About Us
Upstream Ranch is operated by Brent and Robin Meeks and owned with Mildred Meeks, Brent’s grandmother who also still lives on the ranch. Upstream Ranch is located 17 miles north of Taylor, Neb., on Hwy 183 in the midst of the Sandhills. The ranch was purchased in 1955 by Alfred and Mildred Meeks, Brent’s grandparents, and Ferrall and Gloria Meeks, Brent’s parents. The Meeks families had previously lived at Dalhart, Texas. Alfred Meeks succumbed to cancer in 1991. Ferrall and Gloria were killed in a car accident in 1994. Brent and Robin were married in 1983 and have two children. Marshall was born in 1989 and Carlee in 1995.
Upstream Herefords originated back in 1937 when Alfred bought some heifers from his father, JD Meeks. Today, Upstream Ranch runs 600 head of registered cows with 60% calving in our spring herd and 40% in the fall. We have a very intensive AI and ET program. We will AI about 500 cows and heifers a year and transfer around 50 embryos.
We have a production sale each year on the first Saturday of February with 170 bulls and 30 bred heifers being offered. Our main focus is the production of bulls for the commercial cattleman. Some of our buyers run a straight Hereford operation but most of our bulls will go into a crossbreeding program, primarily on black cows.
Roughly two-thirds of our bull crop will make the bull sale. They are rigidly culled for performance, soundness, fertility and disposition. The cow herd is also culled very aggressively for problem free production. Good feet, eyes and sound udders are very essential.
Genetically, Upstream Ranch is trying to produce cattle with balanced trait selection. We are constantly striving for the proper balance of calving ease, growth, maternal, fertility and carcass traits. We are strong advocates of using EPDs and ultrasound, but we must remember, they are just another selection tool. We still like our cattle to look good phenotypically, be sound on their feet and legs, and docile in their temperament.