Our Story
Built on Family. Shaped by Charolais.
Focused on the Future.
Where Legacy Meets Progress
Spring Valley Ranches was founded in 1978 by Texas A&M University Environmental Engineering Professor Dr. Roy W. Hann, Jr. Looking for a return to the country life he remembered from his youth at his grandfather’s “Beebe Acres” property outside Norman, Oklahoma, Dr. Hann found the beginnings of Spring Valley Ranches in Milam County, Texas, just south of Gause.
The original property centered around a valley along 6-Mile Creek, a tributary of the Brazos River, with an artesian well and several natural springs. It was this landscape that inspired the name Spring Valley. As the operation grew to include additional properties along County Road 353, the name became Spring Valley Ranches.
A Family Affair
From the beginning, Spring Valley Ranches was built around family.
Dr. Hann’s six children grew up participating in ranch activities, and the operation became a gathering place for the family. In 1984, Dr. Hann married Martha Metting, who grew up on her father James’s Brahman ranch near Yorktown, Texas.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, the next generation became heavily involved in the ranch through the American International Junior Charolais Association and the Texas club calf show circuit. Those experiences helped shape the direction of the operation and laid the foundation for what Spring Valley Ranches would become.
Transition into a new era
In 2021, Roy and Martha Hann retired from their ranch "retirement," passing the reins to Tyson Hann to lead the cowherd and ranch activities while maintaining a small background herd. That year, Tyson and his wife Hailey established Button Prairie Cattle Company LLC (BPCC) as a cattle operating business, named after the old Button Prairie church that sat at the corner of one of the ranch properties. BPCC leased a portion of the land and cattle from Roy and Martha, and the Spring Valley Ranches brand, emphasizing Charolais-based cattle, was transitioned to Tyson's control to operate under the BPCC umbrella.
Tyson and Hailey established a new mission for BPCC and Spring Valley Ranches:
Excellent Cattle. Nutritious Beef. Responsible Stewardship.
Excellent Cattle. Nutritious Beef. Responsible Stewardship.
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Excellent Cattle
All the traits of great cattle (fertility, functionality, etc.). Excellence mindset, striving for constant improvement.
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Nutritious Beef
We focus on the end consumer, and the value of cattle in upcycling grass into protein suitable for human consumption.
The role of beef in bringing families and communities together (hamburgers, steak cookouts, BBQ smoking, etc.).
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Responsible Stewardship
We keep a stewardship mindset to care for all resources entrusted to us (land, facilities, cattle, water).
We are Responsibile for profitability across all levels of the beef industry, including customers' operations, and the vital role of that profit in perpetuating the industry.
Our Charolais Journey
Spring Valley Ranches' Charolais story began in the early 1990s with the purchase of a Charolais bull, Curly (JB Iron Man Lad 817), from Dr. O.D. Butler. Curly was initially purchased to breed commercial crossbred cattle, but his calm disposition quickly made him a favorite around the ranch.
That first Charolais bull changed the direction of the operation.
Curly inspired the purchase of a small unregistered Charolais herd, and a drought in 1996 created an opportunity to expand into the registered Charolais business. The original 70-head registered herd was built from cattle purchased from Camp Cooley Ranch, Dr. O.D. Butler, and Boscamp’s Arrowhead Ranch. The herd expanded again in the late 1990s, primarily with females from M6 Ranch, along with a notable purchase from Rogers Bar HR Ranch.
Much of today's herd traces back to these early purchases, with generations of careful mating decisions and female selection building on that original foundation.
The Spring Valley Ranch Story
Why Charolais
Charolais remains the breed of choice at Spring Valley Ranches because we believe it offers tremendous opportunity for both commercial cattlemen and the beef industry.
The breed is well known for performance, carcass cutability, and its distinctive color pattern. At Spring Valley Ranches, we have also seen the maternal strengths of Charolais firsthand, including fertility, functionality, fleshability, and docility.
That belief continues to shape our breeding program today. We have invested in breed-leading donors, herd bull prospects, semen, and embryos with the goal of continually improving the quality and usefulness of the cattle we offer.
Building on What Works
Today, Spring Valley Ranches remains focused on the same principles that have guided the operation from the beginning: family, responsible stewardship, functional cattle, and a commitment to continual improvement.
We are building on more than 30 years of Charolais experience while selecting cattle for the demands of today's commercial cattle industry.
The goal is simple. Raise excellent cattle, develop genetics that work in real ranch environments, and build a program that will continue to serve cattlemen for generations to come.
The People Behind Spring Valley Ranch
Spring Valley Ranch is built by family and strengthened by trusted partnerships.
Alongside Tyson, the operation continues to benefit from the support of multiple generations of family leadership and the dedication of ranch manager Billy and his family, whose daily stewardship helps keep the program moving forward.
Together, they help carry out the values Spring Valley Ranch was built upon.
Tyson Hann Family
Tyson and Hailey Hann lead Spring Valley Ranches and Button Prairie Cattle Company, raising their son, Hayden, on the same Texas ground the family has worked for generations. Tyson and Hayden carry on the legacy as seventh and eighth generation Texas ranchers, guided by a mission of excellent cattle, nutritious beef, and responsible stewardship.
Tyson, Hailey & Hayden
Roy Hann Family
Roy and Martha Hann built the foundation of Spring Valley Ranches and still call the ranch home. Even in retirement, they keep an active herd within the herd Tyson manages, and their experience and steady presence continue to shape the program.
Roy & Martha
Billy, Cayden & ClaytonBilly Stein Family
Billy Stein came to central Texas in the late 2000s with his wife, Miranda, and sons, Cayden and Clayton, leaving feedlot work in Kansas to join a Charolais and Angus seedstock operation. Since 2021, he has lived on the ranch as manager, handling the day-to-day operation and helping guide the program’s genetic direction.
Building the Next Generation of Better Cattle
The legacy behind Spring Valley Ranch is not something we preserve by standing still.
It is something we honor by continuing to improve.
Explore the cattle carrying that legacy forward.