The Angus Conversation

This behind-the-scenes look at the American Angus Association Board of Directors June meeting gives a recap of the discussions from Oklahoma City this week. The agenda ranged from the ways a newly announced packer premium is creating pull-through demand for AngusLink to the financial health of the organization.

In this episode, Board members discuss the ways ongoing research in everything from heart health to male fertility will continue to advance the breed. They cover data collection trends and encouraging more participation in programs like Inventory Reporting and MaternalPlus, and welcomed Benjie Lemon to the team in his role as Angus Media President.

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

GUESTS:
Barry Pollard, Pollard Farms, is the current chairman of the Board.
Rob Adams, Adams Angus Farm near Union Springs, Ala., is serving his first term on the Board.
Art Butler, of Spring Cove Ranch at Bliss, Idaho, is serving his first term on the Board.

RELATED CONTENT:
Producers To Be Paid Grid Premiums for AngusLink Beef Scores
The American Angus Association; National Beef Packing Co., LLC; IMI Global; and U.S. Premium Beef, LLC announces new grid premiums to take effect in August and December, based on genetic merit data.

A Good Problem to Have
AGI implements updates to keep up with growing data store. 

For additional details from the Board Meeting, read the president's letter here.  

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 you get when you combine a lifetime as a student of the Angus breed with more than a half of a century of collecting Angus memorabilia? The only logical answer is Tom Burke and his American Angus Hall of Fame in Smithfield, Mo. In this episode, Tom selects his top 10 favorite items in the collection and tells stories on everything from the early years of the Angus Journal to the time he personally knew both the sitting U.S. president and vice president.   


HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman   


GUESTS: Tom Burke is a fourth-generation Angus breeder and an owner of the original Burke Farm located in southeastern Minnesota. 

Burke has spent more than 50 years of his life traveling the country as a sale manager for the American Angus Hall of Fame, which is also home to the world’s largest collection of Angus memorabilia. 

Among his many accolades, USA Today named him “America’s Most Traveled Person” in 1993. Burke served on the American Angus Association Board of Directors from 2013 to 2016, and in 2017 was inducted into the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery, which is considered one of the highest honors in the livestock industry.

Today, Burke owns 200 registered Angus cows and has co-authored 11 Angus books.


RELATED CONTENT: 
Purchase the barn book, “Sheltering Generations” here: https://shop.certifiedangusbeef.com/products/sheltering-generations-the-american-barn

To find the American Angus Hall of Fame, visit their website: https://www.angushall.com/index.html

Saddle and Sirloin Honors Tom Burke


SPONSOR NOTE:  At Ingram Angus near Pulaski, Tenn., they have a code for doing business,  "Integrity is what we stand by: good quality people who deal with good quality cattle.” Learn more about their program at IngramAngus.com. The whole Ingram crew wants to wish all the juniors good luck at their shows this summer. 

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.

 When Brian McCulloh found himself in Viroqua, Wis., in 1984 to manage and grow the Angus herd at Woodhill Farms, he knew he’d be learning as he went. In the decades that followed, Brian used that as a personal motto of sorts, always drawing on his curiosity and need for answers to make improvements. Early on he selected the type of cattle he wanted to create and then stayed focused on that for his entire career, building a legacy Angus brand with his program as a result. Brian says the key has been avoiding distractions, believing in the data and then following the plan. This episode covers everything from his early years to whether it’s easier or harder today and even the story of why he decided it was time for a new chapter.  


HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman   


GUESTS: Brian McCulloh was an Iowa farm boy who enjoyed showing and judging cattle in 4-H. He was on the judging team at Iowa State University and graduated with a degree in agriculture finance. McCulloh spent a short time as Activities Director at the American Angus Association before he and his young family headed to Wisconsin to pursue an opportunity to raise Angus cattle. They’ve been there ever since.

Woodhill Farms, operated in partnership with Dan and Anne Borgen, received the Certified Angus Beef ® Commitment to Excellence award in 2000, and McCulloh received the Angus Heritage Award in 2020. He served on the American Angus Association Board of Directors and has been active in the Beef Improvement Federation.


RELATED CONTENT:
Stockmanship & Science
40 Years of Focus


SPONSOR NOTE: Deer Valley Farms has brought back their Spring Cow Sale, and they invite you to join them this Saturday May 11th at 11 a.m. Come see the unique offering of 4- and 5-year-old donor cows and natural calving cows, along with a variety of bred heifers out of contemporary groups not typically featured.

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 isn’t always a direct line from A to B, and Jason and Paige Pratt found blessings abound in their journey. They detail the path that took them from the Appalachian foothills to the Kansas prairie and back again. They included lessons in generational transfer along the way. The couple shares what they expect from their cows, how they built their customer base and why they think it’s so important to get involved in organizations that will help them protect their way of life.  

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman    

GUESTS: Jason and Paige Pratt and their family operate Pratt Cattle Co. near Akins, Va., with Jason’s parents C.W. and Shirley. When they married in 2011, they both brought cattle upbringings and advanced degrees in agriculture (Jason with his master's in ag business and Paige with her doctorate in animal breeding) to make their mark on the herd that had started as C.W.’s FFA project. They share responsibilities on the farm where their children Elizabeth and Garrett make up the next generation.  

Related reading:
Not Always Linear
https://www.angus.org/ajarticlepdf/0124-Pratt%20cattle.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.

Dan and Ty Byrd, Byrd Cattle Co., Red Bluff, Calif., say that the best grazing land in the United States comes with its own set of challenges. From the state’s political climate to other land uses threatening to shrink their customer base, they know providing good genetics is only half of the strategy to getting repeat customers. They’re active in marketing customer calves, too.

The father-son duo shares their experience in growing from a show cattle project to selling commercial bulls in an operation that now also includes female and embryo sales. Tune in to hear about everything from where they were on 9/11 to how the work gets done on their multigenerational ranch.

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman 

GUESTS: The father-son combo of Dan and Ty Byrd raise 350 registered Angus bulls in north-central California near the town of Red Bluff. Their customers are primarily commercial cow-calf producers in the Western states.  

Dan and his wife, Chris, started the cattle operation decades ago. Their children Ty and Brooke were active in the National Junior Angus Association, showing across the country. Ty came back to the family ranch following a short stint in private industry out of college, and they changed up the business model to focus on selling bulls. Today, he and his wife are raising two children on the ranch. They host an annual bull sale in the spring and a female sale in the fall, and have added embryo sales in recent years.  

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.

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

Friendships that form over Angus cattle are the type that stand the test of time. Hear from long-time friends and fellow South Dakota Angus breeders TJ Gabriel, Deep Creek Angus; and David Uhrig, Mt. Rushmore Angus, as they discuss what they’re asking their Angus cows to do. They talk maternal, terminal, weaning weights and calving ease, along with ways they’ve gotten involved with the breed at both at a regional and national level.

GUESTS: TJ Gabriel and David Uhrig

TJ Gabriel, his wife, Jeanine, and their family own and operate Deep Creek Angus. TJ’s great-great grandfather homesteaded near Midland, S.D., where they now have 250 registered Angus cows. They host a “Ranch Bred, Ranch Fed” production sale in Philip, S.D., each February and sell private treaty heifers in the fall.

David Uhrig’s history in the Angus breed dates to his grandfather’s ranch in Nebraska. He went to the University of Nebraska and held various jobs before joining the Mt. Rushmore Angus crew in 2006. Today he manages the 500-cow Hermosa, S.D., ranch that’s owned by brothers Marty and Eddie Rypkema, and they have an annual production sale each February. 

SPONSOR NOTE: 
This episode is brought to you by CAM Ranches and Ogeechee Farms. To learn more about their April 13th Southern Synergy sale visit: www.southernsynergyangus.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.

The Ellingson family knows consistency, in both cattle and customer interactions, plays a role in their success. Chad and Julie Ellingson, St. Anthony, N.D., have grown their family and their Angus herd in tandem, with that next generation now taking an active role in management and breeding decisions. This episode features the father-son duo of Chad and Stetson and covers how much emphasis to place on calving ease, creating a uniform calf crop, their favorite moment of sale day and much more. 

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman 

GUESTS: Chad and Stetson Ellingson
Chad and Julie (Schaff) Ellingson started Ellingson Angus in 1995 near St. Anthony, N.D., when they married and merged their registered Angus herds.

Over the years, the Ellingsons have used artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transplant (ET) to expand their herd, taking advantage of the best genetics available. They strive to raise balanced-trait cattle that will perform well for their customers.

The Ellingsons host a production sale the first Saturday in February at the sale facility on the ranch where they market yearling and age-advantaged Angus bulls and open and bred females. They also help market their customers’ thousands of feeder calves each year. 

Chad and Julie have five children: Stetson, Jameson, Sierra, Medora and Sheridan.

Stetson and Jameson returned to the family operation full-time after graduating college, and along with their brother-in-law Keenan Pierce, help operate the ranch. 

This podcast is brought to you by Westway Feed Products. Visit westwayfeed.com for more information.  

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.

If a breed association “takes its eye off the ball” of making commercial cattlemen more profitable, it’s set to fail, says Donnie Schiefelbein, Kimball, Minn., Angus breeder. He joined breeder Lee Leachman for this episode that covers the changes in the Angus business over the decades, the data that has made a difference, and ways that coordination can produce solutions. The pair talks about the shift to grid marketing, and how to prioritize your cow herd while aiming for carcass quality. 

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman  

GUESTS: 

Don Schiefelbein, along with his seven brothers and three nephews, own and operate Schiefelbein Farms, Kimball, Minn., where the family manages more than 1,000 registered females, farms 4,600 acres and feeds out 7,500 head of cattle. 

The operation was started in 1955 by his father, Frank, and before Don returned to the family farm he served as executive director of the American Gelbvieh Association. He previously worked for the North American Limousin Association after graduating from Texas A&M University. 

Don has served the industry in numerous roles including American Angus Association president, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) president and Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association president.

Lee Leachman is the CEO of Leachman Cattle of Colorado. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in economics in 1988 and completed graduate-level work in animal breeding at Colorado State University. 

Leachman Cattle markets more than 2,000 Angus, Red Angus, Stabilizer and Charolais bulls produced from a pool of 12,000 females in more than 45 cooperator herds. Selection objectives are largely based on the company’s proprietary indexes. The company’s flagship sale is hosted in March each year in Fort Collins, Colo. 

Lee has been active in the industry through groups including the NCBA, various breed associations, and the Beef Improvement Federation, where he is a past president. Lee frequently speaks to cattlemen both in the United States and internationally. 

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.

The days of feed cards and calculators have given way to computer-balanced rations, mixed pens of cattle have become more uniform and carcass-based premiums are now figured into the target rather than an afterthought, but the main objectives of cattle feeders remain the same today as they were decades ago. Two well-known names in the cattle feeding business join us for this episode capturing their history, the kind of cattle they’re currently demanding and an outlook on the future of that segment of the industry. It covers everything from beef-on-dairy systems and roller compacted concrete to advice Angus breeders can take to heart.

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

GUESTS:
Kee Jim, of G.K. Jim Farms and founding partner of Feedlot Health Management Services, hails from Okotoks, Alberta. After growing up on a ranch and the earning his degree from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan in 1983, he began his entrepreneurial and his feedyard consulting career in tandem, always looking to the data to answer the toughest questions. In addition, he feeds cattle across North America. Among the numerous accolades he’s received, Kee was recently inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame.

Mike Thoren has served as the president and CEO of Five Rivers since it began in 2005. Before that he held various roles for ConiBeef and Continental Grain Company, including CEO, feedyard general manager and feedlot operations. He earned a masters in ag economics and a bachelor’s in ag business from Washington State University. 

This podcast is brought to you by Westway Feed Products. Visit westwayfeed.com for more information.  

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 state of constant improvement — if there was a phrase to sum up the work the American Angus Association Board did this week and the updates they heard from staff, that would be it. This episode focuses on “core” updates to the National Cattle Evaluation, a discussion around parentage protocols and a rundown of the genetic tools for commercial cattlemen (and their timeline for release). There are notes from each of the entities and the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) board and an encouraging outlook for the year ahead. 

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman 

GUESTS:  

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. 

Jerry Theis, Leavenworth, Kan., is a second-generation Angus breeder. His parents established April Valley Farms in 1952 in the Salt Creek Valley.

Theis graduated with his veterinary degree from Kansas State University in 1991, and still practices at a local clinic while he manages his family’s diversified operation. April Valley Farms was recognized as a Historic Angus Herd by the Association in 2019. Theis and his wife are active in the Kansas Angus Association, serving two terms as advisors for the National Junior Angus Association. 

Kelli Retallick-Riley, president of Angus Genetics Inc., leads her team of research geneticists and customer service specialists to provide the best genetic and genomic tools and resources to Angus breeders and users of Angus genetics.

Related reading: Find the full letter to membership following the meetings here. 

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.