Cross Diamond Cattle of Bertrand named ag innovator of 2024
HOLDREGE — Each year on the second Monday in December, nearly 500 people from around the country travel to rural Bertrand's Cross Diamond Cattle Co. for its annual production sale.
But they don't come just for the sale.
Cattle buyers enjoy the camaraderie of the friends they've met at the sale over the years, and they have grown to love Phelps County and local hot spots like The Speakeasy and Lost Way Brewery.
It's a tradition started 19 years ago by Scott and Kim Ford, co-owners and managers of Cross Diamond Cattle Co. The sale is a highlight of the year for their operation, which is well known around the country for raising quality Red Angus bulls and heifers.
Cross Diamond Cattle serves the cattle industry by providing Red Angus genetics and dedicated customer service after the sale. Their mission is "developing cattle, crops and relationships through studied stewardship and faith in Christ."
PCDC has selected Cross Diamond Cattle Co. as its Ag Innovator Business of the Year. The company will be honored at the Nov. 4 PCDC Business Hall of Fame banquet at the Holdrege Country Club.
"Among other things, the criteria used to make the selection include sustained and successful operations, leadership within the ag sector, innovative practices, capital investment, facility construction or improvements, community involvement and impact on the community," PCDC President Shane Westcott wrote in the award letter. "Cross Diamond checks all of the boxes."
The operation, located 12 miles southeast of Bertrand, includes a few thousand acres of cover crops, corn and soybeans, 13,000 acres of grass, 1,200 commercial and registered Red Angus mother cows, and about 750 yearlings. Scott and Kim are involved in the day-to-day operations along with five other full-time employees and several part-time employees. The company is owned by Scott and Kim, Gary and Marlene Dahlgren, Cal and Shana Dahlgren, Bill and Martha Ford, and Corey and Meredith Cable.
"Throughout the years we have been blessed with great partners and wonderful employees and customers," Scott Ford said. "We are blessed and humbled to receive this award."
"It is very humbling to be recognized," Kim Ford said. "This is a great agricultural community, and we are honored to be part of it."
Cross Diamond employees include Corey Cable, who is the second in command ranch hand; Andy and Megan Nation, who manage the commercial herd and yearlings in Elwood; Garrett Ragonese; and Alijah Gates. Part-time helpers include Scott's dad, Bill Ford; his uncle, John Ford; cousin, Jeff Ford; Scott and Kim's daughters, Johanna and Marie; and Tom Golka.
Young start
Scott and Kim Ford met while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Scott's family roots in Bertrand date back to the 1880s. He grew up in rural Bertrand and worked for various farmers as a teen. Kim Ford grew up near Lakeside, Nebraska, and from a young age worked with her family in their registered Red Angus operation, Panhandle Cattle Co.
Scott and Kim Ford purchased their first cattle together in 1996, before they were married. Kim graduated from UNL with a degree in agricultural journalism, and Scott graduated with a general agricultural degree. After they married, they continued working with Kim's family in Lakeside, and Scott also sold seed corn.
In the fall of 2005, the Fords learned of an opportunity to buy a ranch in the Bertrand area. Because Kim's brother had moved back to her family's ranch, the Fords decided to move to Bertrand. They had already purchased the Cross Diamond Cattle brand, and they continued with that name in their new operation in Phelps County. They brought 225 registered Red Angus cattle with them to start.
Production sale
The Fords planned their first production sale in December 2006. While most cattle production sales occur in January through March, the Fords decided on a December sale.
"Selling in December, it's more of a quiet time for people to get away and come to the sale," Kim Ford said. "Customers have their calves weaned and sold and haven't started calving yet again. There are hardly any bull sales in December."
And in December, the Christmas spirit fills the air. The Fords decorate their building with poinsettias, and one customer always sports a Santa hat over his cowboy hat.
Their goal was to make the sale a special event that people would want to return to each year.
"We have customers who never knew each other until they came to the sale, and now they call each other twice a week," Scott said.
The sale has grown to attract customers from 25 states, including Texas, Michigan, South Carolina and Oregon. The day before the sale, customers arrive at Cross Diamond to view the cattle. That evening, the Fords provide a meal and entertainment, which in the past has included magician Chase Hasty, Husker coach Ron Brown and cowboy poet RP Smith. The 2024 speaker will be Tom Field, who leads the Paul Engler ag entrepreneurship program at UNL.
The Fords often highlight Phelps County products at their event, such as Buzz Savories mustard. This year, they will serve Lost Way Brewery craft beer.
The sale begins at noon on Dec. 9 and lasts about four hours. They bring in bleachers from the Bertrand rodeo and fill their nearly 10,000-square-foot facility with customers. They sell about 250 bulls and bred 450 heifers with an average sale price last year of $8,983 per bull.
The Fords offer free delivery of the cattle after the sale or a $250 credit for customers who arrange their own delivery. Scott racks up about 35,000 miles a year from late December to March delivering cattle across the nation.
"It's a big commitment and a big expense, but it pays off," Scott said, because it allows him to build relationships and meet his customers one-on-one.
Cross Diamond also provides a 100% guarantee on its cattle for the first year. They will provide a replacement animal no questions asked if a bull or heifer is injured or dies.
"We don't make them jump through a bunch of hoops," Scott said. "People in the cattle business — they are good people. So, we take people's word for it, and they don't have to send a vet certificate."
The Fords said many of their customers return each year, and many make it a full weekend of fun in Phelps County. Some customers have a tradition of eating together at the Speakeasy, while others enjoy a meal at JB's Sports Bar & Grill or other area restaurants.
The Fords are grateful to community members who pitch in to help with anything from gathering bulls to cutting pies at the sale.
Giving back
Another reason that PCDC selected Cross Diamond Cattle for the award is for its "reputation for exemplary community service and voluntarism."
Three years ago, the grocery store in Bertrand was on the verge of closing as its former owners were ready to retire from the business.
"We just love Bertrand and Phelps County," Scott said. "There's a lot of things important to a town. But you have to have a Main Street and a grocery store. We didn't know anything about the grocery business, but we didn't want the store to close, so we bought it."
Lately, Kim has spent many hours working at the store as they work to keep it staffed and open for the community.
Scott was recently involved in fundraising to start Bertrand Community Builders, a group dedicated to building homes to welcome new families into the community.
Scott and Kim are 50% owners in Cross Diamond Meats, which is operated by employee Corey Cable and his wife, Meredith. The business sells quarter- and half-beef portions and freezer meals prepared by Meredith.
The Fords are involved in Westmark Evangelical Church, host the Bertrand Fair Rodeo's antique tractor show in their building, and sponsor or help with many other community activities.
