About us
Who are we?
We are the Rapers. Born and raised in East Tennessee our whole lives and proud of it. We are a family with three boys that share our passion for everything agriculture. We started raising cattle for the passion of it and we want to raise our kids the way we were raised. We were raised that hard work is the only way you get anything in life and that your name is all you have, so make sure it's a good one. Our goal is to produce the highest quality cattle and beef available and to make sure our children have a family operation to be proud of when we pass. So, we are R5 Cattle Company and we are so blessed to produce quality cattle and beef right here in God's country.
Education
We strive to make ourselves better so that we are always offering the best care to our animals. We have attended classes and functions for several years and counting. We have implemented all feasible practices possible and we're seeing the benefits in our cattle.
Our Certifications include:
- Beef Quality Assurance Certified
- Master Beef Producers Certified
- Master Small Ruminate Certified
- Artificial Insemination Technician Certified
- Body Condition and Welfare Certified
Other notable mentions:
- Tennessee Cattlemen Association members
- FFA Alumni Board members
- Jefferson County Livestock Association members
- American Akaushi Association members
- Special Agent with the TN Department of Agriculture
- Animal Science and Feedlot Management major while pursuing a DVM degree
We are always looking for ways to continue our education. We will continue to grow our certifications to aid in our day to day operations so we can offer the best quality of life for our cattle.
Modern Technology
Technology? With Cows? How and Why?
Yes you heard us right! We use technology designed specifically for cattle welfare in our herds. Cattle health and welfare has been studied and further developed over the years. This allows us to know what our cows need before they show signs of stress. By knowing more about our cattle we can take a more preventative approach instead of reactive approach to our herds.
How we use technology:
- We use GPS trackers on our cows. This allows us to know how long cows are active, how much water they drink, how long they rest and if there are any signs of stress. All of our cows are identified by individual numbers and all of our trackers send alerts to a mobile device in real time so that we can address any issues immediately.
- We use microchips on our cows. We are utilizing microchips in all of our breeding stock. Any cow that we keep for breeding purposes is microchipped. This allows us to keep the most accurate records on our breeding animals and it also helps reduce theft.
- We also freeze brand all of our animals. Branding helps reduce the risk of theft by having a marker that is not easily altered. Freeze branding is not as hard on the animal and it leaves a brand that is much more readable.