“I don’t want to be the generation that screws it up.”
South Dakota rancher Troy Hadrick told me that as we discussed all the changes he’s seen in four years at the helm of his family’s commercial Angus herd.
When Troy Hadrick contemplated managing his family’s commercial Angus herd near Faulkton, South Dakota, change was a given. It was even part of the allure.
Though few and far between, there are still places in our great country where cell phone service can’t be found and you need an old-fashioned paper map to find your way.
When it’s just not possible to bring 600 people from across the globe to the feedyard, the next best thing is to bring a little of that Herington, Kan., family operation to them. Cattle feeders Shane and Shawn Tiffany took the stage during educational sessions at last month’s Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand annual conference in Tucson, Ariz. The brothers gave foodservice and retail professionals a glimpse of life in a feedyard, often one of the most misunderstood parts of the beef community.
It’s hard to pinpoint when the transformation began, but on the Christensen family’s western ranch, it’s evident that it happened: a commitment to excellence. The views of the Rocky Mountains look much the same as they did when Grandpa Karl homesteaded near Hot Springs, Mont., a century ago, but third-generation rancher Shawn Christensen and wife Jen now raise their two daughters there.
“Five Star Land & Livestock” the barn reads. The curious eyes that travel 30 miles south of Sacramento to the Wilton, Calif., ranch meet the name that started it all. “Do you think it’s too bright?” Abbie Nelson asks of the chosen shade of new red paint that surrounds the white block letters of text. It’s just right, but even so it will surely fade under the California sun.
Anyway, the retired Arizona State University provost with a 40,000-acre ranch wanted to convert his desert-based herd to high-quality, high-percentage Angus.