Butler Creek Farms has worked their way into being a staple in the Gelbvieh breed. Located in Milton, Tennessee, they run about 50 head of registered cattle. Although they are not a tremendously large program, they focus and try to keep emphasis on quality rather than quantity. Butler Creek is run by Michael and Barbi Butler, and Zack and Autumn Butler. Being a family run operation, it started out with Michael running a commercial cow herd with mostly a San Gertrudis influence. In 1992, they bought their first Gelbvieh bull and from there they took off in the breed.
Michael liked what he saw when his first calves hit the ground and from there they went on to buy several groups of heifers from Fred Culver’s program in Montana over the next five to six years. To this day some of their first calf crop are the foundation of their elite female cow families. The Butler’s chose the Gelbvieh breed because of their disposition, maternal traits, and the breeds reputation. Having a commercial herd of mainly San Gertrudis influence their calf crop tended to be a little high headed, by adding the Gelbvieh influence into their program they were able to get a calf crop that was ready for the showring. Zack believes that a good cow base is as strong to a program as anything, and their program certainly can attest to that.
Butler Creek Farms tries to base their cattle operation off of good footed, sound, functional cattle. They believe that the best tool to select cattle is with the human eye. They also want cows with great utter quality and have easy flushing ability, all while maintaining a strong show ring emphasis. They also firmly believe that good cattle are good cattle, whether they are good in the show ring or are good in the real world.
They have been exhibiting at the National Western for the last 12 years. With the NWSS being the “Super Bowl” of livestock shows, Zack states. “It is the premier show for the Gelbvieh breed, it is the show that the breed carries the most numbers at.”
The last two to three years the Gelbviehs have been the third largest breed to exhibit on the Hill and the in the yards. The Butler’s favorite memory of the NWSS is their first time selling an entry in the national sale. When asked why they stated, “there’s nothing like the feeling of the first time, you are officially running with the big guys”
The junior association is tremendously important to Butler Creek. If it weren’t for being involved with the junior association Zack says he would probably not be where he is today in the cattle business. They focus on bringing the best quality for their juniors so they can have the best experience possible.
Striving for excellent customer service is the biggest goal and achievement for the Butler family. Customer service is the most important aspect for the farm and they strive to take care of the people they are dealing with in the industry. They believe that goals should be set high because you can never learn enough and there are always better cattle and genetics somewhere out there to achieve.