Home of the #1 Self Replacing Index female in the USA!

Our SUPER MOMMA™  Program

When our children were young, we told them to, “Pick one thing and give it your best effort.” We didn’t care if it was athletics, academics, 4-H vocational agriculture, or even a hobby. They knew that they were expected to be their best at just “one thing”.

At Milburn American Wagyu (MAW) our “one thing” is developing High-Quality Wagyu Replacement Heifers. For many years, we ran Angus cow/calf pairs. We still maintain a handful of quality Angus “Super Mommas” in our F1 and recip herds. In the Wagyu breed, I believe that maternal traits have been overlooked in the pursuit of more marble, and larger carcass. In our Wagyu “Super Momma” Program, we are focused on Milk, Maternal Calving Ease, Heifer Pregnancy Rates, and Docility. We are improving these qualities without sacrificing marble and carcass.

If we can continue to make progress at the current rate, MAW Super Momma heifers will soon be widely available and highly sought after as well.

We will continue to sell Angus-cross steers until the Wagyu steers become available. We are currently taking orders for 2025. Due to overwhelming demand, we are now selling Wagyu Seedstock genetics (semen and embryos). Our frozen genetics inventory changes often. Please call to check on availability or watch our Facebook page for details.

Our Story – A Local Family Farm

In 1946, Grandpa Milburn moved his family from western Kansas to a ranch south of Arriba, Colorado. He brought his Angus herd with him. Those Angus cattle were descendants of the original four Angus bulls imported from Scotland to Kansas in 1873.

He liked his Angus cattle. They were heavier going into the fall and wintered better than other crossbred cattle on the ranch. However, he didn’t think they were good mothers. According to Grandpa, “They don’t milk, and will putcha on the fence just for lookin’ at’em”.

Improving his Angus mother cows became his mission in life. This was before serious record keeping and EPDs, but he was cowman enough to recognize maternal traits and how they are passed on from mothers to daughters. By keeping his good cows and culling the rest, he eventually arrived at his “Super Momma” herd. Milburn Angus replacement heifers were highly sought after. We still have one of those last Angus cows in our recip herd.

Though we have transitioned from Angus to Wagyu cattle, this is the same direction we are taking our Wagyu herd.

Our Beginings

Raising Cattle Responsibly Since 1946

In 1997, we moved from Grand Junction to Arriba, Colorado to get closer to our family and our roots. What began as the Cactus Ridge Ranch on the Western Slope of Colorado became the Milburn-Kroh Ranch on the Eastern Plains. We started raising cow/calf pairs on a quarter-section of decent grass just north of town. With additional land purchases and leased/rented ground, we grew to almost 1,000 acres by 2012.

Sixty-six years earlier, in 1946, my grandfather moved his family from western Kansas to a ranch south of Arriba. After nearly 30 years, he sold the place when he retired. In 2012, we bought back the old Milburn South Fork Ranch, and moved our entire operation to the old home place. One hot August afternoon in 2014, we were hit by a tornado. It took half of the equipment shed, the windows and doors to the shop, and destroyed what was left of the original barn built in the early 1900’s. I took it as a message from God: “Either get serious or get out of the way”. Since then, we have repaired the shed, built a new barn, and began selling Roto Grind feed and grain grinders. We also transitioned from Angus to Wagyu cattle.

Milburn American Wagyu is a Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified producer of quality, home-raised cattle. Through this certification process, we are able to ensure proper management techniques and a commitment to quality throughout every segment of our process. Our focus is quality replacement heifers. As demand increased, we began to offer frozen genetics as well.

Our carrying capacity is limited due to the amount of pasture available to us. As the result, our cattle are housed in the feedlot here on the home place for roughly five months out of the year. We “go to grass” and start calving in April. The pairs return home in November. We pay a tremendous amount of attention to our winter-feeding programs. Working closely with various Feed/Nutrition Specialists, we are able to maximize this portion of our production process.

We grind great amounts of feed. Every pound goes through our 30-year-old Roto Grind grinder. “Old Faithful” is on the third set of hammers and still grinding like it was brand new. It’s been tipped over, shot at, and pulled a thousand miles. I can’t seem to wear it out. I was so impressed with Roto Grind that I acquired dealership rights to Southeastern Colorado in 2016. I now sell Roto Grind grinders in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, Texas, Utah, and Oklahoma.

In 2019, my wife of 31 years lost a lengthy battle with cancer. Most of 2020 was spent grieving, evaluating, downsizing and restructuring. Part of that process included bringing on a full time Ranch Manager. I was able steal Anna Roan from a large feedlot/farm in a neighboring county. Her son Lane had worked for me throughout high school. In 2021, Anna and I were married.

To build on that relationship, we have partnered with our kids. They manage much of our recip herd north of Hays, Kansas. There, the cattle are much closer to the embryologist, and vet doing the implant/Al work. Life is good.