It’s the original maternal breed, but are all Angus cows maternal? 

“The cows are kind of the employee. They have to show up. It’s our job to take care of the cow, it is the cow’s job to take care of the calf,” says Joe Lowe, Smiths Grove, Ky. 

Lowe; Chad Denowh of Sidney, Mont.; and Kelli Retallick-Riley of Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) discussed what it takes to have cows that work where they live and work further down the line.  

The trio talk data, phenotypes, tools they use and ones they wish they had.   

Maybe you have some ideas of your own? If so, be sure to find us on social media or drop us a line in the comment box at TheAngusConversation.com. 

 
HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman 

GUESTS: Chad Denowh, Gartner-Denowh Angus Ranch; Joe Lowe, Oak Hollow Angus; Kelli Retalick-Riley, Angus Genetics Inc.  

GUEST BIOS: 

Chad Denowh, Gartner-Denowh Angus Ranch, has been in the seedstock business from day one. He grew up helping his parents and extended family at their Sidney, Mont., ranch, and returned to the operation after graduating from Montana State University with a degree in animal science. He and his wife, Jenn, and their three daughters make up the fifth and sixth generation of cattlemen raising sires that “go out and get the job done for commercial cattlemen.” They are longtime participants in the Angus Herd Improvement Record (AHIR) program and have taken nearly every step to equip their customers with all the information available from embracing genomic technology to focusing on more difficult to measure traits like foot score. 

Joe Lowe is an eighth-generation beef producer in Smiths Grove, Ky., where he and his father own and manage Oak Hollow Angus. The Lowe family was involved in backgrounding, finishing and commercial cow-calf production before Joe’s father began the seedstock herd in 1978. Oak Hollow calves in both spring and fall and hosts two on-farm bull sales each year. The breeding philosophy emphasizes data-driven maternal selection for fertility, structural soundness and environmental adaptability to fescue while producing a highly marketable calf crop at all marketing points in the supply chain. Joe received an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Louisville and a master’s in agricultural economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, before returning to the operation full time in 2013.  Joe is active with the Kentucky Cattleman’s Association and currently serves as Kentucky Beef Council chair. 

Kelli Retallick-Riley, president, Angus Genetics Inc. 

Related Reading:  

https://www.angusjournal.net/post/even-better 

http://www.angusjournal.com/articlepdf/1021-by-the-numbers.pdf 

http://www.angusjournal.com/articlepdf/0422-by-the-numbers.pdf 

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