By Annalee Starr
It all started with a dream. A small ranching operation and two people focused on one goal: building a cow herd that worked for commercial cattlemen in real range conditions. That dream grew into a well-known semen company, Bull Barn Genetics.
Eldon Starr attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he strengthened his eye for livestock evaluation and performance-based selection. In 1968, Eldon began implementing artificial insemination into the family herd. At that time, very few commercial producers considered A.I. practical on large herds. Eldon saw potential where others saw inconvenience.
As A.I. became a routine part of the ranch’s management, other ranchers began to notice. They wanted the same progress and Eldon often received questions on sire recommendations. Those conversations led to the founding of Bull Barn Genetics.