K>P HISTORY

In the late 1890’s and after the death of her husband, Syd Davidson, near Port Oklahoma, Myrtle Byrd Davidson asked her brother–in-law, Moore Davidson, to go into the Texas Panhandle in search of good ranch land. He found several sections in an area east of Lefors, Texas and south of Pampa, Texas. Myrtle bought the land and in 1904 moved to that land with her three young children. They began life on the prairie living in a dugout by a huge running spring of water. The spring was an early day landmark in Gray County, known as Davidson spring; it was used by the early churches for baptismal services. They were truly pioneers on that vast wind- blown land. They raised Hereford cattle there and were successful and happy. Life was not without great difficulty at that time however as Myrtle lost her two sons to death, one to pneumonia and one to a ruptured appendix. Myrtle and her daughter, Ethel, just kept on working, and that same land has been in the family through 5 generations since 1904. We hope that that same pioneering spirit will endure for many more future generations who love ranching. Three and one half sections were left to Myrtle’s great granddaughter, Gay Vanderburg Kuempel who decided to incorporate the ranch with her husband, Dennis, her son, Dennis Jr. and her daughter , Gina. They named the corporation, The Raah Ranch. That name was chosen because Raah is one of God’s names and means Shepherd in Hebrew. Our hope is to be good shepherds of the land given into our care.

Through the years and the five generations of Myrtle’s heirs, the land has been home to Hereford, Angus, and Gelbvieh cattle. Now it is home to 100% full blood Wagyu Cattle and is run by Dennis Jr. And his wife, Brenda. While on vacation in Aspen, Colorado, Dennis and Brenda dined in a Japanese restaurant that featured 100% Wagyu beef steak and decided to give it a try. They found the beef to be beyond delicious and beyond tender. They also took notice of the price: $18 per ounce! That memorable meal sparked a new and vital interest for Dennis and Brenda. They determined to discover all they could about the exotic history-rich breed and the possibility of taking the ranch in a new direction. After much study and intense research, they began their own herd of 100% full blood Wagyu cattle.

Brenda & Dennis bought 11 Fullblood Wagyu cows and heifers and began a breeding program with the goal of having 150-250 Fullblood Wagyu cows on the ranch by 2013 -utilizing modern breeding techniques, including artificial insemination and embryo transfer of premium genetics.