Episode Details

Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he chats with Cole Renner, Owner of Renner Charolais. In this episode, Cole and Gale will dive into the Renner Charolais Inaugural Bull Sale, held on March 30th, 2026, at the Norton Livestock Market, in Norton, Kansas. 

Cole explains that after college he returned home to partner with his father, who had long run a commercial cattle operation. Inspired by an uncle’s purebred Charolais ranch near Oakley, Kansas, Cole moved to Monument, Kansas, to learn the purebred business at Hubert Charolais Ranch, founded in 1958. There he gained hands-on experience in weighing calves, developing bulls and females, and making genetic selections. After several years, he and his wife Bailey moved back to Norton in 2024 and consolidated the family efforts under Renner Charolais Ranch with his parents, Craig and Sherry. The operation now focuses on building a functional, data-driven Charolais program.

Cole describes his philosophy, shaped in part by his time on the Kansas State Livestock Judging Team, as centered on structurally sound, hardworking cattle that convert grass efficiently and generate pounds that pay. In their relatively low-rainfall environment, cattle must travel, graze aggressively, and still grow. He emphasizes sound feet, structural correctness, and carcass merit—especially ribeye and marbling—for both retained ownership and calf-marketing scenarios. Cole points to the weight advantage of Charolais-cross calves at weaning as a key economic driver for commercial producers.

The sale offering includes 37 spring yearling bulls, seven fall 18‑month‑old age-advantaged bulls, and 18 carefully selected females. Cole walks through major sire groups, including LT Triumph, Citation, WCR Icon, HCR Nautilus, LT Atlas, Patriot, and Affinity lines, highlighting standout bulls for phenotype, growth, carcass traits, and terminal indexes. Several bulls sell with two-thirds semen interest and full possession, reflecting their herd-sire potential. On the female side, he features donor-quality and foundation-type cows and pairs, many tied to leading sires like LT Global, positioned as ideal building blocks for both established breeders and newcomers wanting to start a Charolais-based program.

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