The Angus Conversation

What’s discussed at the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Research Symposium and Convention today provides a glimpse at beef production advancements in the future. This year’s conference in Calgary, Alberta, focused on collecting and managing large amounts of data, creating tools for cattlemen that don’t exist today and discussing hot topics like the genetic role in methane emissions and heart fun...

The Functional Longevity (FL) expected progeny difference will be released in a research form this summer, Certified Angus Beef now has a grass-fed line, and the gene edit on the table was not approved at this time. That and much more in this special episode that recaps the whens, whys and hows of many updates discussed in the June 2023 meeting of the American Angus Association Board of Directors....

The cattle have to be good, but the customer service is what seals the deal. That’s according to Roger Jacobs, who has helped breeders sell their Angus bulls for more than four decades as a leading livestock auctioneer. When he says “service”, that includes caring about the family, creating a market for your customer’s cattle and standing behind your product. He and Ron Frye talk about hitting the...

Starting From Scratch: The Fink Beef Genetics Story  From a few cows in the back yard (yes, seriously) to consistently ranking among the top 25 largest seedstock producers in the United States, Galen and Lori Fink built their ranch and reputation from the ground up. Near Manhattan, Kan., they grew Fink Beef Genetics on leased ground and by renting space in commercial cows, pioneering the embryo tr...

When there’s a challenge in the cattle business, sometimes it’s easier to point fingers than to find solutions. Bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) has been a growing topic of discussion in the last decade, and this episode unpacks if it's a genetic problem or a management problem? And perhaps, most importantly, is it an Angus problem? Hear from a breeder, a veterinarian and a geneticist a...

In the cattle business, it’s easy to follow the fads or to veer slowly off course, but for Kelly Schaff, discipline has been his trademark. He gets to know each calf, clips his own bulls and takes many of the pictures seen throughout Schaff Angus Valley’s marketing materials. Maybe that’s in part because he’s particular, but also because it makes him better at his roles of customer consultant and...

When you’ve made a career out of being a lifelong learner, you’ve got a lot of wisdom to share. These guests gave us practical nuggets, visionary insight and a few laughs, too.   Hear from Larry Corah and Dave Nichols, who crossed paths at Kansas State University decades ago and have been colleagues and friends ever since. They cover everything from the impact of genomics on breed registries to ho...

There was a time when the beef industry thought product quality was as good as it was going to get. Those who worked in research and development were exploring everything from pumped product to mechanical tenderization methods to increase consumer acceptance. What changed? Economic signals became more precise, beef quality quantification methods improved and cattlemen acted on the data they receiv...

From high sulfur water and two-section pastures to fescue toxicity and hot, humid climates — Angus cattlemen operate in environments as varied as their zip codes. But do Angus cattle really belong in every corner of this country?    In this episode, Texas cattleman James Henderson and Virginia breeder Paul Bennett talk about the way they design cattle that will work in the tough environments their...

What do Angus breeders need from their Association? How can the breed ensure the success of its commercial customers? Those questions were applied to dozens of topics across the Board meeting agendas for the American Angus Association and its four entities this week.  Here we rehash some of the most in-depth discussions from the first application for a gene edit and the changes in AngusLink to jud...

Forty years ago the beef market was “a train wreck,” says Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax. Beef demand dropped by $250 a head, and hundreds of thousands of cattle producers exited the business.   So, how did we get to 2022? Last year, the United States had the highest total beef production in the history of the industry and yet the widest spreads (Choice-Select, Prime-Choice and Certified Angus Beef...

Eldon Krebs has been exhibiting at the National Western Stock Show for more than six decades. He’s got thoughts on competition, fads and progress, with plenty of historical stories thrown in.   From the grounds of the National Western Stock Show, Krebs and his son-in-law Jake Scott discuss using the show ring as a marketing tool, tips for generational transfer and who is really in charge of breedi...

Gene editing. What might sound like exciting possibilities to some cattlemen can seem like science fiction to others.   Is gene editing the same as a genetically modified organism (GMO)? Is the technology already being used today? What problems could it help us solve and what cautions do we have?  The American Angus Association has adopted rules for how a gene-edited animal would make it into the...

Consumers want to eat beef, and producers are doing the right things — the opportunity lies in communicating that with data through the supply chain.  A buyer for the largest broadline foodservice distributor in the world sits down with an Angus breeder and a beef brand representative to talk all things beef demand. Did they solve the consumer puzzle? Listen to the last episode in our inaugural se...

More than one seedstock producer has had these thoughts: raising great cattle is more fun than figuring out the puzzle it is to market them.  Breeders Kenny Hinkle, Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus, and Smitty Lamb, Ogeechee Angus Farm, talk about the cattle they’re creating and how they let people know what they stand for.  Spoiler alert: it’s more than a specific advertising plan.  HOSTS: Miranda Reiman...

We have to keep independent farmers and ranchers in business. We need ag youth to come back our rural communities. How high do cattle prices have to go to accomplish this?  Joe Goggins, Vermilon Ranch, and Matt Perrier, Dalebanks Angus, discuss what it was like to scrape by through the 1980s, share the changes they have seen in more recent decades and predict the fate of the cattle industry in the...

In this bonus episode, cover four days’ worth of the 2022 Angus Convention in about a half an hour. New president Chuck Grove joins fellow Board member Mark Ahearn to chat about optimism in the business and other hallway conversations from Salt Lake City.  The 139th Annual Convention of Delegates put a bow on the weekend crammed full of education and camaraderie, and Grove shared the new leadershi...

Genetic progress happens faster today than it did decades ago. Is there an ideal pace? Two Angus producers discuss how they use embryo transfer (ET), artificial insemination (AI) and natural service in their breeding programs, and how they draw on genomic and phenotypic data to make their selections in the first place. “A really good breeder told me about 30 years ago … part of this thing is getti...

It’s the original maternal breed, but are all Angus cows maternal?  “The cows are kind of the employee. They have to show up. It’s our job to take care of the cow, it is the cow’s job to take care of the calf,” says Joe Lowe, Smiths Grove, Ky.  Lowe; Chad Denowh of Sidney, Mont.; and Kelli Retallick-Riley of Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) discussed what it takes to have cows that work where they live a...

From a  young age commercial cattlemen Jordan Willis, Cokeville, Wyo., and Ryan Noble, Yuma, Colo., both had a laser focus career goal: they wanted to ranch.   Separate operations, but similar paths.   “I didn't understand what it was going take for us to all be back here on the place, but I always wanted to be here,” Willis says. Today, he and his wife, Jennie, manage their family ranch with...

With more than four decades of experience in the cattle business, Jarold Callahan has a pretty good idea of what he expects of seedstock breeder, himself included.  In this episode, the president of Express Ranches shares his breeding approach for serving a wide variety of customers. He talks the show ring versus the commercial customer, genomic technology and the recent trends in semen sales.  He...

When the Board of Directors comes into the American Angus Association office, it’s a week full of productive meetings and extra energy all around. This episode gives a behind-the-scenes peek at some of the high-level conversations the 17 breeders from across the United States had in St. Joseph, Mo.   From the growing value differentiation in feeder calves to data submission and the role of Angus G...

Change can be exciting and fun, or it can be hard and messy. It can take work and brain power, but it can move you toward better cattle and more profit. That’s what has always motivated longtime Angus breeder Bill Rishel to invite innovation.  “This change thing, the worst thing anybody can ever do is be afraid of it,” Bill says.   Listen as Bill and his friend and fellow breeder Larry Patterson t...

HOSTS: Mark McCully and Miranda Reiman  GUESTS: Jerry Connealy, Connealy Angus Ranch;  and David Dal Porto, Dal Porto Livestock  Decisions, especially in the cattle business, have a way of sticking around for a while; their influence felt long after they’re made.  Dining room table discussions often turn into the strategy that shape Angus herds across the United States. This episode features two w...

Be part of the latest discussions in the Angus breed. Hear different perspectives from fellow breeders, researchers marketers and more. Join co-hosts Mark McCully, Brett Spader and Miranda Reiman in this pre-episode. It’s “get to know your hosts” with podcast goals and some future of the Angus breed thrown in, too. Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www. AngusJournal.net and subscribe...