History

Serving You Since 1981

David Judd, originally from Fairbury, Nebraska, gained his love for agriculture and the beef business through his grandfather, Pete Wilson, who was a commission man at the Sioux City Stockyards. As a young man, Dave spent a lot of time with him and worked at various ranches in the Nebraska Sand Hills. Dave earned an animal husbandry degree from Iowa State University in 1980, and he and his high school sweetheart, Cindy, immediately moved to Kansas to start their own ranch. 

David and Cindy bought the ranch in 1981 from Andy Duffle. In the fall of 1982, they purchased a large group of 1/2 and 3/4 blood Gelbviehs from Kenneth Anderson of Halsey, Nebraska. They also bought donor cows from Valhalla Ranch, Byers, Colorado, and from the Nelson family of Washington State. One of the donors purchased from Valhalla Ranch was 125N, who can be found in nearly every Judd Ranch pedigree today.

DAVID AND CINDY BUILT THE OPERATION FROM THE GROUND UP, AND THE RANCH HAS NOW BEEN NAMED ONE OF THE TOP 25 LARGEST SEEDSTOCK OPERATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES, ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL CATTLEMEN. TODAY, DAVE AND CINDY OPERATE THE RANCH WITH THEIR TWO SONS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

The main house at Judd Ranch headquarters is rich with history. The house was built in 1913 by John P. Usher, Jr. and his brother, Samuel Usher. These two men were the sons of John Palmer Usher, Secretary of the Interior under President Lincoln. Mr. Usher was present in the room when President Lincoln died. 

 John P. Jr. and Samuel sold the Usher home in Lawrence, currently the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity house, to build their home and farm in Franklin County. The home was constructed of fireproof hollow tile and stucco, stands two stories tall, and includes a basement with dimensions of 38x38 feet. The house cost approximately $10,000 to build! 

 To read more history on the Judd home, view the following documents: 

• "Usher Home Pretentious," Ottawa Herald, 1912.
• "John Palmer Usher," Wabash Valley Profiles.
• Letter of John P. Usher, Secretary of the Interior, to his wife, respecting the death of President Lincoln, April 16, 1865.