The Angus Conversation

 Listening to your commercial customers is one of the best ways to ensure success at meeting their demand, says Jake Tiedeman, Baldridge-Tiedeman Angus of North Platte, Neb. In this episode, he recalls what it was like to grow up as Jim Tiedeman’s sidekick and covers how his family works together today. Tiedeman talks tools for change, how to make sure you’re heard by your Association and gives a look at the future. As a bonus, there's some beef product talk and a history on the family’s famous Baldridge Seasoning.  

 HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman 

 GUEST:
Jake Tiedeman, along with his wife Lindsay and parents Bob and Becky, operate Baldridge-Tiedeman Angus near North Platte, Neb. Longtime Angus breeders, Jake got his start by tagging along with his grandfather Jim and then purchasing some cattle of his own. Jake was involved in the National Junior Angus Association, where he served on the board and still counts many of those cohorts among his friends.  

 Related content:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4WS-o2Rxv4

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.

Adam Sawyer, Doug Stevenson and John Toledo have more in common than the title of 2024 National Western Stock Show Angus Pen and Carload Show judge. During this episode you’ll hear what the trio thinks about the best way to create the right animal for the right time, how to get a little bit better every day and how it felt to wear that judge’s pin in Denver.   

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

GUESTS: 
Adam Sawyer, A & B Cattle, Bassett, Neb., and his wife Jenessa work alongside Adam’s mom, Becky, to manage the family’s registered seedstock operation. They’re raising the next generation of Angus breeders, as their sons Augustus and Truett grow up in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Doug Stevenson, Basin Angus Ranch, Reed Point, Mont., was active in the National Junior Angus Association and attended Montana State University before graduating from law school and returning to his family's ranch in the Judith Basin. In 2010, Doug and his wife, Sharon, and their three daughters, moved to eastern Montana, where today, along with their growing family, have various roles in Basin Angus.

John Toledo, Tri-T Farms/Toledo Ranches, Vasilia, Calf., got his start in the Angus business through 4-H. On his family’s central California farm and ranch, he grew the herd, married his wife, Kelli (a fellow Angus junior), and they’re now raising their son in the breed.  

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.

Could the epigenetics of a male sperm cell tell us anything about cow herd fertility? What advancements in the aquiculture industry could be applied to the beef business? Two scientists give an outside perspective on how technology is shaping improvements in everything from patient care to feeding a growing world population. They share challenges that sound familiar, such as barriers to data collection and applying genetic tools across diverse production environments. This episode is meant to stretch perspectives by showing what is, what could be, and cautions and encouragement for the future.

HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Kelli Retallick-Riley, president, Angus Genetics Inc.

GUESTS:
Debbie Plouffe, co-founder and vice president of business development-genetics for the Center for Aquaculture Technologies (CAT). The full-service R&D company helps improve productivity, efficiency, and sustainability in the aquaculture industry. 

Debbie graduated with a bachelor's in invertebrate biology and a doctorate in physiology and cell biology from the University of Alberta, and she’s held leadership roles at the National Research Council (NRC) and AquaBounty Technologies. There she contributed to the regulatory approval of the world’s first genetically engineered food animal, the AquAdvantage salmon. She’s now based at CAT’s San Diego, Calif., office, working with collaborators across the globe on genetic improvement in fish. 

Kristin Brogaard, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Inherent Biosciences, leads the design and execution studies that validate their products that focus on using epigenetic discoveries to answer unexplained medical conditions. Currently much of her work focuses on the DNA methylation patterns associated with male infertility.

Kristin received her doctorate in molecular biology from Northwestern University, where she developed a novel epigenetic technology that allowed for single-base pair resolution mapping of DNA binding proteins genome-wide. She did postdoctoral work with Leroy Hood, a pioneer in personalized medicine technologies, and then served as director of program management for Arivale before joining Inherent Biosciences in 2019. Co-founding the startup allowed Kristin to combine her passion for epigenetics and personalized medicine to help put a stop to trail-and-error medical procedures. 

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 there’s a day when you want everything to go right, it’s sale day. So, how far in advance should preparations start? Three months out? Six months? Will Harsh, regional manager for the American Angus Association, and sale manager Rance Long, Rance Long Inc., say it’s a year-round focus.

Whether you’re looking to host your first bull or female sale or have been at it a while, this episode covers ways to manage the pre-sale to-do list, ways to get buyers in the seats, and making all the details “day of” run smoothly. With decades of combined experience, they share the secrets of sale day success. 

HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Clay Zwilling, president, Angus Media 

GUESTS:
Will Harsh, American Angus Association regional manager for Nebraska and Colorado, grew up on his family’s central Ohio farm. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2018, and served as a regional manager in Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi before taking on his current post. Today, he serves Angus breeders as the regional manager for Nebraska and Colorado.

Rance Long, Rance Long Inc., is a third-generation Angus breeder, and he and his wife are raising the fourth. An Indiana native, he attended Oklahoma State University and makes his living just down the road near Adair, Okla., today. He serves as a sale manager for breeders from across the country, helping them market their cattle and get the most for them. 

Related reading:
Plan Your Pathway to Sale Day
Calculate the deadlines you need to hit to have a successful sale with the Sale Day Calculator. 

This podcast is brought to you by Zoetis Genetics. Visit beefgenetics.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.

Sometimes the only way to start a new venture is to jump right in. That’s how Angus producers Lindsey Hall and Ashley Brunner say they approached their direct-to-consumer beef marketing enterprises they operate as part of their family Angus operations. Both operations have been among the first to test Certified Angus Beef’s (CAB) Ranch to Table program, and share how they got started, the power of partnerships and ways they keep their customers happy. And they’re not done yet. Tune in to hear what’s next and if this is an opportunity you might want to pursue in your own operation. 

HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Kara Lee, director of producer engagement, CAB

GUESTS:
Lindsey Hall grew up in the Angus business, on her family’s Maplecrest Farms near Hillsboro, Ohio. She headed off to The Ohio State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science, followed by a master’s in ruminant nutrition, animal breeding and genetics from Kansas State University. She met her husband, Adam, at the Ohio State Fair, and today they’re raising their two boys in the ag industry. Hall returned to her family’s operation and heads up their Maplecrest Meats enterprise, a storefront where they sell their home-raised beef.

Ashley Bruner, Bruner Angus Ranch, ranches with her husband, Travis, their four young children, and his extended family. They have about 500 registered Angus cows on their ranch near Drake, N.D., where they host an annual production sale in June. The family recently partnered with friends and fellow North Dakota Angus ranchers, the Wendel family, to form Dakota Angus — a direct-to-consumer beef merchandizing business. That effort and their commitment to quality recently earned the families the 2023 CAB Progressive Partner award. 

RELATED READING:
Future Focused Business

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.

There’s risk, and the faith that pushes you to take it. There’s challenge, and critical thinking and intentional action that allows you to overcome. For Gordon Stucky and Kevin Yon, their work as first-generation Angus breeders has been studded with risk, faith, thought and action. In this episode, they give advice and discuss current trends and hurdles, along with the ways they approach them head-on in their seedstock operations.

They answer questions like: How do Angus breeders remain competitive? What’s the relevance of a breed association today? How do you work smarter? 

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

GUESTS: 
Gordon Stucky’s roots in Kingman County, Kansas, trace back to 1937, when his parents established a diversified crop and livestock operation. Stucky began the transition to a registered Angus cattle herd in 1976. After graduating from Kansas State University with an animal science degree, he returned to the ranch to build the herd he and his wife, Caroline, and family have today.

Stucky served as president of the American Angus Association and in leadership roles with the Kansas Livestock Association, Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas Extension Council and the Beef Improvement Federation.

Keivn Yon, Ridge Spring, S.C., and his wife, Lydia, established Yon Family Farms in 1996. All three of their children and their families have returned to the operation, which is now home to 700 head of Angus brood cows and 300 commercial cows.

Yon has served as president of the American Angus Association, president of the South Carolina Angus Association and South Carolina Cattlemen’s Association. 


This podcast is brought to you by Zoetis Genetics. Visit beefgenetics.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.

Leo and Sam McDonnell, Angus breeders from Columbus, Mont., aren’t afraid of hard work, speaking up or taking risks. In this episode the couple covered everything from a post-Angus tour proposal and the story of the Midland Bull Test to ways that a healthy dose of conflict can make everyone better. Working in an industry with a lot of opinions has similarities to running a family ranch, and they have plenty of advice for navigating both. 

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman

GUESTS: Leo and Sam McDonnell, Columbus, Mont., devote their time and efforts to providing the most predictable and proven genetics available on their operation, McDonnell Angus. Moving toward trait selection of economic value, the family’s success increased as they worked with breeders toward a common goal — industrywide efficiency. Carrying on what his father started in 1962, Leo managed the Midland Bull Test. The test has since grown to become the largest performance test center in North America, testing about 2,000 bulls annually, and has since been passed on to his son. As Leo and Sam transition their focus to McDonnell Angus, they note that the legacy isn’t the business — the legacy is their children and grandchildren.

Related Reading:
A Lifetime Dedicated to Improvement: https://www.angusjournal.net/post/a-lifetime-dedicated-to-improvement

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.

As David Holt and Kent Brown grew separate Angus businesses just down the road from each other, they found a natural partnership. They could do more together than they could separately. The Tennessee neighbors talk about why they went Angus, how whole herd inventory reporting will strengthen their programs and the breed, and the ways they maximized their marketing by working together. 

HOSTS: Esther Tarpoff, Mark McCully, Miranda Reiman  

GUESTS:  

David Holt, of Holt Farms, Livingston, Tenn., was a dairyman for the first 26 years after high school, but when he got out of milking, he immediately switched to Angus. He and his wife have two boys who are involved in agriculture and help around the farm when needed. 

Kent Brown of Jared Brown & Son near Rickman, Tenn., got his start in the Angus business from the herd his dad started in 1961. After a few decades of other breeds, he came back to Angus in the early ’90s and sells 60 to 70 registered bulls annually. 

This podcast is brought to you by Zoetis Genetics. Visit beefgenetics.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.

What do you get when you combine Angus data from three countries on 11 different traits? More accurate and reliable tools, says Kelli Retallick-Riley, president of Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI). The team will release the World Angus Evaluation, in partnership with Angus Australia and the Canadian Angus Association, on Oct. 13, and this episode shares what that means for Angus breeders across the globe. 

In addition, the international guests cover genetic and marketing trends in their countries, talk international commerce, share history on past partnerships and invite listeners to go Down Under in 2025. 

HOSTS:
 Miranda Reiman and Kelli Retallick-Riley 

GUESTS: 

Myles Immerkar, CEO of the Canadian Angus Association, works with the board of directors to grow and promote the Angus breed. He has experience in the animal nutrition and marketing fields and most recently spent 16 years managing the global beef programs for Semex Alliance based in Guelph.

Christian Duff is the general manager of genetic improvement for Angus Australia. He’s been with Angus Australia for the past nine years in research roles before taking the lead on the team that completes their genetic evaluation and research projects. 

This podcast is brought to you by Zoetis Genetics. Visit beefgenetics.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.

You’re not going to find expansive Angus ranches on wide open plains in New York, but if you head just 90 miles north of The Big Apple, you will find Trowbridge Farms. With reach across the United States, Phil and Annie Trowbridge, along with son and daughter-in-law, PJ and Miranda, have made a name for themselves by creating cattle for the showring and the commercial industry in tandem. And they’ve done it by leasing small pastures, working closely with their “weekender” neighbors who come out to country homes and helping their customers create a market for their cattle.  This episode covers everything from the family winning the county fair rabbit show to the time they brought a bull to Madison Square Gardens.


GUEST:  Phil Trowbridge and his family operate Trowbridge Angus Farms near Ghent, N.Y. Trowbridge earned an animal science degree from Alfred Sate College, Alfred, N.Y. The day after his graduation in 1976, he became a herdsman for Gallagher’s Angus Farm in Ghent, N.Y., and gradually built up his own Angus herd in the same community. He and his wife, Annie, have two grown children and six grandchildren, who are all involved in the farm in some way. 


This episode is brought to you by Westway Feed Products. Visit https://westwayfeed.com/ for more information.


Related Reading: 
Open Gates: https://www.angusjournal.com/articlepdf/cab-trowbridge-ambassador-10_15-aj.pdf
Family Matters: https://www.angusjournal.com/articlepdf/president_trowbridge%2011.13.pdf
Black Farms, Green Grass — Roseda Angus Farms: https://www.angusjournal.net/post/black-cows-green-grass 

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.