Welcome to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Corbin Cowles, Owner of Pleasant Hill Farms. In this episode, Corbin and Gale will dive into the Pleasant Hill Farms 31st Annual Spring Production Sale, held on February 28th, 2026, at 12:30PM CST, at the Pleasant Hill Farms Sale Facility, in Rockfield, Kentucky. 

Pleasant Hill Farms is a family-run operation. The farm is a purebred Angus and Simmental operation located in South Central Kentucky. The operation's roots trace back to Gil's great-grandparents who purchased the original farm in 1920. Their goal is to breed cattle that blend genetics, phenotype, and performance superiority into a product that is sought after by purebred and commercial beef producers alike.

Corbin explains that his parents began marketing genetics through public auctions before he was born, and the operation has since grown to about 230 production-age females, roughly two-thirds Angus and one-third Simmental. He emphasizes a long-standing philosophy of blending eye-appealing phenotype with strong, data-backed genetics, targeting cattle that work for both purebred and commercial beef producers. A core belief at Pleasant Hill is that feminine cows make masculine bulls, and the program is designed to produce stout, durable, performance-oriented herd sires supported by a strong maternal base.

He describes foundational Angus genetics from influential programs such as Leachman, Gardiner, Sitz, Schaff Angus Valley, Ellingson, and Musgrave, combined through AI and embryo transfer. Selection focuses on growth, maternal traits, carcass merit, and balanced genomic indices. On the Simmental side, the offering is dominated by progeny of LCDR Anthem and LCDR Patriot, bulls that have brought consistency, growth, carcass quality, and improved genomic profiles while maintaining sound structure and maternal quality.

The upcoming sale features approximately 80 registered, performance-tested Angus and Simmental bulls, 20 registered cow–calf pairs drawn from the heart of the Georgina and Jewel-based cow families, and 12 high-quality open commercial yearling heifers sourced from a long-time customer using Pleasant Hill bulls. Corbin also includes a single Charolais bull from his own small terminal-focused project.

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