Spickler Ranch South is owned and operated by Nathan and Emily Spickler and our four children: Haylie, Trace, Kadence and Quaid. Nestled in the James River Valley in east-central North Dakota, our ranching roots go back to the early forties in this region. Starting with Nathan’s father, Harold, and grandfather, Howard, purebred cattle have always been in our family. Nathan’s parents raised purebred Hereford cattle and marketed them successfully until 1983, the year the Hereford females were dispersed. It was at this time that Nathan’s father, Harold, stocked the ranch with commercial Angus females and truly realized the value of the Angus female. Fast-forward to the mid-90’s and Harold jumped on an opportunity to purchase an entire set of registered Angus females and sell off the commercial cowherd.

Beginning in 2000, the first Spickler Angus bull sale was held, taking place in early May and settling on the first Monday of May annually. The nature of the late spring bull sale fits our program well. It allows us to slowly grow and develop our bulls, primarily born in March and early April, and have them hard, athletic, semen tested and ready to go to immediate service after our sale. The first few May bull sales were held in Carrington, ND at the auction barn, and then eventually moving to the ranch where Nathan grew up and continued to be marketed with his family.

In the fall of 2013, Nathan and Emily had the opportunity to purchase a ranch south of Nathan’s home place and moved their young family and cowherd to their present location, and Spickler Ranch South was born. Beginning in 2017 the first sale was held at our ranch, again on the first Monday of May, marking a new and distinct era in our program, and continuing through today. Always registering cattle with the “S” prefix, beginning with the 2023 calf crop our prefix was changed to “SR South” giving further distinction to our breeding program.

Just like the appreciation gained of the Angus cow by Nathan’s father, her worth is still placed at the absolute forefront of every breeding decision made by Spickler South. Long committed to improving the landscape of commercial America through the bulls we offer; we know that if we make excuses at any point for any cow for any reason - that will come back negatively to our customers’ operations. Careful attention is paid to udder quality, teat size, maternal temperament, foot quality and doing ability. In short, we want cows that work for us in this harsh northern environment, not us for the cows.

Thank you for your interest in our operation. We are always excited to meet new people,  and welcome visitors anytime throughout the year!