Our mission is to create the best possible genetics of American-Raised Fullblood Wagyu while educating domestic Ranchers on the unique qualities of this majestic breed.
Lone Mountain Cattle is the leading Fullblood Black Wagyu Cattle Ranch in the United States. Our mission is to create the best possible genetics of American-Raised Fullblood Wagyu while educating domestic Ranchers on the unique qualities of this majestic breed. By sharing scientific research and industry information, our goal is to help pioneer Wagyu into one of the great breeds of the American landscape.
Located in Golden, New Mexico, our Ranch has been our family’s labor of love for over half a century. The past two decades have brought a new tenacity to the Ranch operations. As we transitioned to raising Fullblood Wagyu cattle in the early 2000s, we embraced traditional Japanese ranching practices and new technologies that allow us to monitor and continually improve our breeding program.
Our Wagyu program was developed upon extensive research. Sharing this knowledge with other breeders and ranchers has positioned Lone Mountain Cattle as an important thought leader in the American Wagyu field as we’ve developed an industry-leading genetics program and Fullblood Wagyu herd.
Lone Mountain Ranch was acquired by Glen and Marion Lloyd in 1965. Glen, a respected attorney in Chicago, was born in White Rocks, Utah. Upon reaching the age of 70, Glen felt the mystique of the Southwest calling to him and felt compelled to return to his roots to work cattle as he had done in his youth. The Lloyds found a ranch in northern New Mexico, nestled between the Oritz and San Pedro Mountains, with a beautiful lone mountain in the corner. They had found their new home.
When Glen passed away in 1975, Marion took over the operations, running the ranch for the next 20 years. During this time the ranch raised a variety of commercial cattle including Hereford, Angus, Charolais, Simmental, and Brangus. As the Lloyd’s children grew up and had kids and grandchildren of their own, the ranch continued to be a gathering place for multiple generations.
In 1995, Marion passed the reins to her daughter Mary and her husband, Robert (Bob) Estrin. Bob, who was raised in Southeastern New Mexico but built a career as a respected Hollywood film editor, was happy to get his hands dirty and spend more of his time in the natural beauty of the ranchland.
Bob and Mary continued to run the herd of 325 Angus cattle into the early 2000s, until drought struck in 2003. The ranch was forced to sell off most of their herd and look at new opportunities for the ranch.
Soon after, Bob experienced Wagyu beef at a Santa Monica Restaurant and knew the future of the family ranch lay on his plate. The buttery texture and rich flavors of the beef, complimented by the high price tag, proved to Bob this was something special. After finding little information about Wagyu available, Bob immersed immersed himself in everything he could about this majestic breed – traveling to Japan, studying historical texts, and meeting with ranchers around the country and abroad who shared his interests.
In 2005 Bob purchased his first two Fullblood Wagyu Bulls and nine Fullblood Wagyu cows. By 2006, the entire herd had transitioned to Fullblood Wagyu. The growth was supplemented through the purchase of genetics from Shogo Takeda, a master Wagyu breeder from Japan who brought animals to America during an open export window and sold embryos to domestic ranchers, Lone Mountain included. This began the herd that has evolved to become one of the largest operations in the USA exclusively producing Fullblood Wagyu.
Lone Mountain Cattle is a small team of passionate Wagyu and ranching experts. Together, we have developed the largest, award-winning Fullblood Japanese Black Wagyu herd in the USA.
