The Angus Conversation

It’s not always glamorous but if there’s a will to return home to the ranch, there’s a way. In this episode, the American Angus Association’s two Young Breeder of the Year honorees share their path back to generational Angus operations. 

They suggest there’s more opportunity for young people than ever before and share the opportunities they’ve capitalized on as they’ve come.

“There are people looking for somebody to step up. It’s going to be work and it could be very dirty work, but there will be a reward at the end,” says John McCurry, Burrton, Kan., who joins Cody Quam, Lodi, Wis., for an authentic discussion on how they're making their ways in the Angus business.

HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully 

GUESTS: 
John McCurry, McCurry Angus, Burrton, Kan., says he is “double bred Angus.” His parents Mary and Andy McCurry were two third-generation Angus breeders who met at Kansas State University and started their own operation. Today the ranch operates on 2,000 acres of sandhill pastures near Hutchinson, Kan. Also a graduate of Kansas State, John was an energetic National Junior Angus Association member, actively participating in the show ring and attending national conferences. He capped off his junior career in 2003 as he hung up his green coat for the last time. Today he and his wife, Melody, have three children who compete at the National Junior Angus Show every summer and are capable hired hands during school breaks and weekends. 

Cody Quam, Marda Angus Farms, Lodi, Wis., is a fourth-generation Angus breeder working side-by-side with his family. Cody leads genetic selection and the donor/embryo transfer program as well as sales and marketing. Under his stewardship, the business has earned multiple top honors at the Midland Bull Test. Off the farm, the young breeder stays involved in the cattle industry, as a long-time delegate to the national convention, a graduate of the Beef Leaders Institute and president of the World Beef Expo board. Cody and his wife, Tracy, are raising their two kids, Levi and Paisley, as the fifth generation in the Angus business. Cody was recently awarded the 2024 Young Angus Breeder of the Year award, and he accepted the award at the Angus Convention in Fort Worth, Texas.  

RELATED READING: 
Double Bred Angus
A Tradition of Proficiency  

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.

A judging team romance led to a lifetime of breeding cattle together. That’s Chris and Sharee Sankey’s story in a nutshell. The pair came with cattle roots, but made their own way when a lease opportunity came up outside of Council Grove, Kan. There’s no way to put a price tag on the memories made during all the miles traveled to cattle shows, but the couple says that helped them grow their kids and their cow herd both. They now meet their adult children and their families at the same locations. This episode covers their history, how they’ve seen the industry evolve and a nod to the future — with more than a few stories sprinkled throughout.  

HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully  

GUESTS: Chris and Sharee Sankey  

In the early 1990's Chris and Sharee Sankey purchased the headquarters and part of 6N Ranch near Council Grove, Kan., after leasing the ranch from the Norquists since 1983. With the blessings of the original owners, the ranch was able to stay Sankey's 6N Ranch in the Flint Hills. 

The Sankey family's roots in agriculture and the Angus breed span a century. They have been building their Angus herd off of intense artificial insemination (AI), producing cattle that will survive primarily on grass in the Flint Hills, but also be successful in the showring. They Sankeys have produced three national Roll of Victory Show Bull of the Year honorees, and many females that have been successful showing on a national level. 

SPONSOR NOTE: This episode is sponsored by Deer Valley Farms. They invite you to their fall production sale Saturday, Nov. 9, at 10 a.m. near Fayetteville, Tennessee, where they will sell 124 bulls and 139 females lots. Find the salebook and more at https://deervalleyfarm.com/sale/sale-ring/.

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.

Focusing on the future and creating the tools that help produce high-quality bulls for the beef industry – that's the message from the cattle feeding segment back to Angus breeders in this episode. A feeder’s top priorities are cattle that stay healthy, get big, marble well and use resources efficiently, and if cattlemen send those kind of raw materials, this episode’s guests pledge to make the most of them. If today's cattle are “high-performance athletes,” hear directly from those who are the final step in making them winners.

HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully

GUESTS:
Tom Fanning, general manager for Pratt Feeders Group, oversees the four yards that make up the feeding company: Buffalo (Okla.) Feeders, Ashland (Kan.) Feeders, Ford (Kan.) Feeders and Pratt (Kan.) Feeders.

Tom earned an agricultural economics degree from Oklahoma State University in 1987 and served as an Infantry Captain in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1992. He completed his master’s in management at Troy State University in 1992. From 1992 to 2001, Tom was employed by Cargill, where he managed cattle feeding operations across the Texas Panhandle. Then he spent 22 years as manager of Buffalo Feeders, before assuming his current role.

Throughout his career, Tom has held various leadership positions in cattlemen’s organizations at local, state and national levels, including serving as chairman of the Oklahoma Beef Council. Under his leadership, Buffalo Feeders garnered numerous accolades, including the 2009 Certified Angus Beef Feedyard of the Year, the 2019 Beef Quality Assurance Feedyard of the Year and the 2023 Texas Cattle Feeders Association Feedyard Excellence in BQA.

Pete Anderson is director of research for Midwest PMS, and directs research all their research activities, provides technical support to nutritionists and clients, and oversees the company’s performance records analysis program. He also has quality assurance, feed safety and regulatory responsibilities for the firm’s production facilities.

In addition, Anderson leads the company’s initiative in business and operations consulting. He provides strategic planning, succession planning and management and leadership education to clients, and coordinates operations consulting efforts for the company. He applies scientific principles to solve business problems, based on 25 years of experience as a senior business executive.

Pete received his bachelor’s in animal science from Kansas State University in 1983 and a master’s and doctorate from Michigan State University in 1987 and 1989, respectively.

Pete has never made a hole in one, but he has climbed several fourteeners and has his own barbecue website (petesmeats.com). Pete and his wife, Denise, reside in Loveland, Colo., and have three adult children.

SPONSOR NOTE: This episode is sponsored by Ingram Angus LLC.

The entire Ingram team invites you to their annual production sale, Friday, Nov. 8, on the farm at Pulaski, Tenn., to see how they've harnessed the power of the Angus cow to make the herd bull your operation needs.

Visit IngramAngus.com for more information on some of the breed’s most proven cow families, and they’ll see you Nov. 8.

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.

Angus breeders only stay in business if their customers do, too. Joe and Lake Elliott, of Robert Elliott & Sons Angus near Adams, Tenn., make selection decisions with that end in mind. Their rules of management include one-line statements like, “No bad genes in = no bad genes out” and “realize trend is not destiny,” and they help guide their program. This episode covers Lake’s path back to the family operation and the evolution of their customer base with more focused, data-driven buyers looking for value-added marketing opportunities. To them, things like disposition and fertility aren’t just nice to have, they’re foundational traits.  

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman 

GUESTS: Joe and Lake Elliott

Joe Elliott 

Tennessee cattleman Joe Elliott has been in the Angus business since age 9. An active 4-H member, Joe’s father put him in charge of the family herd performance records. Robert Elliott & Sons Angus hosts an annual production sale and were the first farm in the Southeast to take live online bids and to host an online auction.  

Joe and his wife, Anne, have two sons, Lake and Bennett. Today, the family farm is a partnership with Joe’s brother, William, and son Lake as Robert Elliott & Sons Angus near Adams.  

He served on the board of the Tennessee Angus Association and as president. Joe also served on the American Angus Association Board of Directors from 1996 to 2004 and as president in 2004. 

Lake Elliott 

Lake Elliott serves as herdsman for his family’s Tennessee Angus operation Robert Elliott & Sons Angus, managing the herd’s more than 250 head. 

He has a degree from the University of Tennessee–Knoxville (UTK) in animal science with emphasis in production and management. 

Lake has served the beef industry since his youth as a Tennessee Junior Angus Association director and as vice president. He was an advisor to the Tennessee Junior Angus Association and served as the adult chair of the education committee at the 2012 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS). He has also served six years on the Tennessee Angus Association board of directors, has been a delegate to the annual Angus Convention of Delegates and participated in the Beef Leaders Institute. 

SPONSOR NOTE: Vytelle is revolutionizing cattle breeding with their hormone-free IVF technology, providing reliable, predictable results without the use of hormones. Stop by Vytelle’s booth at the upcoming Angus Convention, or visit Vytelle.com to access their calendar of upcoming OPU events.  

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.

Big data and strategic collaborations are the way of future when it comes to solving genetic challenges in the beef business. This episode covers work that is happening now to inform tools of the future. Christine Baes gives a peak into a multi-disciplinary project she works with on behalf of the Canadian dairy industry, and Andre Garcia draws parallels to what could be possible in the U.S. beef industry. Fertility, efficiency and methane emissions are among the traits that could see new ways for selection pressure in the future. 

HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Kelli Retallick-Riley 

GUESTS: 
Christine Baes, department head and Canada Research Chair in Livestock Genomics for the University of Guelph, was born and raised on a dairy farm in Southwestern Ontario. She has a bachelor’s degree from Guelph, a master's in animal welfare from Universität Hohenheim, and a PhD in quantitative genetics from the Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology and the Christian Albrechts Universität zu Kiel in Germany.

She and her team are involved in various large-scale livestock breeding projects (swine, horses, dairy cattle, goats) and bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical application of new knowledge. Baes has extensive knowledge in the areas of quantitative genetics and statistical genomics as it relates to the genetic and genomic evaluation of livestock. 

In her spare time, she runs a small farm outside of Maryhill.

André Garcia, senior geneticist for Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI), grew up in southern Brazil with a diversified agriculture background.

In 2015, he earned his animal science degree from Margina State University and followed it with a master’s program in animal breeding and genetics. He earned his PhD from the University of Georgia, where he also took on a postdoctoral research position with a strong emphasis on quantitative genetics and the use of genomic information for genetic evaluation.

Garcia came to AGI as a research and development geneticist in 2021. He works on genomic evaluation and in an educational role, helping producers understand the technology available to improve their herds.

SPONSOR NOTE: This episode is sponsored by Westway Feed Products.

Westway Feed Products’ liquid supplements increase forage utilization when seasons cause forages to decline in value, our products deliver effective and efficient nutrition to your herd. To learn more, visit westwayfeed.com. 

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.

How is the Association sitting financially at the end of the fiscal year? Do age of dam adjustments distort the genetic evaluation? How does Angus Media handle long-outstanding accounts receivable? How different are the $Weaned Calf Value ($W) and $Maternal Weaned Calf Value indexes?

When the American Angus Association Board of Directors met this week, these questions (and many more) were discussed. From DNA sample policies to new advertising products, the Board covered the gamut of Association business. This recap episode captures some of the conversations that breeders have out in the country and how those are then brought to the board room.

There were successes to report: AngusLinkSM numbers are up 86%, the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB ®) brand acceptance rates climbed even during times of tight supplies, the Beef Academy and a new Angus.org launched and much more.   

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman 

GUESTS: Charles Mogck, Olivet, S.D., is a third-generation Angus breeder and serving a second term on the Board. He has built upon his family’s heritage in the breed, increasing their herd to 400 registered females.

Mogck began his career as a loan officer after attending South Dakota State University, but eventually he found himself working on the farm full-time. Today, Mogck & Sons Angus markets 120 bulls and 50 females annually. They farm 2,000 acres of corn, beans and wheat with an additional 2,500 acres of pasture and hay ground. They also routinely buy feeder cattle from their commercial customers, allowing them to collect data on their customers’ cattle. Mogck records ultrasound, carcass and genomic information to help them make the best decisions they can for the future of their herd.

Barry Pollard, Enid, Okla., currently serves as the chairman of the American Angus Association Board of Directors. He attended Oklahoma State University (OSU), followed by medical school and serving as neurosurgeon, performing than 18,000 surgeries prior to his retirement.

In addition to other agriculture business ventures, Pollard has built his Pollard Farms registered Angus operation to 400 Angus cows, selling around 150 bulls each year.

Darrell Stevenson, White Sulphur Spring, Mont., is serving his second term on the Board. Stevenson holds strong ties to the Angus breed and a history of activity in the Montana Angus Association. He continues his family’s legacy by operating Stevenson Angus Ranch.

He is actively involved in international Angus events. In 2010, Stevenson created a partnership with two Russian businessmen to form an international beef venture between the two countries. Due to its success, Stevenson has since overseen shipments of Angus cattle to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

In 2019 Stevenson and his wife, Sara, expanded from Hobson onto a new unit in White Sulphur Springs to establish a later-calving herd operating as Stevenson Down T. Although separated by a mountain range, Darrell continues to breed and market genetics with Stevenson Angus Ranch.

Visit the Member Center on angus.org for the full president’s letter or watch for in-depth articles on many of these topics in upcoming editions of the Angus Journal. 

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.

Gardiner Angus Ranch started with a Kansas homestead, a willingness to work and a quest to stay curious, says fourth-generation rancher Mark Gardiner.  From “pay it forward” and “there is no downside to marbling,” Gardiner shares both life advice and breeding philosophy during this episode that covers everything from the history of the ranch and their involvement in the start of U.S. Premium Beef to today. Early adopters of artificial insemination (AI), Gardiner talks of the change they’ve been able to make because of technology and access to information over the years. But in the end, it all comes back to the people who help make it possible. 

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman  

GUEST: Mark Gardiner, Gardiner Angus Ranch, is the fourth generation to raise cattle in western Kansas, near Ashland. 

Longtime Angus producers, the Gardiners were early adopters of AI  and are now one of the largest embryo transfer (ET) programs in the breed. Mark is a founding board member and current board chairman of U.S. Premium Beef, former Board member of the American Angus Association, former chairman of the NCBA Seedstock Council and former president of the Kansas Angus Association. He is also active in the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF). Under Mark’s guidance in 2012, the Henry C. Gardiner Scholarship and Lecture Series was created and endowed at Kansas State University, and they began a structured internship program at the ranch. 

Mark and his wife, Eva, have three sons, Cole, Ransom and Quanah, who represent the fifth generation of the Gardiner family ranching in Clark County, Kansas. 

RELATED CONTENT: In the Driver’s Seat   

The Fire – Mark Gardiner: “If you can’t see God in all of this…” 

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.

Struggles often lead to success, and that’s been true many times in the American Angus Association’s history. Illinois Angus breeder Gary Dameron, Dameron Angus, had a front-row seat for many of those pivotal periods in the breed’s history. From the early years of the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand to the dramatic swings in frame score, he has seen a lot of change in his career. Yet, some solid truths have remained evident: the Angus family is strong, there is power in people coming together and the next generation wants to be involved.

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

GUESTS: Gary Dameron, Dameron Angus
Angus cattle, Angus activities and Angus people have been an important part of the Dameron family, Lexington, Ill. Gary and his family began purchasing registered Angus females in the mid 1960s to add to the small commercial herd started by his father and grandfather.

Black-hided cattle have played an important role in the Dameron family for the past four decades. In the 1960s, Gary and his family began purchasing registered Angus females to add to the small commercial herd started by his father and grandfather.

Today, the Dameron Angus herd has grown to about 200 registered Angus cows. The Damerons focus on raising elite Angus genetics that successfully compete at national, regional and local shows.

Gary served on the American Angus Association Board of Directors and was Board president in 1989. His four children, Christy, Jay, Jeff and Julie, were actively involved in the National Junior Angus Association, with three of them serving on the junior board.

SPONSOR NOTE: This episode is sponsored by Westway Feed Products and People’s Company.  

Westway Feed Products’ liquid supplements increase forage utilization when seasons cause forages to decline in value, our products deliver effective and efficient nutrition to your herd. To learn more, visit westwayfeed.com. 

People’s Company invites you to a major Vernon County Wisconsin land auction, Thursday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. Woodhill Farms is selling 818 acres of prime pasture, tillable and recreation land in 14 tracts. Visit Peoplescompany.com to learn more. 

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.

Most consumers aren’t out to get the ag industry, they just don’t understand us. That’s the message that Claire Murnin and Lyle Perrier shared during the Junior Takeover of this podcast. They are poised to help change that through both day-to-day interactions and more organized and strategic initiatives. Both of these National Junior Angus Association members are taking what they’ve learned in the organization to be ambassadors for our breed. Take a listen to learn about everything from their approach and the skills they’ve developed to fill that role to what question they hoped they drew in the extemporaneous speaking contest.

HOSTS: Mark McCully, Miranda Reiman, Avery Mather 

GUESTS: Claire Murnin, Pompeys Pillar, Mont., was born into a long tradition in the Angus breed and has now carved her own path. She has historically been involved in both the show ring and the contests, and has recently worked to expand her network beyond the Angus industry. A year and half ago, she started a social campaign called @365daysofagricluture where she posts about her daily journey of raising beef cattle.

Lyle Perrier, Eureka, Kan., is involved on his family’s Dalebanks Angus operation where he has seen first-hand the benefits of building connections to consumers. In addition to his cattle background, Lyle has also honed his livestock judging, extemporaneous speaking and salesmanship skills, among others, at several national contests over the years. 

CO-HOST: Born and raised in State Center, Iowa, Avery Mather is the daughter of Joe and Allison Mather. She comes from generations of Angus breeders and continues to exhibit and produce Angus cattle alongside her siblings, Carson and Keegan. Currently, Avery is studying agricultural business at Iowa State University. After graduation, she intends to stay within the agriculture industry, working with producers and the next generation of agriculture enthusiasts.

RELATED CONTENT:
@365daysofagriculture

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.

Life is what you make it, and a National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) experience is much the same, say Brenlen Humpert and Paige Lemmenager. The two have taken different paths to their involvement in the breed but come with a similar “seize the moment” approach. In this second edition of the Junior Takeover of The Angus Conversation, they share advice for fellow NJAA members such as step out of your comfort zone and embrace new opportunities. Hear more about them and how their Angus network has shaped each of them into who they are today.

HOSTS: Mark McCully, Miranda Reiman, Avery Mather 

GUESTS: Brenlen Humpert, Windthorst, Texas, is a second-generation Angus breeder and the oldest of four Humpert siblings growing up in the breed. He has exhibited cattle on the National Junior Angus Show for years but also prepares and works for many contests, from public speaking to team sales.

Paige Lemenager, from Hudson, Ill., grew up in an Angus family, where they’ve placed a lot of emphasis on the show ring during her career. She just finished her judging career at Lakeland College and will be headed to Texas Tech in the fall. Paige was named Champion Angus Showman at the National Junior Angus Show in 2022.

CO-HOST: Born and raised in State Center, Iowa, Avery Mather is the daughter of Joe and Allison Mather. She comes from generations of Angus breeders and continues to exhibit and produce Angus cattle alongside her siblings, Carson and Keegan. Currently, Avery is studying agricultural business at Iowa State University. After graduation, she intends to stay within the agriculture industry, working with producers and the next generation of agriculture enthusiasts.

RELATED CONTENT:
More than Just a Cattle Show
Human Moments  

Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.