History of the Ranch

Our family has been ranching in the same location near Collins, Mississippi since 1926.  The ranch began with 15 acres of land west of Collins and 10 head of cattle.  Today, Rogers Bar HR runs over 600 head of Charolais cows, and we sell over 250 bulls per year to commercial and purebred operations.  AICA has awarded Rogers Bar HR top in registrations in Area 12 since 2015!

The purebred operation known as Rogers Bar HR began in 1959, when the late Harlan Rogers started breeding Charolais cattle.  A couple of years later Harlan began performance testing the Charolais making the Rogers Bar HR herd one of the oldest performance tested herds in the nation.  

Throughout the years Harlan was recognized as one of the leading cattlemen in the nation.  His dedication to the breed did not go unnoticed.  During his lifetime he served on almost every committee and held every office with the American-International Charolais Association (AICA).  In 2009, Harlan and his wife Dorotheann received the ultimate honor when they were inducted into the AICA Hall of Fame.  They were also the recipients of the Beef Improvement Federation Pioneer Award and the AICA Seed Stock Producer of the Year Award.  Rogers Bar HR bulls continue to win weight gain tests around the country including the University of Florida Bull Test and the Hinds Community College Bull Test in Mississippi.  Although Harlan and Dorotheann have both passed away, their legacy and hard work lives on through the quality bloodlines they developed and preserved as the foundation for the Rogers ranch. 

Today, their son Doug Rogers operates Rogers Bar HR.  Doug is the third son of Harlan and Dorotheann.  In 1993, after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and serving in the United States Army, Doug was persuaded by Harlan to move back to Collins with his wife Missy to be the ranch manager.  Doug later earned an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi, strengthening his ability to manage the business and financial side of the ranch and improve profitability. Doug and Harlan worked together to improve the Rogers Bar HR herd until Harlan’s passing in 2010. Before he passed, Harlan requested that Doug take care of his cows for him. Doug takes that responsibility seriously and continuously tries to improve upon the Rogers Bar HR breeding program that his father was so proud of.

Doug and Missy have been married for over 35 years and have been part of Rogers Bar HR for over 30 years. They have two children: son, Tanner, also a United States Military Academy graduate, is currently a captain in the United States Army, and daughter, Taylor Ann, is a graduate of, and current law school student at, the University of Mississippi. Doug was named one of the top stocker cattlemen in the United States by Beef Magazine in 2006.  Farm Bureau recognized Doug and Missy as being among the top ranchers in Mississippi in 2003 and 2004.  In 2024, Doug and Missy were recognized for Outstanding Livestock Environmental Stewardship by the Covington County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Doug is the current Vice-Chairman of the Covington County SWCD. Doug has continued to performance test Rogers Bar HR cattle, with our bulls consistently winning the University of Florida Rate of Gain Test, including the most recent test in 2025. Rogers Bar HR cattle are also frequently featured on the cover of the Charolais Journal. Doug is committed to improving the Charolais breed as a whole and has served on the board of directors for the American-International Charolais Association.

Breeding Program

Although the ranch has been established for many years, we are not clinging to the past.  We are constantly working to improve it.  We incorporate all modern technology such as artificial insemination, embryo transplant, DNA testing, and genomics testing. 

We use artificial insemination to tie our information to other Charolais ranches’ information.  This helps us compare our herd to other herds.  We artificial inseminate our cows not only to highly accurate outside bulls, but also to our own bulls.  By doing this we stack our pedigrees with trait leaders.  This effort produces a calf that has very predictable performance.

We use our embryo transplant program to try to recreate great animals.  We do not play the “what-if game” with our program.  Breeding a great cow to a great bull does not guarantee a great calf, even though the mating looks good on paper.  Our method is to identify a great animal, find that animal’s dam and sire, and try to recreate that same great animal.  While this is not always perfect, we have found the results to be more predictable than hoping for a good outcome from a previously untested mating. 

Due to all these efforts our cattle have some of the highest EPDs in the nation.  We encourage potential buyers to request EPD information and compare our numbers with EPDs from other herds.  Total maternal is a value used to predict the weaning weight and performance of calves from an animal’s daughters using genetics for growth and maternal ability.  The majority of our herd consistently ranks in the top 10% of the breed for total maternal. 

Location

In addition to superior genetics, our cattle also have the advantage of being raised on quality land.  Rogers Bar HR is located about 90 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico in the rolling hills of the coastal plains.  Our area of south Mississippi gets approximately 65 inches of rainfall annually.  Most of the soil is well drained internally and externally.  The winters are mild, and we are able to grow excellent rye grass and clover.  Due to the good rainfall and cheap fertilizer in the form of chicken litter, we have a stocking rate of 1 head to 1 acre.  Our climate is hot and humid.  As a result, our cattle do well all across the Southeast.  In addition, our cattle adapt to all areas of United States and Canada.  You can ship cattle west and north and they will adapt, but it is very difficult to ship cattle south and east.  It is easier to adapt to the cold than it is to the heat and humidity. 

Annual Sales

The Rogers Bar HR Fall Turn Out Sale takes place the third Saturday in October.  We sell approximately 150 bulls and 40 heifers in this sale every year.  We invite you to arrive early and take a look at our outstanding animals.  Lunch is served around 11:00 am CST with the auction following at 12:30 pm CST.  About one month prior to each sale date the catalog for the upcoming sale will be available on our website and on our Facebook page.  You may also request to be added to our mailing list by calling us at 601-765-8848 or e-mailing us at hq@rogersbarhr.com.

Stop By and See Us

At Rogers Bar HR we are proud of our cattle and our community.  We hope you will visit us soon.  We are located two miles west of the intersection of US Highways 84 and 49 near Collins.  We are 60 miles south of Jackson, 20 miles north of Hattiesburg, and 120 miles northeast of New Orleans.  Give us a call a day or two prior to your visit.  We would love to show you around!