The Angus Conversation

There was a time when the beef industry thought product quality was as good as it was going to get. Those who worked in research and development were exploring everything from pumped product to mechanical tenderization methods to increase consumer acceptance. What changed? Economic signals became more precise, beef quality quantification methods improved and cattlemen acted on the data they received. In a relatively short time, beef quality skyrocketed.  

So, what does the landscape look like today? What’s the next round of advancements going to bring and why should breeders care?  

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

GUESTS:  Glen Dolezal and John Stika

Glen Dolezal, assistant vice president, new technology applications, at Cargill Protein, has worked in many facets of the packing sector. He started his career at Cargill in 1999 in research and development, but has added responsibilities during that nearly 24-year tenure to include sales and grading functions. He oversaw the implementation of the company’s tenderness claim and the move to camera grading. Prior to working in the private sector, Glen spent 16 years in academia at Oklahoma State University. A Texas native, he holds degrees from Texas A&M and Oklahoma State University.  

John Stika, president, Certified Angus Beef, leads the American Angus Association’s consumer-facing subsidiary. The brand that is owned by registered Angus breeders and operates to create pull-through demand for Angus cattle has grown to more than 1.234 billion pounds of sales annually under his leadership. He joined CAB in 1999 in what was the feeder-packer relations division, before working in business development and assuming the role of president in 2006. He’s a Kansas farm boy, with degrees in animal and meat science from Kansas State University and the University of Kentucky. 

This episode is sponsored by Westway Feed Products.  Visit https://westwayfeed.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.

From high sulfur water and two-section pastures to fescue toxicity and hot, humid climates — Angus cattlemen operate in environments as varied as their zip codes. But do Angus cattle really belong in every corner of this country? 

 
In this episode, Texas cattleman James Henderson and Virginia breeder Paul Bennett talk about the way they design cattle that will work in the tough environments their customers operate in, from the deep south to higher elevations. What tools do they use, which ones do they wish they had and where would they move if they could ranch anywhere? Listen and find out. 


HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman
GUESTS: James Henderson, Paul Bennett
James Henderson was born in Kerrville, Texas, as a fourth-generation rancher in the Texas Hill Country. He received a degree in animal science in 1977 from Texas A&M University and moved to a career in the meatpacking and processing industry. In 2004, James married Mary Lou Bradley, and the couple continues the time-tested traditions of Bradley 3 Ranch. Henderson is a former American Angus Association Board member.
Paul Bennett is a fourth-generation seedstock producer who grew up on his family’s operation, Knoll Crest Farm, Inc. (KCF). He graduated from Virginia Tech with an animal science degree, then returned home to run the farm with his brother and nephew. KCF focuses on annually generating 400 high-quality bulls to supply the commercial beef industry. A lifetime cattleman, Bennett has served as president of the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF), Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, Virginia Beef Cattle Improvement Association, as well as a board member of the Virginia Angus Association and the National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium. He currently serves on the American Angus Association Board of Directors.  

 
Related Content:  

• Bradley 3 Ranch earns CAB Sustainability Award:  https://www.angusjournal.net/post/more-with-less 
• Balance and Longevity Discussed at Convention: https://www.angusjournal.net/post/even-better 
• By the Numbers: Angus Hair Shedding EPD: https://www.angusjournal.com/articlepdf/0722-by-the-numbers.pdf 

 
This episode sponsored by Westway Feed Products.  Visit https://westwayfeed.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.

What do Angus breeders need from their Association? How can the breed ensure the success of its commercial customers? Those questions were applied to dozens of topics across the Board meeting agendas for the American Angus Association and its four entities this week. 

Here we rehash some of the most in-depth discussions from the first application for a gene edit and the changes in AngusLink to judge selection and foot scores.  

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

GUESTS: Chuck Grove, John Dickinson, Smitty Lamb

Chuck Grove is no stranger to the Angus breed. He was a longtime regional manager for the American Angus Association, covering various states during his 39-year tenure including Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware and Ohio. Grove and his wife, Ruth, now reside on the family farm and manage a 100-head Angus herd. He is currently serving as president and chairman of the American Angus Association Board. 

 John Dickinson, is a fifth-generation Angus breeder and a former National Junior Angus Board (NJAB) chairman. A University of Illinois graduate and former regional manager for the American Angus Association, Dickinson often makes the trek between his cows in California and his home in Idaho. He is also a founding partner in Parnell Dickinson, Inc., a full-service marketing firm that works in all facets of promotion, management and cattle trade — both seedstock and commercial. 

 Smitty Lamb and his cousin Clint Smith, along with their families, started Ogeechee Farms near Wadley, Ga., in 1997. Today they host a joint Southern Synergy sale with their friends at CAM Ranches. Smitty holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Georgia and served as an extension educator and an area livestock teacher in the state before taking a role in cotton merchandizing.  

 
Related Content:  

• Gene Editing and Angus: A New Way to Solve Old Problems?:  https://www.angusjournal.net/episodes/episode/77f7f8ba/gene-editing-and-angus-a-new-way-to-solve-old-problems 
• Copy, Replace and Delete: https://www.angusjournal.net/post/copy-replace-delete  
• Read the Board Meeting Highlight Letter: https://www.angus.org/pub/LetterFromPresidentFeb2023.pdf

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.

Forty years ago the beef market was “a train wreck,” says Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax. Beef demand dropped by $250 a head, and hundreds of thousands of cattle producers exited the business.  

So, how did we get to 2022? Last year, the United States had the highest total beef production in the history of the industry and yet the widest spreads (Choice-Select, Prime-Choice and Certified Angus Beef-Choice). Beef demand is alive and well.  

Yet, as cow herd numbers decline, these next few years will be “separating years” for seedstock breeders. Time to up your game.   

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

GUEST: Randy Blach

Randy Blach, CattleFax CEO, has worked as a beef market analyst since first joining the organization in 1981. A Colorado native and Colorado State University alum, Blach is still actively involved in his family’s ranching operation. A sought-after speaker, Blach’s strength is in making economics relatable, practical and useable to the cattlemen he serves.  

Related Reading: The Cattle Market Teacher: https://www.angusjournal.com/ArticlePDF/0822-FQF-award.pdf 

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.

Eldon Krebs has been exhibiting at the National Western Stock Show for more than six decades. He’s got thoughts on competition, fads and progress, with plenty of historical stories thrown in.  

From the grounds of the National Western Stock Show, Krebs and his son-in-law Jake Scott discuss using the show ring as a marketing tool, tips for generational transfer and who is really in charge of breeding decisions. 

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman 

GUESTS:  Eldon Krebs and Jake Scott

Eldon Krebs is a lifelong cattlemen, growing up on a commercial ranch near Neligh, Neb., and attending the University of Nebraska. He worked on purebred operations before he and his wife, Louisa, started the Krebs Ranch near Gordon, Neb., in 1979. A longtime supporter of the National Western Stock Show, he has several grand champion banners and was named the Friend of National Western by the Red Meat Club this year. 

Jake Scott is married to Eldon and Louisa’s daughter Kami and currently works on marketing and customers relations for Krebs Ranch. After graduating from Oklahoma State University and managing a ranch in Oklahoma the couple moved back to Kami’s roots where they’re both involved in the operation and raising their kids in the Sandhills.  

Related Reading:  

• More Than Hired Hands
• Making Life Easier for Everybody
• The Very Best Beef: To Finish Right, Start Right

The National Western Stock Show will be covered in the March Angus Journal. Subscribe today to receive this edition.

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.

Gene editing. What might sound like exciting possibilities to some cattlemen can seem like science fiction to others.  

Is gene editing the same as a genetically modified organism (GMO)? Is the technology already being used today? What problems could it help us solve and what cautions do we have? 

The American Angus Association has adopted rules for how a gene-edited animal would make it into the breed registry, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions and discussions to have. This conversation with geneticists Larry Kuehn and Maci Mueller helps unpack those.  

GUESTS:  

Larry Kuehn was raised on a diversified (cow-calf, feedlot, grain, hay) farm near Heartwell, Neb. He received a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Nebraska, a master’s in animal breeding from Colorado State University, and a doctorate in animal breeding from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.  

He was hired as a postdoctoral research associate at the USDA, ARS, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in 2006 and as a permanent research geneticist that same year. He served as the research leader for the Genetics and Animal Breeding Research unit at USMARC. Kuehn is a co-leader of the USMARC Germplasm Evaluation (GPE) program. In this role, he coordinates the sampling and mating of industry representative sires from 18 beef breed associations and the subsequent phenotyping of offspring for economically relevant traits. Kuehn uses results from this program to produce yearly updates to the across-breed expected progeny difference (EPD) adjustment factors; this analysis provides up-to-date estimates of breed differences for EPD measured growth and carcass traits in 18 breeds of beef cattle. The GPE population is also the primary beef resource for genomic discovery at USMARC and has been extensively genotyped with high-density marker arrays.  

Maci Mueller is completing her doctorate in livestock genomics and biotechnology at the University of California, Davis where she is working with Alison Van Eenennaam. Mueller is originally from Princeton, Neb., where she was actively involved in her family’s first-generation seedstock operation, Lienetics Angus Ranch. This experience was instrumental in developing her career goal of becoming an animal geneticist. She earned her bachelor’s in animal science with a political science minor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her master’s in animal biology from UC Davis. 

Maci’s graduate research is focused on the application of genetic-based biotechnology, specifically gene editing, to improve livestock production. Maci is passionate about effective science communication and is driven to provide research and education to expand the availability and application of genetic-based biotechnologies in livestock production systems to improve animal health and welfare and production efficiency.  

 

Related Reading:

• Copy, Replace and Delete: https://www.angusjournal.net/post/copy-replace-delete 
• The Showring, the Microscope and the Angus Cow: https://www.angusjournal.net/post/the-showring-the-microscope-and-the-angus-cow 

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.

Consumers want to eat beef, and producers are doing the right things — the opportunity lies in communicating that with data through the supply chain. 

A buyer for the largest broadline foodservice distributor in the world sits down with an Angus breeder and a beef brand representative to talk all things beef demand. Did they solve the consumer puzzle?

Listen to the last episode in our inaugural season of The Angus Conversation, recorded live from Angus Convention. 

HOSTS: Nicole Erceg, Certified Angus Beef; Miranda Reiman 

GUESTS: Jonathan Perry, Jessica Willingham

Jessica Willingham is the Director of Beef procurement for Sysco, the world’s largest broadline foodservice distributor and an important Certified Angus Beef licensed partner. Formerly with JBS and Tyson, Jessica is focused on serving the beef industry and involved in Sysco’s beef sustainability initiatives.

Johnathan Perry, manages Deer Valley Farms near Fayetteville, Tenn., and owns Hickory House restaurant (a Certified Angus Beef licensee) with his wife, Jackie. He chaired the Certified Angus Beef Board of Directors from 2020 to 2022, and currently serves as the Association’s treasurer.
 
Related Reading: 

• Breeding for a Better Future: https://www.angusjournal.net/post/breeding-for-a-better-future
• The Cattle Contribution: http://www.angusjournal.com/articlepdf/0122-cab-ducks-unlimited.pdf
• Cut the Bull:  https://www.cutthebull.info/

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.

More than one seedstock producer has had these thoughts: raising great cattle is more fun than figuring out the puzzle it is to market them. 

Breeders Kenny Hinkle, Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus, and Smitty Lamb, Ogeechee Angus Farm, talk about the cattle they’re creating and how they let people know what they stand for. 

Spoiler alert: it’s more than a specific advertising plan. 

HOSTS: Miranda Reiman with guest co-host Julie Murnin, Angus Media 

GUESTS: Kenny Hinkle, Smitty Lamb

Kenny Hinkle and his wife, Janyce, started Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus in 1995 and have built it from the ground up. Their Nevada, Mo., farm focuses on two sets of people: their customers and the final beef consumer. It has grown to market 300 bulls a year and now supports their entire family, including their son Trevor, daughter Courtney and their families. 

Smitty Lamb and his cousin Clint Smith, along with their families, started Ogeechee Farms near Wadley, Ga., in 1997. Today they host a joint Southern Synergy sale with their friends at CAM Ranches. Smitty holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Georgia and served as an extension educator and an area livestock teacher in the state before taking a role in cotton merchandizing. 

Related Reading: 
Building Better Beef: https://www.angusjournal.com/ArticlePDF/1018-CAB-Hinkle.pdf

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.

We have to keep independent farmers and ranchers in business. We need ag youth to come back our rural communities. How high do cattle prices have to go to accomplish this? 

Joe Goggins, Vermilon Ranch, and Matt Perrier, Dalebanks Angus, discuss what it was like to scrape by through the 1980s, share the changes they have seen in more recent decades and predict the fate of the cattle industry in the future. 

This episode is straight from Angus Convention and continues a popular conversation that was first started on the main stage.

GUESTS:
Joe Goggins, with his wife, Linda, and three children, are long-time ranchers from Billings, Mont. Joe and the Goggins family are owners of the Vermilion Ranch, where they have raised registered Angus Cattle since 1964. Annually, the Goggins family breeds 2,200 Angus cows and heifers and markets approximately 1,000 bulls each year. The Vermilion Ranch, along with Joe’s own operation, J&L Livestock, develops and breeds 10,000 of the top-performing Angus heifers in the industry. Each year, they offer a large selection of commercial and registered Angus females in their spring and fall sales.  

Following in the footsteps of his father, Pat Goggins, Joe has auctioneered many top purebred sales around America and remains directly involved in the family’s livestock auction markets: Northern Livestock Video Auction, Public Auction Yards, Billings Livestock Commission in Billings, and Western Livestock Auction in Great Falls, Montana.  

Matt Perrier is part-owner and manager of Dalebanks Angus. He and his wife, Amy, have five children and reside near Eureka, Kan. 

Matt graduated from Kansas State University in 1996 and worked for eight years in various marketing and public relations positions within the beef community, including the American Angus Association from 1997 till 2004. They returned to Eureka in 2004. 

Dalebanks was settled by Matt’s ancestors in 1867, and they have raised registered Angus since 1904. They market roughly 200 bulls annually, plus raise corn, wheat, soybeans and cover-crops for livestock feed and grazing. Matt also produces a weekly podcast, Practically Ranching. 

Matt is a past president of the Beef Improvement Federation and Kansas Livestock Association.  

Related Reading:  

Competing with Quality: http://www.angusjournal.com/ArticlePDF/CAB%20Goggins%2010_13.pdf 

They Run Deep: 

https://www.angusjournal.com/ArticlePDF/1020-CAB-SCE-Dalebanks.pdf 

The Unbreakable Chain: 

http://www.angusjournal.com/articlepdf/0822-blockchain.pdf 

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.

In this bonus episode, cover four days’ worth of the 2022 Angus Convention in about a half an hour. New president Chuck Grove joins fellow Board member Mark Ahearn to chat about optimism in the business and other hallway conversations from Salt Lake City. 

The 139th Annual Convention of Delegates put a bow on the weekend crammed full of education and camaraderie, and Grove shared the new leadership and discussed how they plan to tackle what’s ahead.

HOSTS: Mark McCully, Miranda Reiman 

GUESTS: Chuck Grove, Mark Ahearn 

GUEST BIOS: 

Chuck Grove, Forest, Va., is no stranger to the Angus breed. He was a longtime regional manager for the American Angus Association, covering various states during his 39-year tenure including Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware and Ohio. Grove and his wife, Ruth, now reside on the family farm and manage a 100-head Angus herd. He was recently elected to serve as president and chairman of the American Angus Association Board and says he looks forward to the year ahead. 

Mark Ahearn and his family established Turner Meadow Ranch in East Texas in the mid-1980s. He spent 35 years in law enforcement, while also raising high-quality Angus cattle. He has studied pedigrees and learned the business from the ground up. They herd has grown to about 200 females, and he is an active member of the Texas Angus Association, where he served in leadership roles for 16 years. He’s been on the American Angus Association Board of Directors since 2020.

Related reading:
https://www.angusjournal.net/post/new-leadership-directors-elected 

https://www.angusjournal.net/post/q-a-president-s-perspective 

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.