Alvin Jones has a unique breeding philosophy: he throws it all into the mix and then sees what comes out. But Jones does adhere to one rule—he won’t breed to a sire who doesn’t produce offspring that buck—regardless of what his bloodline, or name, is.

“I won’t name names, because that wouldn’t be nice,” said the affable Jones. “But there are some bulls out there that are great, GREAT bulls that I wouldn’t breed to. But that is just my opinion.”

Jones’ herd is a “scramble” of bloodlines. But the results of those animal omelets has been pretty darn impressive: RJ661 Apollo, RJ360 Avalanche, RJ348 Niagara, RJ362 Kamo Kat, RJ319 Bo Kat, RJ644 Code Blue, RJ577 Blitz  and RJ00 Shimmering Oz are just a handful of the buckers Jones Rodeo Genetics has produced. “I have about 30-odd different bloodlines now,” remarked Jones.

Those bloodlines are now on big-name trucks from coast-to-coast. Owners of Jones’ bulls include Chad Berger, Diamond S, Jerry Nelson and Sammy Andrews. Rumor is that at least two “big names” also wanted to purchase Apollo.

The Jones Rodeo Genetics herd got started when son Rodney bought 30 straws of Bodacious semen when it first came on the market for $7,500. The herd now has between 300 and 325 head. “It does keep me pretty busy,” confirmed Jones, “and we only have bucking cattle.”

Jones credits his long-term success in the business to God and his family. Wife Frances (who has been his love for 61 years) and Rodney are integral to the 84-year-old Jones’ success.
“My wife knows all the computer stuff and she also used to work in banking,” shared Jones. Rodney was a professional bull rider for about 14 years and later became a judge. According to his dad, Rodney knows pretty much all there is to know about bucking bulls. “Rodney was crucial to deciding what bloodlines we’d start with, and I still ask his advice.” Other bloodlines in their program include Whitewater Skoal, Playboy Skoal, Skat Kat, Erkel, Red Rocker, Dakota and Tony Lama Boots.

“We’ve had good luck with Bodacious daughters. Avalanche, Kamo Kat, Bo Kat all came out of Bodacious daughters,” explained Jones. From the beginning, Jones Rodeo Genetics believed in starting with solid females and breeding them to top-notch (and proven) PBR and NFR caliber bulls. They started by AIing their females to Sammy Andrews bulls and then expanded from there.

“Code Blue and Blitz are out of Sky King, and those Sky King bulls have also been great for us,” shared Jones. Sky King (a Wolfman son) is also the father to Apollo, making Bodacious Apollo’s great-grandfather.

Part of his breeding research is done at the ABBI Futurity and Classic events he attends. “That is where I get some of my information from,” confirmed Jones who watches the offspring of some big-name bulls to see if they can buck. Jones has no problem going outside of his own program if he sees something great, because he is dedicated to producing the best buckers.

Phil Higginbotham, who Jones describes as “a Lonesome Dove-type guy” is Jones’ right-hand man. Phil feeds and exercises the bulls as well as hauling them. Jones makes a point of being around his bulls every day and having other people around them as well. “They are gentle until you start working them—and then they play rodeo! Their bloodlines start coming out!”