The Artesian Story

Generations of Ranching — Before Artesian Ranch

The King Family’s experience in the beef industry began generations ago, with the family owning and operating a ranch in Lometa, Texas. That longstanding ranching heritage laid the foundation for what would eventually become Artesian Ranch.

 

2013 — The Beginning of Artesian Ranch

Dr. Robert King set out to establish a ranch of his own and purchased a property on the Colorado River near Winchell, Texas. 

The ranch was named Artesian Ranch after the two artesian wells located on the property. 

The operation began as a yearling operation before expanding to include a commercial Angus cow herd.

2014 — A New Direction

The following year, Dr. King purchased the McMinn Ranch in the Leon River Valley of Comanche County, just east of Gustine, Texas.

The property offered a unique opportunity for dual agricultural income through both cattle and pecans. The ranch’s pecan trees had been carefully managed to produce a crop annually rather than following the typical native pecan production cycle.

With the purchase of the property came the existing cow herd, which had been built primarily around Angus genetics. For many years, Angus bulls were selected for carcass merit and maternal traits, with many heifer calves retained as replacements.

This established the foundation of what would become the Artesian cow herd, a herd that remained closed for many years.

Discovering Akaushi

After being introduced to Akaushi cattle and their potential benefits, Artesian Ranch began exploring how the breed could complement its existing Angus-based cow herd.

That year, Artesian attended the Akaushi Convention and purchased 10 Akaushi herd sires to introduce into the operation.

The goal was clear: combine the functionality and maternal strength of the existing cow herd with the exceptional carcass qualities of Akaushi genetics.

The First F1 Calves — Putting Genetics to the Test

Before the introduction of Akaushi genetics, the Angus-based herd had achieved a 19% Prime carcass rate through careful selection for carcass merit and maternal traits.

The first group of F1, or half-blood Akaushi calves, dramatically changed the results.

On the same cow herd, the first F1 calves returned carcass data showing 55% Prime.

That result reinforced Artesian Ranch’s belief in the power of Akaushi genetics and established carcass quality as a cornerstone of the program.

2014–Present — Building a Better Cow Herd

Since introducing Akaushi genetics, Artesian Ranch has continued to improve beef quality while maintaining a strong focus on:

Functionality • Phenotype • Maternal Traits • Carcass Quality

The goal has never been simply to produce cattle with impressive pedigrees. It has been to build functional, productive cattle that can perform in real-world commercial operations while consistently delivering exceptional beef.

2020 — Building the Full-Blood Foundation

In 2020, Artesian Ranch purchased its first full-blood Akaushi cows with the goal of developing its own replacement bulls and strengthening the genetic foundation of the herd.

Eleven cow/calf pairs were selected based on:

* Maternal strength

* Phenotype

* Strong feet and legs

* Functionality

* Long-term herd-building potential

Little did we know at the time that these selections represented some of the most elite genetics in the Akaushi breed.

Today — The Artesian Cow Herd

Today, the Artesian cow herd is built around the same principles that guided its development from the beginning.

We focus on producing cattle that are:

Functional • Maternal • Phenotypically Correct • Carcass Driven

Our goal is to produce genetics that go to work for the commercial cattleman, cattle that can thrive in a functional production environment while delivering the exceptional carcass quality and eating experience that Akaushi is known for.

THE ARTESIAN RANCH DIFFERENCE

Generations of ranching experience.

Years of disciplined genetic selection.

A closed, proven cow herd.

One focus: producing cattle that work.