Ross Humphreys’ adept gait tells of many days in and out of the saddle checking his herd, fence lines, water tanks, and grass availability. Yet at 72, he can still drop down and roll under the barbed wire fence quicker than most men half his age. But Humphreys is not your typical cowboy. He’s a chemist, book publisher, family guy, conservationist, and rancher.
Grit in every venture makes Ross Humphreys a successful businessman, and his unrattled spirit makes the best of challenges. However, it’s his relentless drive for raising high-quality beef that earned him the Certified Angus Beef 2021 Commercial Commitment to Excellence Award.
“Nobody likes to hear this in the middle of a trial, but it seems often true in life and business: the thing that feels so hard now, won’t always feel hard.” Miranda’s Black Ink® column for November touches on the idea of growth, and how it often feels better in hindsight.
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.
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.
They’ve been retaining ownership of their calves for more than a decade, finding success in the practice – but that’s not where they stopped. Cattlemen Blake Robertson and Virgil Ast are continuously selecting Angus bulls and cows with quality genetics to improve their end product.
Missouri commercial rancher Jeremy Zoglmann turns risk into reward, earning 80% CAB out of 150 calves sold each year. His success is a result from his dedication to quality Angus genetics and goal to increase premiums on his calves.
Lack of facilities, labor, confidence and convenience—these are reasons that less than 10% of all beef cattle producers use artificial insemination. This article covers a presentation by John Hall, Idaho Extension beef cattle specialist, who weighs the challenges with the advantages.
Paul Dykstra covered the value in feeder calf marketing at the Cattle Industry Convention touching on seasonality, quality, health, and relationships and how it all circles back to profit building.