Brahman Bhawan Ranch sits on a quiet bend of Sarah Drive in southwest Lafayette, on land my family has worked since 1948. We ran mixed commercial cattle for forty years before settling fully into registered American Brahman in 2009, when I — Lester Wise — took over day-to-day management from my late father.
"Bhawan" is an old family nickname for the home place. It stuck on the cattle papers, and we kept it.
Today the operation is small by Texas standards and large by Louisiana ones: 160 acres of pasture, around 200 head of cattle, two full-time hands, and a teenage son who's learning to rope better than he's learning algebra.
If a cow can't calve unassisted, raise a heavy weaning calf on grass alone, and rebreed within 90 days, she gets a one-way trip to the sale barn. No exceptions, no pets.
We keep herd sires for an average of four breeding seasons, then trade them out for outside genetics. Linebreeding has its place; closed-herd inbreeding does not.
A cow that won't load, won't stand for the vet, or charges a four-wheeler doesn't stay on the place. Period. Our family handles every animal, and that includes our kids.
Every cow has a notebook page that goes back to her dam. Every calf gets a weaning weight, a vaccination record, and a sire confirmation. We'd rather lose a sale than guess.
Owner · Herdsman
Born and raised in Lafayette. LSU AgCenter certified in beef quality assurance. Past board member, Acadiana Cattlemen's Association.
Office & Records
Runs the books, the registration paperwork, and the kitchen during branding weekend. The reason we know which calf came out of which cow.
Junior Hands
Our son and daughter. They feed bottle calves before school and have shown grand champion Brahman heifers at the Acadiana District Livestock Show three years running.
| Organization | Member Since |
|---|---|
| American Brahman Breeders Association (ABBA) | 2009 |
| Louisiana Cattlemen's Association | 2010 |
| Acadiana Cattlemen's Association | 2009 |
| Louisiana Farm Bureau | 2002 |
| Gulf Coast Brahman Council | 2014 |