The pastures at Dalebanks Angus near Eureka, Kan., hide the plants’ challenge well. Native big and little bluestem adapted over the ages to thrive in the shallow soil, only a few inches deep in places, that blankets the underlying limestone. Shards of flint mingle with the roots.
Two fishing cabins stood on the edge of the San Marcos river in 1919. Sixty years later Bodey Langford connected the two, as brick-by-brick, he built a home where he and Kathy would raise daughters Anna and Callie. There on his late father’s ranch near Lockhart, Texas, he also built his herd with purpose.
It’s a call to serve, the same that led John Grimes to run for the American Angus Association board of directors. The sun now setting on his second three-year term, he reflects on his leadership as Certified Angus Beef® board chairman. The head of Maplecrest Farms in Hillsboro, Ohio, says there’s no instant gratification in the cattle business, with constant change cattlemen have to be nimble.
“Value” in feeder calf marketing is a relative term. All calves have some and the trick is to capture your share, said Paul Dykstra. Success is rooted in your customers he said. Customer changes through the supply chain from feeder, to packer to consumer.
When the industry was going one way, Matt Perrier saw his parents and grandparents going another. That dedication to quality, to the Perrier family and Dalebank Angus’s goal of “practical, profitable genetics,” was rewarded with the 2020 CAB Seedstock Commitment to Excellence award.
Mineral nutrition plays an important role in every function of cattle – from health, to reproductive performance, to day-to-day activities. However, mineral deficiencies are hard to detect base on physical traits. Supplementation programs can help ensure your cattle are getting the minerals needed to perform their best.
The Steib family has expanded their farm and feedlot operation into a dynamic ranch. Today, they raise the calves they eventually feed out, having a hand in quality decisions every step of the way.
Raising cattle had been a dream for the Idaho couple from the start of their marriage, even though neither had prior ranching experience. After years of dedication and faith in each other, the Brown family now operates a large cow-calf operation focusing on quality Angus genetics.
The Miller family has invested time, technology and the study of expected progeny differences into their cattle. The result? Quality Angus genetics that consistently come on top and premiums that end up in the hands of the farmers.
A successful business doesn’t happen overnight. It takes patience, strategic management and a desire to make the best better. After years of dedication, the Georg brothers have increased the carcass quality and maternal function of their Angus herd.