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The Cattle Calling

Telling their story one tour at a time earns the Pfeiffer family the Ambassador Award. 

Story and Photos by Kylee Kohls

October 4, 2021

Anticipation and anxiety build as a tour group navigates the pasture. The cattleman stops, scratches the closest cow’s back, and keeps talking.

Soon, dozens of Angus cattle surround the group. A trembling hand slowly rises, meeting a cool, curious nose. A glimpse of admiration and awe flashes across his face as the 1,200 lb. animal leans a little closer.

“I’ve never been this close to a cow before.” The Pfeiffers hear this phrase nearly every time they host a group on their farm.

It’s a moment most won’t forget.

Telling their story to the cattle curious was awkward at first for John and Gaye Pfeiffer.

“I realized that we were going to have to show people what it means to raise cattle and what all is involved,” says John.

 Now, they look forward to hosting hundreds of people every year, sharing everything from the beef cattle life cycle, animal care, vaccination protocols, and sustainability practices to why they choose Angus cattle on their central Oklahoma farm. 

Their dedication to teaching and connecting with those further down the supply chain earned them the 2021 Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Ambassador Award.

Following the call

All they ever wanted to do was farm. 

Whether it was a calling or an inborn fondness for black cattle, John knew from a young age he would do whatever it took to follow in the footsteps of the three generations before him in the Mulhall-Orlando area.  

“One of the first things my grandad did as soon as all his grandkids were born is make them members of the American Angus Association,” chuckles John. 

His grandfather was instrumental in instilling a service mindset in the then-young cattleman. 

“He and my parents taught me if you don’t put back into organizations, that thing is not ever going to get any better,” says John. “I am a strong believer that the most important thing you can do is show up. When we don’t, then our voice isn’t heard. For that reason, we do a lot in the community.”

His wife was raised with the same ideals.

“I’ve always felt that, if you can contribute, whether it’s to an organization or your business, then you will find your place, and you will be accepted at that place,” says Gaye. “There should be something in every day that moves you forward in some way to make something better.”

She smiles at John and calls him “a total board member.” However, they often serve together in county, state, and national organizations, with local cooperatives, school boards, Farm Bureau, cattlemen, and Angus Associations. That’s where you find them off the farm. 

Together, their mission is to make their communities better and more approachable.

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The Angus way 

In 1907, the first Angus bull was purchased by a Pfeiffer and brought to Logan County. Seventy-four years later, just a few miles from where the origin bull roamed, John and Gaye began their venture with 30 cows. Those cattle became a part of the upbringing for the farm and their now-adult sons, John Christopher and Andy.

Today, the family calves out 300 cows.

Along the way, they discovered an opportunity to create strong seedstock genetics that add value to customer’s herds and bottom lines. However, it wasn’t until they attended a Certified Angus Beef ® conference in the 1980s that they realized the scope and impact of genetics needed to help meet consumer beef demands.  

“We wanted to be able to produce beef that was the best that it could be,” says Gaye. “We felt like with the support of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef; we would get to that point.”

Pfeiffers witnessed progress in their owner herd through intentional planning followed by a commitment to data. Selecting sires and cow lines that work for their environment, work for their customers, and target the Certified Angus Beef ® brand.

“It works because we invest a lot of time and effort into keeping track of the information, doing the genomic testing, and those kinds of things,” says Gaye. “We realized that you could do that with commercial cattle, and you can make some progress there also.”

John typically keeps about 20 steers back from both his fall and spring calves to feed for carcass data as a report card on their genetics. Recent groups earned 70% CAB or better on his calves. He also markets groups of feeder cattle through AngusLink, using the Genetic Merit Scorecard SM to showcase the quality built into his herd and test his own cattle in the value-based marketing avenue available to his customers.

“It’s twofold. Not only does it help CAB because we get a better quality of meat, but it helps us understand that we’re producing the right bulls and the right females that are going to in turn help our customers,” says John.  

Their focus is quality consistency in the bulls they breed and across their herd.

“The Angus cow has made Certified Angus Beef successful. Certified Angus Beef  has made the Angus cow more profitable,” he says. 

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Telling their story 

Giving back was something both John and Gaye were taught to value from a young age, but they learned storytelling along the way.

When John received the call to run for the American Angus Association Board of Directors, he felt unqualified. After conversations with close mentors, he realized it was an opportunity to grow and learn alongside some of the breed’s most successful farmers and ranchers.   

He eventually served as the Certified Angus Beef ® Chairman of the Board in 2017. 

“By the end of the Certified Angus Beef Annual Conference, we’d made a lot of friends with people across the business and found out that everyone works just as hard as we do and that this is a partnership,” says John. “It’s just unbelievable – the fact that we make it possible for them to do what they want to do by selling a quality product, and they make it possible for us to continue to stay here and raise that product.” 

Gaye says it was a reminder that it’s easy to become insulated. Hosting groups and tours help keep them connected to those further down the beef value chain. 

“We consider it a privilege to be able to host groups. It’s always been our obligation we thought as producers to interact with all the different segments Certified Angus Beef interacts with to explain our role and how it all fits together,” says Gaye.

A legacy in serving others

After forty years of progress together, John and Gaye continue to share their up close and personal experiences with their cattle and community.

“We think a lot about what we do today that’s going to make sure that it’s still here for our grandson in the next 40 years,” says Gaye. “There are things that you have to do to take care of the land and take care of your business, to make sure that it’ll still be here.” 

Thanks to the vision, service, and progress John and Gaye started, the fifth John Pfeiffer now could raise cattle in the same area his family began farming in more than a century ago. 

“A legacy to me means more than just acres and cows,” shares Gaye. “A legacy to me means you are also sharing your values. You’re sharing the love of the land, the importance of feeding the world, and the importance of doing whatever it takes to make things better in the end.” 

Originally published in the Angus Journal.

One tour at a time

Oklahoma’s Pfeiffer family earns the Certified Angus Beef Ambassador Award

by Kylee Kohls

September 22, 2021

“I’ve never been this close to a cow before.”

John and Gaye Pfeiffer hear that phrase nearly every time they host a group on their farm. For most, seeing cattle up close is a moment they won’t forget.

Telling their story to the cattle curious was awkward at first for the Pfeiffers.

“I realized that we were going to have to show people what it means to raise cattle and what all is involved,” John says.

 Now, the Pfeiffers look forward to hosting hundreds of visitors each year. They share everything from the beef cattle life cycle, animal care, vaccination protocols, and sustainability practices to why they choose Angus cattle on their central Oklahoma farm. 

The Pfeiffers’ dedication to teaching and connecting with those further down the supply chain earned them the 2021 Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Ambassador Award.

The Angus way

Whether it was a calling or an inborn fondness for black cattle, John knew from a young age he would do whatever he could to follow in the footsteps of the three generations before him in the Mulhall-Orlando area. 

“One of the first things my grandad did as soon as all his grandkids were born is make them members of the American Angus Association,” chuckles John.

The Pfeiffer family brought their first Angus bull to Logan County in 1907.  

Seventy-four years later, John and Gaye began their venture with 30 cows, just a few miles from where the origin bull roamed. Those cattle became a part of the upbringing for the farm and their now-adult sons, John Christopher and Andy.           

Today, the family calves out 300 cows each year.

The Pfeiffers witnessed progress in their own herd through intentional planning and commitment to data. They select sires and cow lines that work for their environment and their customers, plus target the Certified Angus Beef ® brand.

The couple typically keep about 20 steers back from both his fall and spring calves to feed for carcass data, which serves as a report card on their genetics. Recent groups earned 70% CAB or better. Groups of feeder cattle are marketed through AngusLink, using the Genetic Merit Scorecard SM to showcase the quality built into their herd and test his own cattle in the value-based marketing avenue available to his customers.

Their focus is quality consistency in the bulls they breed and across their herd.

“The Angus cow has made Certified Angus Beef successful. Certified Angus Beef has made the Angus cow more profitable,” John says. 

Telling their story 

Together, the Pfeiffers’ mission is to make their communities better and more approachable. They often serve together in county, state, and national organizations, with local cooperatives, school boards, Farm Bureau, cattlemen, and Angus Associations.

Giving back was something both John and Gaye were taught to value from a young age, but they learned storytelling along the way.

“This is a partnership,” John says. “It’s just unbelievable – the fact that we make it possible for [partners] to do what they want to do by selling a quality product, and they make it possible for us to continue to stay here and raise that product.” 

Hosting groups and tours help keep them connected to those further down the beef value chain, Gaye adds.

“We consider it a privilege to be able to host groups,” she says. “It’s always been our obligation we thought as producers to interact with all the different segments Certified Angus Beef interacts with to explain our role and how it all fits together.”

After forty years of progress, John and Gaye continue to share their up-close-and-personal experiences with their cattle and community.

Thanks to the vision, service, and progress they started, the fifth John Pfeiffer could now raise cattle in the same area his family began farming in more than a century ago. 

“A legacy to me means more than just acres and cows,” Gaye explains. “A legacy to me means you are also sharing your values. You’re sharing the love of the land, the importance of feeding the world, and the importance of doing whatever it takes to make things better in the end.” 

Bradley 3 Ranch Earns Certified Angus Beef Sustainability Award

by Abbie Burnett

September 22, 2021

Minnie Lou Bradley is not sure what surprised her more: there were roots, or that they were alive. Nothing above ground promised either.

“I didn’t know until later,” she recalls, “But no one had ever owned this piece of country for over 10 years without going broke.”

Sixty years later, grasses are nearly stirrup high, water is no farther than a half mile away from any direction and the Bradley 3 Ranch (B3R) herd is doubled in size and expanded acreage several times over.

The changes are a result of investments over time, making the land better through cattle. Consistent progress and creative methods in developing their ranch earned the Memphis, Texas cattle family the 2021 Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Sustainability Award.

In the early 2000s, Minnie Lou’s daughter Mary Lou Bradley-Henderson and husband James Henderson sold their meatpacking company, B3R Meats, and returned to the ranch. They mapped out a 20-year plan, picking up work Minnie Lou started. The fruits of their labor are evident this year.

With an average annual 18 inches of rainfall, water is the elixir to life in these parts.

The plan: build more opportunities for water, gouge out the scourge of water-guzzling brush one by one, and bring back the grass while managing a quality-forward seedstock business.

Droughts are not an “if,” but a “when.” James and Mary Lou do their best to prepare for them, but the record drought of 2010 to 2014 changed everything.

They thought they had a drought contingency plan, says James, “But we didn’t have enough of anything – grass, hay, or money.”

B3R Sustainability James Henderson and Mary Lou Bradley-Henderson

They formed a new plan. First, they invested in stock tanks (West Texan for ponds).

It takes about 10-years to fill them. There are nine operational ponds now, and more on the way.

In 2019, Mary Lou and James began implementing Aqua balls on their water troughs. The black, palm-sized polyethylene spheres cover about 95% of the water surface area, preventing water evaporation, loss to wind, and surface algae growth.

“We’ve got 45 tubs on the ranch, all about 2000 gallons each,” says James. “They’d typically be dry come springtime, and we’d lose another 4,000 gallons in the summer to evaporation. We’re saving several thousand dollars a year.”

Other touches include solar-powered wells with overflow ponds. Brush removal has brought back wildlife, now able to drink from springs that have emerged.

To Mary Lou and James, sustainability is as much about the efficiency and quality of the animal as it is about land and water.

They’ve built indexes around the performances of their cattle and focus on cows that can raise a calf, breed back, do it on minimal resources and maintain their flesh. With their background in meatpacking, Mary Lou and James always keep carcass quality top of mind.

“We’re trying to get a very highly productive cow,” she says. “One that will have calves that’ll work downstream for some of the CAB steaks later on.”

While the genetics and performance indexes are finely tuned in a detailed spreadsheet, grass management for nutrition is just as intentional.

“To maintain grasses in a fragile environment, you’ve got to be able to let them grow plenty of roots,” James says. “If we are grazing those grasses, then they regrow and refresh and redo. If you don’t, they become stale and basically worthless from a nutritional standpoint.”

This year their cows weaned 61.4% of their body weight and averaged a body condition of 6 to 6.5. A big deal in the Panhandle, says Mary Lou.

“For us, if you don’t have the bottom line, we’re not here,” says Mary Lou. “We’ve got to make it work. Truly, we are sustainable, or we’re not.”

Nothing is a one-year thought process, she says. Just like building a fence, Mary Lou asks herself whether their decisions will last the next 50 years.

For the generation before, the progress made is already worth the struggles.

“It’s taken 60 years to figure this all out, but we are about to get those grasses back that stirrup height,” Minnie Lou smiles. “It quite grabs my heart when I walk into those pastures and remember what they were and what they are today.”

Targeting Excellence in All They Do

Yon Family Farms Earns CAB Seedstock Commitment to Excellence Award

Story and photos by Jessica Wharton and Nicole Erceg

September 22, 2021

Family. Commitment. Value. It’s more than a catchy saying or after-thought marketing slogan on sale books. It’s the Yon way of doing business.

First-generation seedstock producers Kevin and Lydia Yon, along with their children, Drake, Sally, and Corbin, have been continuously improving their farm since 1996 when they drove the first fence posts on what was a 100-acre abandoned peach orchard.

Today, a herd of nearly 1,500 Angus cattle graze their lush green pastures on the coastal plains outside of Ridge Spring, S.C.

Establishing a world-class seedstock operation in the Southeast didn’t happen overnight, and the family humbly insists they’re no different than many others. Indeed, their vision, use of technologies, and dedication to deliberate improvement make them unique.

The pursuit of quality in every detail of their operation earned the Yon family the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) 2021 Seedstock Commitment to Excellence award.

The bottom line

Early adopters of technology, the Yons learned to leverage data. From utilizing artificial insemination and embryo transfer to embracing carcass expected progeny differences (EPDs) and value-based marketing before they were the norm, the family harnesses the power of information for strategic decision making.

“We’re a family-owned seedstock operation that lives and works with the cattle,” Kevin explains. “If we always make decisions about breeding better cattle, well then, we will breed better cattle. We have a long-term vision of always moving the cattle in a positive direction while keeping an eye on important economic traits.”

Next to many bulls in the Yon sale book sits a small logo that holds significance for a rancher’s bottom line. The CAB Targeting the Brand™ logo signals genetic value and potential, telling buyers which sires’ progeny are most likely to qualify for the brand.

“We target, and our customers target the Certified Angus Beef ^® brand,” Drake says. “Number one, they’re going to get paid more for a calf that qualifies for Certified Angus Beef, but they also feel a real sense of pride when their calves do meet Certified Angus Beef ^® standards.”

The logo highlights registered Angus bulls with a minimum marbling EPD of +0.65 and an Angus Grid Value Index of +55 or higher. In the last four years, the Yons raised more than 600 sires that meet these standards. That’s 72% of the more than 450 Angus bulls they market through their production sales annually.

“We target the Certified Angus Beef ^® brand because to us, it’s the mark of excellence. It’s the mark of quality,” Kevin says. “It’s the best of the best. And we don’t want to just be good. We don’t want our customers just to be average. We want to strive for excellence in all we do.”

The cattle that customers want

Kevin does mean all.

“Although we put a lot of emphasis on marbling and ribeye and carcass traits, we can never take the eye off that mama cow. Or just off those basic traits that will help cattle to thrive in their environment,” Kevin says. “And that’s the good thing— Angus cattle can do both.”

To serve their southeastern customer base, they focus on developing cattle that thrive in a grass-based, humid, long growing season.

They strive to be a one-stop-shop for maternal, carcass, and easy to manage cattle. They also market 250 females through an on-farm sale each year, but not before the cows prove their value.

“With our registered females, we give them time to make cows and measure longevity,” Kevin says. “It’s not about breeding for the next sale; it’s about a long-term breeding philosophy. We really care about making the cattle better.”

Building Together

The Yons built their farm as a family, and what began as Kevin and Lydia’s hopeful vision, each child has now embraced as their own.

Committed to creating something worthwhile together, sharing values and value with others is their shared pursuit.

“It’s not always a great way to make a living, but it is truly a great way to live,” says Kevin. “We feel like this is what we were put here to do. To raise high-quality beef, raise cattle, raise grass, raise children, and raise grandchildren.”

And to do all with excellence.

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Angus done different

Dreams and data combine to meet every customer’s needs.

Story and Photos by Morgan Boecker

It was a passion and an entrepreneurial spirit that started CK Cattle.

Fresh out of college and newlywed, Chuck and Katie Madaris dreamed of a place to call their own. What began with less than 10 cows blossomed into 700 and counting near Hope Hull, Ala.

“With hard work and perseverance, it just kept growing bigger and provided a place for our family,” Katie says.

The once young couple chasing a fantasy now support three households through the Angus seedstock business.

“We’re always looking to build, grow and try to go to the next level,” Charlie says. “With the family still growing, the operation is still growing, and we’re going to follow whatever avenue is going to take us to the next level.”

Their small start created many ag-related enterprises. “Some worked, some didn’t,” Chuck says, but they are always willing to try.

Everyone at the ranch takes ownership, often complementing another’s area of interest. Chuck is the numbers guy and forward-looking. Katie manages the books, the horses and sells square hay bales from the farm. Son Charlie is the mechanic, naturally handling repairs, infrastructure and livestock equipment sales. Daughter Kathleen’s background in marketing makes her sale catalog creator, photographer, social media manager and data specialist. Her husband Bradfield Evans has a way with people, making him the perfect contact for bull customers.

The different enterprises give each satisfaction in their own area of expertise and diversify revenue streams.

Bulls to fit every need

While their pastures haven’t always held solidly black-hided cows, Angus is the breed they sought to meet the needs of bull customers and beef consumers.

Each fall production sale features their registered Angus, Chiangus and SimAngus cattle. It’s a big day for the family, but so are the other 364 days when they offer bulls private treaty.

“Our customer base needs older bulls,” Chuck says, and that adds its own challenges. It takes more resources, from feed, pasture space, fence maintenance, working facilities and labor. Raising bulls that can get straight to work and maintain themselves is critical.

“The number one goal for us is to raise bulls that can walk, function and move even as they get some age on them,” Bradfield says.

Other initial criteria include docility, testicle size, heavy muscle, growth and good udders. For genetics, they want a strong maternal base and a quality carcass to match.

Located at the edge of the fescue belt adds “slick hided” to the list. When consumed, fescue elevates internal body temperature and impedes hair shedding. Many of their bulls go to farms with fescue to graze and the cattle must thrive in that environment.

Bulls that maintain condition and produce marketable calves are the difference between one-time buyers and loyal, repeat customers.

“What’s important to the bull business is not what happens the day of the sale,” Chuck says. “It’s two years down the road.”

While reproductive criteria are critical, Chuck sees it as just a piece of success, the final scorecard comes down the value chain. CK Cattle retains ownership of some of their calves to market on a grid, a practice they started in 1993.

“Programs like Certified Angus Beef give us a threshold that we’re constantly striving for,” Bradfield says.

This strategy provides information essential to progress and a path to reap the full value of the cattle.

Calves for customers and consumers

A 1,100-mile road trip is required from Southern Alabama to the feedyard, just one hurdle to retained ownership.

“It’s daunting,” Chuck admits. “I mean, there’s a lot of money tied up and there’s a lot of trust that’s involved.”

Still, since trying it nearly 30 years ago, he’s become a believer in marketing cattle on a quality grid today.

It’s a mindset not always understood.

“What sells better down here is a good health program and a good quality calf in good condition.” Chuck says.

While he doesn’t deny the importance of those qualities, he understands the cattle have another job to do on the plate.

After fence line weaning, CK calves are grazed for 80 days then transitioned to a light feed ration to get them used to eating from the bunk and drinking from a trough. For Bradfield, the preconditioning is key to efficient finishing.

Recent carcass data show calves grading 95% Choice and higher, with 15% Prime and 40% meeting the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB) brand.

“It’s satisfying to see the cattle do well,” Chuck says. “The financial end is challenging at times, but it allows me to take our hard work and effort and get rewarded.”

It’s an added source of revenue and an opportunity to validate year-over-year performance.

Data driven

Establishing benchmarks is their gauge for improvement and the focus on data stretches across the business.

“I’ve always had a passion for writing things down,” Chuck says. A habit he started with his first commercial cows.

Today, within 12 hours of a calf being born Chuck and Charlie write down the date, birth weight and tag the calf, while each cow is given a docility and udder score. They pass off the record sheets to Kathleen, who enters it into a spreadsheet.

“It is so important because we cull based off of those,” Kathleen says

Throughout the year, they’re managing from the numbers, recording everything from frame and condition to hair scores and pregnancy rates. Processing calves usually takes two people simply focused on the records.

“Certain times a year there’s a lot of that to be done but the data is important to us,” Kathleen says.

Significant because it’s the key to growth and fulfilling the dream that started it all. Built on good data and Angus genetics, CK Cattle’s investment for the future lies in the right numbers and genetics perform in the pasture and the restaurant down the road.

The Other Half

The right person standing beside you is often the difference between success or failure.

It’s paying the bills, entering data, answering phone calls and running errands for a missing tractor part. It’s also watching the kids, preparing meals and sweeping the floors. The unspoken thank you to ranch women often goes unnoticed, yet the room fills with gratitude at supper time. A presence that carries more than its own weight.

“My role as wife and partner is to meet everyone’s needs basically,” Katie says.

It’s an evolving role that changes as the kids grow up, move away then come back. For Katie, her job used to be feeding the bulls by hand.

“They were pretty gentle,” Katie says. “But as they got bigger, I’d carry a stick.”

But as pens expanded and filled with more bulls over the years, Katie’s buckets upgraded to a feed wagon.

“Times change, so we try to live by what we need and not what we want,” she says as the official bookkeeper. She’s good at spotting unnecessary purchases and extending the checkbook for things that will make the operation more efficient and improve the land.

Before Kathleen came home to the family business, she enjoyed a career as teacher and coach but could feel in her heart that she belonged on the farm.

“Sometimes I’m just a helper,” Kathleen says, “but I think there is value in that.”

The 10 minutes to give someone a ride or afternoon cutting hay may save someone else hours. There’s flexibility knowing she can do it all, but she doesn’t have to every day.

There’s a greater purpose for their work, but it’s the shared goals and values that keep everyone on track.

They run deep

Roots anchor the Dalebanks program, helps them grow

By: Miranda Reiman

A difficult place to put down roots—that’s an odd feature for a prairie really, but it’s true of the Kansas Flint Hills.

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.

“It’s exceptional grass from the middle of May until late July, first of August,” says Matt Perrier, who is the sixth generation to ranch and the fourth to raise Angus cattle there. “Before and after that, I’d love to be able to move these cows about anyplace else because this native tallgrass prairie falls apart pretty quickly. You either have to find ways to grow or deliver feed outside of the native tall grass.”

It’s a difficult place to put down roots…unless you’re an adapted cattleman. Then it’s exactly the kind of place to build a life, and a program that helps others do the same.

A name, some land and a commitment

The Dalebanks name traces back to ancestors who settled this spot and kept a trace of their English heritage alive by bringing their farm name to the Kansas plains. The family tree is dotted with cattlemen.

“Our breeding philosophies are generations deep,” Perrier says. His great-grandpa saw these “unique” cattle at the American Royal in 1903, and brought the first Angus to their ranch the next year. Then his grandpa crafted a simple phrase, which the family has further distilled to the tagline for their whole program: “Practical, profitable genetics.”

The Perriers are more concerned with their customer’s bottom line than their own, knowing strength in the former will naturally help the latter.

Dalebanks Angus—Matt, Amy and their children, along with his parents Tom and Carolyn—earned the 2020 Seedstock Commitment to Excellence Award from the Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB^®) brand.

dalebanks perrier seedstock commitment to excellence

Always improving, never wavering

As a boy, Perrier remembers concerns with lower beef demand and a fledgling high-quality Angus beef brand. Anyone who thought CAB was a real target?

“They got laughed at,” he says. “When I see that logo, I see folks who believed that there was a reason to breed cattle that met consumers’ demand. I see folks who shrugged their shoulders and said, ‘I don’t care that the rest of the industry is telling us to go the exact opposite way.’”

His dad was one of those who did it anyway. Yet, it took an entire shift in the industry before it made sense to everyone.

“We needed a way for cattle that were more desirable for our consumer to get rewarded for that kind of production. It wasn’t happening in the ’80s and early ’90s,” says Tom Perrier. “Now it has accomplished what it set out to do…and I’m glad that we’ve been a little part of that.”

It’s one of the reasons his son carries on the tradition of keeping cattle consistent, moderate in size and balanced for all traits, while making improvements on multiple fronts.

“Our advertising program in the ’70s was not really to sell Dalebanks bulls, it was just to sell Angus cattle,” Tom says.

But as the breed found favor in his generation, his son has worked to set their own program apart by communicating their straightforward goal of good cows that raise good calves with good carcasses.

“We know we could breed cattle that are fancier, but we also know through the centuries, our customers have looked to us, not just for prettier cattle or cattle that excel in one trait, but that are profitable for them,” Perrier says.

The sale catalog is full of cattle that bear the Targeting the Brand logo. The 2019 book featured 109 bulls with the mark, or 73% of their offering.

“It gets a little redundant when we put them in there and they’re on nearly every bull in the catalog, but hopefully that proves, even though we breed for bulls and females that are of exceptional maternal value, we’re making simultaneous improvement in both of those areas,” he says.

Perrier uses technology like RFID tags for record keeping, but says the best tool is good data submission and analysis. That’s why he’s supportive of the American Angus Association’s Maternal Plus program to aid in fertility improvements.

Perrier spent seven years as a Regional Manager and later Director of Commercial Programs for the American Angus Association and Tom served on the board in the ‘80s—they both know that programs only work with participants and advancements in breed only happen when the data informs tools.

At the edge of his land sits an old horse-drawn hay rake “that was a pretty good technology at the time,” and now serves as a reminder of how fast innovations can revolutionize a business. The smart phone in his pocket does the same.

“We still have to recognize that Mother Nature and the environment we’re in is either a pretty powerful ally or enemy,” Perrier says. “If we try to use technology and overcome her completely and feed our way out of ‘problem cattle’ to cover up an issue in the genetics that should have been allowed to show, then we get ourselves in trouble.”

So he’s honest with himself and the cattle are honest with him. They learn to walk to water and travel on the rocks and hills, or they don’t stay.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Perrier is conservative, but not slow to change when there’s a reason. Sale day is one of the cattleman’s favorite times, even with its heavy workload and added stress, because it’s a chance to get direct feedback from his customers.

A prayer and a plan

The auctioneer never came. The blizzard was one for the history books. Everything was ready on sale day, but nobody showed up.

When Perrier wakes, the memory is vivid, but it’s a relief to know it wasn’t real.

“Dad and I always kind of laugh about who has the first pre-sale nightmare,” Perrier says. “They usually start in August. You sit up in a cold sweat, say a prayer and make preparations to make sure it doesn’t actually happen.”

The closest thing to a real-life nightmare was 2008. The Recession was already in full force, but the housing market collapse and general unease on Wall Street heated up about two weeks before their late-November sale. It left ranchers uncertain.

Perrier relays his longtime auctioneer’s account of the day: “I climbed up on that auction block and I looked across there and I saw nothing but fear in the eyes of those buyers.”

The sale average settled 30% to 40% below the year prior.

“Nobody wanted to pay too much for a bull that day,” Perrier says.

dalebanks perrier seedstock commitment to excellence award

That’s the nature of a business where risk is inherent and sometimes all a rancher can do is have a little faith.

“We sold bulls for less than we had in several years. Those bulls went out and did their job well, and a lot of those customer that were first customers in ’08 are still customers today,” he says.

That year may have been the first one where it really sank in, the gravity of their decision to come home in 2004.

“Most jobs, you put in more hours, you think smarter, you make good decisions and your outcome is generally going to be better that someone who just shrugged their shoulders and said, ‘I’m not going to show up today,’” Perrier says. But there are always threats of hail storms and unpredictable markets. Sometimes extra effort means no more money in the bank.

“I think it still teaches a lot of these farm and ranch kids, that you don’t give up.”

The path not taken

Every so often he and Amy do ask themselves, “What if?” What if they had stayed in the city, with a comfortable suburban life and guaranteed paycheck?

Their firstborn, Ava, was seven months old when Tom asked his son if he knew of anybody looking for full-time ranch work. The family’s hired man was leaving.

Perrier called the next day and said he would like to apply for the job, and that cemented the couple’s path to put down rural roots in that flinty range. Ava is now 17.

What if he’d sent a few names along in place of his own?

Fourteen-year-old Lyle may have never learned to rope (it’s his favorite ranch chore); nine-year-old Henry may not know exactly what to do with those plastic toy cows he runs through a Little Buster chute. How would Hannah (11) know that working cattle all together as a family is one of her favorite things? And one-and-half-year-old Hope might never look so natural in the saddle.

“There’s always moments of, ‘I wish we could have done this or that,’” Amy says. They gave up career opportunities and conveniences with the move, “but they’re always nullified by the fact that we have such a wonderful opportunity here with our children and Matt’s parents.”

Perhaps Perrier would get to spend more time at ballgames, but knowing their dad as the most devoted fan would be to miss out on having him as the most patient everyday teacher.

“Everybody pitches in and gets it done,” Perrier says, with quite a bit of fulfilment in knowing early investments are paying off now. Today, when they vaccinate calves or move pairs, almost everyone contributes. That’s because all along the way he’s showing them how and why, and doing a fair bit of observing, too.

“We try to be constant learners and get better every day in whatever we’re doing. With our faith, with our sports and activities, with our school and learning and with our work around here. We try to make ourselves and those around us better every day.”

Roots are a strong foundation, a place to grow from, and their Flint Hills ranch is indeed the perfect place for that.

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Never gone dry

CAB Ambassador Award winner’s presence shapes the industry

By: Abbie Burnett

The San Marcos River is not violent by nature. In no hurry, were it not for the thousands of people floating it yearly, it’d be hard to tell if it moved at all.

Yet it does – constantly and steadily. It shapes the path it takes, carving into the earth and making its lasting mark.

Much like the river in Bodey Langford’s backyard, he’s a gentle but steady force, a constant mark in the cattle industry and the lives he touches.

Recently presented the Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB^®) brand’s 2020 Ambassador Award, the natural storyteller is heavily involved with the Texas Angus Association and Texas Beef Council. He gets to tell his story to the hundreds who visit his ranch year-round.

Like the natural springs that source the river, he begins his story with those who came before.

Progress and passion

Great-grandfather J.L. Glass helped drive cattle up the trails to Kansas in the 1870s, till he saved enough to file on a homestead of his own in West Texas near Sterling City.

His son Roy inherited some of that land and did well until the seven-year drought of the 1950s. Partway into those hard times, he drove to Craig Air Force Base in Selma, Ala., to visit his daughter Mary Ann and son-in-law Col. Robert Langford and son, Bodey.

“It was springtime, and the oats and the clover were tall and just waving in the breeze,” Bodey recalls. “It was just so green, it hurt your eyes.”

The next day the in-laws put money down for a joint venture on a bankrupt cotton plantation. Saving the herd meant moving cows from Sterling City to Selma, one bobtail truckload of 7 to 10 head at a time.

When the rain returned to Texas, so did they. Those cows and their owner went back to West Texas, but the Air Force veteran bought the property south of San Marcos.

Bodey studied the art of cattle care with his dad or out west at his grandfather’s patient, mellow hand, learning by osmosis. With the untimely death of his father in 1978, the young man looked even more to the west.

Graduating from Texas State University in San Marcos with future wife Kathy, Bodey returned to the nearby ranch to start the Langford Cattle Co. herd, continuing the course his family had set.

When Glass passed away in the 1990s, two inherited Angus bulls led to “the best set of calves I’d ever seen” from the Langford herd, which began shifting course.

bodey langford's, ambassador award, never gone dry

“All the people here in South Texas kept saying, ‘Well you’re going to get too much Angus in your herd, and they don’t do well down here,’” Bodey says. “But I never did witness that.”

As that herd became almost full-blooded Angus in the late 1990s, he decided to produce his own Angus bulls and started a registered herd. His neighbors and friends saw the results and began asking for bulls.

“I’ve told people for years that the only real reason purebred cattle exist is to provide high-quality herd sires for the commercial cattle business,” Bodey says. “The females end of it is fun and it’s exciting, but our real reason for being here is to provide those bulls for the beef industry and to create the best carcasses that we can for the packers and the American public to eat. It’s all about the high-quality eating experience.”

Bodey joined with a few other like-minded producers to create the Foundation Angus Alliance in 2006, its 14^th annual sale set for February 2021.

“It’s a really good group of guys,” he says. “The unity and integrity of the people that have stayed in it means a lot to me. It means a lot to our customers because we have established a really good customer base in South Texas – primarily commercial cattlemen looking to upgrade their herds with Angus genetics.”

When a drought hit in 2008, tough decisions led to giving up his own commercial herd. After 20 years in the purebred business, he attributes rising demand for his bulls to CAB.

“The kind of bulls I raise will upgrade most types of cattle,” Bodey says. “Through proper selection, it’s not too terribly difficult to get the offspring from my bulls to qualify for the Certified Angus Beef program. So I’m striving to improve the marketability of my customers’ cattle. I want them to be aware of the success of CAB as it makes good business and eating sense.”

Gold standard

Turning the corner at the end of Isidora Trail, a barn with a painted CAB logo on it welcomes you – a sign for the Langfords of the many years hosting events for CAB and others.

“We’ve just gotten to expect having a few events every year, sometimes hosting 300, 400, 500 people out here at a time,” Bodey says. “Everybody leaves happy, with a full belly, and they gain a lot of knowledge not only about the cattle, but about Certified Angus Beef and a lot of the programs that are available to them. So it’s fun, it’s educational and we like doing it.”

The cattleman finds joy in dispelling myths people bring to his ranch.

“The groups that come out here are mostly from urban or faraway places, and a lot of them think that our animals are abused and pumped full of steroids and antibiotics,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to me to be able to tell them the truth.”

The truth involves Bodey’s judicial use of vaccines, nasal and topical sprays, fly tags and the occasional antibiotic – all to create a high-quality life for the animal.

He once hosted Temple Grandin in his home. Her philosophies are his philosophies in handling cattle.

“Anybody that comes to work for me that’s going to help process or work any of my animals gets a pretty good schooling before they ever get in my cow pens,” Bodey says. “I almost don’t want anybody talking in my cow pens, much less yelling or screaming or whistling because I can see the difference in behavior and health in cattle that have and haven’t been handled that way. I know what stress does to animals and humans, and I can see it in their performance.”

Different times, different storms

At another station on ranch tours, the San Marcos riverbank, he explains what farmers and ranchers do to benefit the land, the river and the world around them.

He also shares candidly the challenges he faces that his father and grandfather never had.

People encroaching from Austin, San Antonio and everywhere in between threaten his life and livelihood. The more concrete, the more water rushes down the river, the more flooding.

Bodey built his first home by hand, only a few hundred yards downriver. Brick by brick, he poured his all into the place he would bring Kathy home to and where they’d raise their two daughters, Anna and Callie.

Since the original fishing cabins in 1919, water never entered living quarters, but in 1998 the river rose and overtook their first house. The family had already moved upstream, but it was like watching memories die.

Three more times the house would flood, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) restored all but the last one. It now sits condemned at the edge of the property.

“It was our home where we raised our babies, and it’s really disheartening to lose it,” Bodey says.

Now the water creeps toward their current home, like a clock ticking to the inevitable.

It was more than 4 feet above the 100-year mark when built. Now, it’s several feet below that.

When the waters would come, the Langfords used to have a few hours to plan. That’s been cut in half when rains swoop into San Marcos.

On the east side of the ranch, past the fields where their cows graze, a creek will merge with the San Marcos river and surround their home like a tiny island.

There’s little they can do to prevent damage. Cattle are moved first, and Bodey’s no-till practices help conserve soil and root structure. Kathy manages to keep their kitchen stocked and family photographs are kept upstairs.

“Fortunately, we have not had river water in the house,” says Bodey, “and I’m hopeful that we never do. But it’s sure been close a lot of times.”

Flooding isn’t the only thing bringing change to Langford Cattle Co.

Bodey and Kathy remember seeing more stars and fewer electric lights on the horizon early in their 37-year marriage. The dawning sun had no competition. Now there’s a 6-lane toll road 1,500 feet from their house, and two cell towers in the sun’s rising path.

Bodey knows the wildlife on their property would be displaced when the inevitable developer gets hold of it.

Their daughters aren’t planning to return to the ranch.

“If this would work for them, they would be here,” Kathy says. “But there’s so much to consider – their children, where will they be in school? What’s to become with the subdivisions that are coming in? And the river just encroaches further with every flood. The kids don’t want to be here for that, and I don’t blame them.”

Competition from developers would blow past any possible margin of return from ranching.

“It’s disappointing,” Bodey admits. “More disappointing that somebody will not continue the genetics and the herd that I’ve built than the disposal of the land; that’s inevitable in this region.”

What’s in a legacy

Bodey and Kathy have come into contact with thousands of people through ambassadorship and that impact will continue on – much like that river in the backyard.

“I can’t even begin to count how many people we’ve had out here from foreign countries and other states and people that aren’t in the cattle business, but are recipients and marketers of our products, meat purveyors, and restaurateurs and chefs, and that sort of people that make our business work,” Bodey says. “When they know what we’re really doing, it helps all of us.”

That extends to fellow cattlemen. President-elect of the Texas Angus Association, it’s his second time in five years.

“When Bodey was younger, he may have gone to somebody for advice, but now he’s reached that point where people come to him for advice,” Kathy says. “I’ve seen that progression. It’s very touching.”

When he heard the CAB Ambassador Award news, he said he about fell out of his chair.

“I just sat back, took a deep breath, fought back some tears and said, ‘Hallelujah, and thank you very much.’”

He says it’s a tremendous honor, but gives the credit elsewhere.

“I don’t believe any of this stuff we do and all the great things around us would be possible without the hand of God,” he says. “He’s the one that blessed us and allowed us to live this lifestyle and make our living working with cattle. We’re certainly blessed beyond all measures.”

Sidebar:

Ambassador for the Brand

Bodey and Kathy Langford have hosted many events for Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) for Saltgrass Steak House and Sysco Houston. But when CAB’s Kara Lee called in 2018 with a request, it was a new challenge.

The brand’s Foodservice Leaders Summit was set for Austin in 2019 and they needed a ranch to visit.

“I really wanted to go to Bodey’s,” Lee said. “But the day we wanted to come was two days before his bull sale.”

She decided to call anyway and left the decision up to him. After proposing what they wanted to do, all she heard was silence on the other end of the line. Lee thought for sure a “no” was brewing.

“Oh, I think we can make it work. Can’t afford not to,” Langford finally replied.

It was this consistent sacrificial response that led to the honor of the CAB Ambassador Award.

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Langford earns CAB Ambassador Award

by Abbie Burnett

September 24, 2020

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.

Strong foundations of care and deeds imparted to future ranchers and education to non-ranch visitors earned Langford the 2020 Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB^®) Ambassador Award. He was honored at the brand’s virtual annual conference this month.

The foundation

He’s a fourth-generation rancher following the path his great-grandfather, grandfather, father and mother set before him.

“When I fed and sold feedlot cattle, it became very obvious that the industry was looking for Angus carcasses,” Langford said. “Not just black-hided carcasses, but Angus-sired. They were performing the best on the rail and the grids, and were the most profitable animal that I could raise and feed.”

A drought in 2008 led to dispersing his commercial herd and raising seedstock full time. He diversifies the Angus bulls to match a range of clients with one goal in mind: raise the quality of their herds to hopefully qualify for the Certified Angus Beef brand.

A pleasure

One of the first groups to visit Langford Cattle Co. was one of CAB’s largest restaurant chain partners: Saltgrass Steakhouse.

After several of those ranch days over the years, the Texas Beef Council got wind of what Langford was doing; now it regularly brings 300 to 500 visitors once or twice a year for events.

“I can’t even begin to count how many people we’ve had out here from foreign countries and other states and people that aren’t in the cattle business, but are recipients and marketers of our products, meat purveyors, restauranteurs and chefs – the sort of people that make our business work, that move product for us,” Langford said.

He’ll split them all into groups covering everything from animal health and data collection to urban sprawl and land management. The questions asked sometimes come from misunderstandings or media portrayals, but Langford said, “It’s a pleasure to me to be able to tell them the truth.”

bodey langford, san marcos river, ambassador award

Turning toward his home at the end of Isidora Trail, a large CAB logo-painted barn greets visitors. It reminds Langford of all the events he’s hosted and what the goal is.

“Certified Angus Beef is the most successful beef marketing program that’s ever existed in the world, and it’s the finest, most consistent beef product that’s available,” he said. “Why would I not want to promote that product?”

But when CAB’s Kara Lee called in 2018 with a request, it was a new challenge.

The brand’s Foodservice Leaders Summit was set for Austin in 2019 and they needed a ranch to visit.

“I really wanted to go to Bodey’s,” Lee said. “But the day we wanted to come was two days before his bull sale.”

“Oh, I think we can make it work. Can’t afford not to,” Langford finally replied.

It was this consistent sacrificial response that led to the honor of the CAB Ambassador Award.

“I wanted to do it,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to interact with people that need to hear our message and it’s good for business. So, yeah, I couldn’t afford not to.”

What’s in a legacy

One station on those ranch tours is the San Marcos riverbank, where Bodey explains ranchers do for the environment, along with challenges that come from urban growth many miles away. In 1988, that first home flooded for the first time. After three more ever higher floods, it sits condemned, home only to memories as the Langfords moved to a new home a little upriver on raised ground.

When the flood water comes, they’re surrounded, unable to leave their little island, and it’s getting closer.

Someday when the family’s gone from here and the ranch succumbs to urban sprawl, Bodey Langford’s legacy will reside in the hearts of those he touched.

Like the fellow ranchers who shared a laugh and heard some well-earned wisdom or the worldwide travelers who saw what it was to raise cattle and a family in south central Texas – the foundation Langford builds will outlast his handiwork. An ambassador to all.

CAB recognized its 2020 honorees at the brand’s virtual annual conference on September 23 and 24.

Dalebanks Angus earns CAB seedstock honors

by Miranda Reiman

September 24, 2020

Doing right by their customers means raising the best cattle they can. For the Perrier family of Eureka, Kansas, that’s a philosophy, business model and family code all wrapped into one.

Matt, Amy and their children, along with his parents Tom and Carolyn Perrier operate Dalebanks Angus. The designation traces back to ancestors who kept a bit of their English heritage alive with their farm name when they settled the Kansas plains.

“Our breeding philosophies are generations deep,” Matt Perrier says. His great-grandpa saw these “unique” cattle at the American Royal in 1903, and brought the first Angus to their ranch the next year. Then his grandpa crafted a simple phrase, which the family has further distilled to the tagline for their whole program: “Practical, profitable genetics.”

The Perriers say strength in their customers’ bottom line means strength in their own, and profitability has to happen at every step along the beef chain.

Dalebanks Angus recently earned the 2020 Seedstock Commitment to Excellence Award from the Certified Angus Beef^® (CAB^®) brand.

Always improving

As a boy, Perrier remembers concerns with lower beef demand and a fledgling high-quality Angus beef brand. Anyone who thought CAB was a real target?

“They got laughed at,” he says. “When I see that logo, I see folks who believed there was a reason to breed cattle that met consumers’ demand. I see folks who shrugged their shoulders and said, ‘I don’t care that the rest of the industry is telling us to go the exact opposite way.’”

Yet, it took an entire shift in the industry before it made sense to everyone.

“We needed a way for cattle—that were more desirable for our consumer—to get rewarded for that kind of production. It wasn’t happening in the ’80s and early ’90s,” his father says. “Now it has accomplished what it set out to do…and I’m glad that we’ve been a little part of that.”

It’s one of the reasons his son carries on the tradition of keeping cattle consistent, moderate in size and balanced for all traits, while making improvements on multiple fronts.

The sale book is full of cattle that bear the Targeting the Brand logo, signifying bulls with a higher likelihood of siring calves that reach 50% CAB brand acceptance or better. The 2019 book featured 109 bulls with the mark, or 73% of their offering.

“Hopefully that proves, even though we breed for bulls and females that are of exceptional maternal value, we’re making simultaneous improvement in both of those areas,” he says.

Perrier spent seven years as a Regional Manager and later Director of Commercial Programs for the American Angus Association and Tom served on the board in the ’80s—they both know programs only work with participants and advancements in breed only happen when the data informs tools.

So he’s honest with himself and the cattle are honest with him. They learn to walk to water and travel on the rocks and hills, or they don’t stay.

But the family that came back to the ranch? They’re here for the long haul.

“I watched my mom and dad fight through the ’80s and keep the thing together. I heard stories about my grandmother and others in the family keeping it together though the Depression and a couple of world wars and everything else,” Perrier says. “There was a certain amount of duty that I felt, that I had to make sure it didn’t end with my generation.”

Ava was a baby when they made the move back home. Now 17, she’s a big help on the ranch, along with her siblings Lyle (14), Hannah (11), Henry (9) and Hope (1½).

There’s plenty of opportunities for teaching and observing, both technical skill and the value of hard work. It’s proven a great place to learn about life.

“We try to be constant learners and get better every day in whatever we’re doing. With our faith, with our sports and activities, with our school and learning and with our work around here,” Perrier says. “We try to make ourselves and those around us better every day.”

CAB recognized its 2020 honorees at the brand’s virtual annual conference on September 23 and 24.

Beef’s paradigm shift should continue, Rishel says

by Maeley Herring

June 24, 2020

Alexander Graham Bell never imagined the smart phone most Americans carry today. Even those with a touchscreen didn’t dream of such wonders a generation ago, and attitudes still vary. From bag phones to flip phones that can text to the latest with an app for everything, each person choses their level.

Innovation presents the option to accept or turn down, said Bill Rishel, longtime Nebraska Angus producer, at the online 52^nd Annual Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Symposium. He challenged listeners to see change as an opportunity for progress.

“I want to stimulate a new way of thinking about the future,” he began.

Appreciating the past

That should begin with looking back to recognize “paradigm shifts” when new ideas suddenly supplant accepted or traditional ways.

“The paradigm shifts over the past 50 years certainly improved our industry and got us to where we are today,” Rishel said by way of introducing seven that helped everyone from ranch to beef consumer.

Performance record systems. Significance often overlooked because of their widespread use today, Rishel said the data collection led to in-herd records, breed association databases and national research organizations.
Artificial insemination. Used since the 1950s by a few registered bull owners, this innovation didn’t show what it could do until the early 1970s. When its use was opened to all in the early 1970s, “we witnessed greater opportunity for genetic improvement and long-term sustainability.”
Boxed beef fabrication lowered delivery costs, ensured product safety and increased demand for beef.
Branded beef programs debuted in 1978 with live and carcass specifications to enhance consistency, Rishel said. “Standing behind the product was a pretty new concept to our industry and the consuming public. It even helped reverse the serious decline in beef demand.”
The Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985 provided structure and requirements for the Beef Checkoff Program that works to benefit producers and consumers, he said.
Expected progeny differences (EPDs) allowed anyone to rank individual animals on their genetics, regardless of environmental differences, Rishel said. EPD methodology led to the use of ultrasound technology in gathering carcass data for sire evaluation.
Genomic-enhanced EPDs (GE EPDs) take in DNA studies and other sources to find economic merit in more cattle and in traits that are hard to measure. “The speed of development and adaptation of genomics has been revolutionary,” he said.

The seven innovations offered progress in genetics, efficiency and profitability at each level. They also provide a “paradigm shift philosophy” for future management decisions.

“Perhaps we can apply some of that thinking to our business and industry as we charge forward into the next two decades,” Rishel said. “The central idea to these dynamic changes is the desire to improve genetics and improve our enterprises.”

Looking forward

Research proves the industry is continually improving beef production.

“I believe we are just scratching the surface,” Rishel said. “I have no doubt genomics are destined to play a much larger role,” such as selection for strong immune systems, feed efficiency and carcass merit.

Beef quality is a key focus, Rishel said, but that must expand to other consumer connections.

“Producers are making strides in sustainability,” he said. Cattle graze land unsuitable for crops and “upcycle” forage into that nutritious source of protein that is beef.

Document conservation efforts that link livestock, wildlife, water and forage management, Rishel suggested.

“We have a great story to tell,” he said. “Many of our consumers, even the ones who really love beef, want to know that we are doing the right things for the environment and sustainability of our natural resources.”

If we were to look back on the industry in 20 years, what would be our biggest accomplishment?

“I hope the greatest paradigm shift would be our ability to accept change,” Rishel said.

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