers and continued raising commercial cattle. Due to the influence from Pattern of Wye, Dad learned that all cows were not created equal. 

In the 1960s, most cattle were very short and blocky; they would have been a frame score of one or even less. The Wye cattle were a larger frame for that time. The industry trends changed in the late 60s and early 70s to larger cattle and the Wye cattle became very popular. The trend continued to go larger and larger framed in the late 70s and 80s. 

It did not take Mom and Dad long to understand that the direction the industry was headed was not the path they wanted to be on. They decided with the influence of the old Pattern Bull, they would once again go to the Wye herd for their genetics and they spent many years selling bulls private treaty to repeat commercial buyers. 

After working 6 years as a mechanic for John Deere, I moved back to the ranch in 1988. We had our first production sale in the spring of 1989 in an old barn. Looking at it today, I still wonder how we did it. 

At that time, we were selling about 50 bulls at the sale. We continued to line breed for functional, maternal and efficient traits. This was not a popular or easy path to be on at the time, but I am still completely convinced it was the proper path to take. In 2006, we had our first fall production sale where we sold long yearling forage developed bulls. Now we sell our genetics all over the US, Canada and Argentina. We sell about 130 bulls and 100 bred females at our sale every fall. This is our 16th annual Sire Directory offering our time-tested line bred genetics.