:: Director :: Carter Aucoin, Louisiana Cover Details
Cover photo by Kelsey Gibson, Town Creek Inside photos by Sarah Tisdel, Triangle K Ranch, Kelsey Gibson, Town Creek and Matt Roppolo
LM TRIPLE CROWN 70L10
CRC BUSINESS LINE 53L29
SF ENTOURAGE 30L38
LM DATA BANK 1178L2
FEATURED
Don't Just Take it From Us!
The IBBA held its historic event to honor and recognize the last 75 years of success and growth in the Brangus breed in Fort Worth.
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CATTLE MARKET OUTLOOK
Brangus breeders looking for some good news heard quite a bit from speaker Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax during the 75th celebrations.
WHAT MAKES FOR AN ICONIC SEEDSTOCK PRODUCER?
The 75th Anniversary brought together renowned seedstock operators and other heavyweight cattle industry minds for an exclusive program.
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THE NEXT 25 YEARS
Lee Leachman, CEO of Leachman Cattle, closed out the educational program with a look at what the next 25 years in the beef industry could entail.
THE NATIONAL JUNIOR BRANGUS SHOW
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Established in 1982, the National Junior Brangus Show has been a pivotal part in the upbringing of the International Junior Brangus Breeders Assoc.
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BRANGUS FUTURITY 2024
Check out the results and show winners for the 2024 Brangus Futurity that took place this year in Waco, Texas.
A Past to Celebrate and a Future to Guide
By Shiloh Hall, International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) president
As I sit down to reflect on the incredible milestone we celebrated in August, I am filled with a deep sense of pride and gratitude for this association and the remarkable individuals who have helped shape the Brangus breed over the past 75 years. Our 75th Anniversary Celebration in Fort Worth was nothing short of world-class, bringing together 420 participants from 21 states and seven countries to commemorate this historic occasion.
If you weren’t there, we got to witness the passing of the baton from Dr. Darrell Wilkes to our new Executive Vice President, Rick Cozzitorto and his wife, Melissa. Rick has had a tremendous 35-year career, mostly in livestock publishing and agribusiness, and is going to rocket ship the Brangus breed forward. I want to wish Dr. Wilkes the best in his retirement and hope you will join me in thanking him for his service to the breed!
I also want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our 75th Anniversary Celebration event committee, led by Joy Reznicek Sundbeck, and to the many committee members and International Brangus Breeder’s Association (IBBA) staff who dedicated countless hours over the last 13 months to make this event truly memorable. The reception, the Celebration Gala, and the educational sessions exceeded all expectations and reminded us of the strong foundation and vibrant future of the Brangus breed. Whether it was reconnecting with old friends, learning from industry leaders, or creating new memories, this event was a testament to the passion and dedication of Brangus breeders worldwide. Thank you to everyone who attended and celebrated this important
moment in our history.
As we look back on 75 years of growth, innovation, and success, it's important to remember that our future is just as bright. The next generation of Brangus breeders is already stepping up and showing their passion for this breed, and we are fortunate to have such a strong youth program through the International Junior Brangus Breeders Association (IJBBA). This summer, the National Junior Brangus Show (NJBS) and Futurity events were nothing short of outstanding, showcasing not only exceptional cattle but also the incredible families who are the heart and soul of our breed.
The IJBBA provides young breeders with opportunities to build confidence, develop a strong work ethic, and learn valuable life lessons that will serve them well in all their future endeavors. By involving our youth now, we are ensuring that the Brangus breed will continue to thrive for the next 75 years and beyond. These young members are the future leaders of our association, and their participation in events like NJBS and the Futurity lays the groundwork for their success as breeders and industry professionals.
This year’s show boasted over 980 junior and open show entries! That breaks down to 231, open and junior exhibitors, 371 head exhibited and 67 first time NJBS exhibitors! The June event, held in Waco, Texas, was just as top notch as those attending. I had the pleasure of being there with my family and found the camaraderie and hospitality to be just as great as the Brangus cattle.
The event is truly a family affair for all attending and solid introduction to the Brangus breed for our next generation of leaders.
As we celebrate our past and look toward the future, I want to encourage all of you to continue supporting our youth programs and to help nurture the next generation of Brangus breeders. Together, we will ensure that the legacy of this great breed remains strong for years to come.
Thank you for your continued commitment to the IBBA and the Brangus breed. Here's to a future as bright as our past.
Go Brangus!
A New Chapter Leading Brangus into the Future
by
Rick Cozzitorto, International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) executive vice president
Dear Members,
It is with great excitement and a deep sense of responsibility that I introduce myself to the entire Brangus membership. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as your new Executive Vice President, guiding our organization into the future.
I’ve always admired the resilience, dedication and innovation that define the Brangus community. Our breed has a rich history, and as we move forward, I am committed to ensuring that we not only preserve our traditions but also embrace new opportunities for growth and advancement. Looking ahead, I see a future filled with potential. The 75th Anniversary of Brangus Celebration was record-breaking in both attendance and enthusiasm, highlighting the strength and pride within our breed. The cattle market over the next 10 years looks very favorable for Brangus, and as we shape our message and vision for the future, it will take a united effort to stay relevant and competitive in an evolving cattle industry.
Throughout my career, whether in breed associations or leading animal health businesses, my focus has always been on improving the industry while consistently remaining
competitive and at the forefront of our competition. My focus remains the same here at IBBA. Together, we will continue this same level of success while improving the genetic quality of our herds, expanding our market presence, and ensuring that Brangus cattle stay at the forefront of the beef cattle industry. I’m eager to work with each of you—whether you’re a long-time member or a new face in the community— toward achieving our shared vision.
Thank you for welcoming me, and my family, into this role. We look forward to connecting with you all as the future unfolds. Your ideas, concerns and aspirations for our organization are an important part of the success of this organization.
Together, we will lead Brangus into a prosperous future.
Sincerely,
Rick J. Cozzitorto
UPDATE from the Field
by Kyle Caldwell, Director of Field Services and Strategic Projects
The fall sale season is just beginning! At the conclusion of the last field update we were coming off the high of the 75th Anniversary Celebration and I was about to head out to the Florida’s Elite Commercial Heifer Sale in Okeechobee. Brangus was well represented at this sale with several sale-topping lots of bred and open females. While I was out in Florida for the sale, I made some stops at Hayman’s 711 in Kenansville and Wynne Ranch in Okeechobee.
I drove out to Kenansville first and met TJ Rew, the 4th generation of the Hayman family to run cattle on 711 ranch. The Hayman’s 711 operation maintains a large commercial Brangus operation in addition to a sizeable registered Brangus outfit. TJ markets a large number of Brangus bulls private treaty but also supplies bulls to his commercial operation. We had a great visit exchanging Brangus success story in the harsh Florida environment. We saw some of his top end commercial replacements as well as an impressive set of next generation replacement females. We also got to drive by the bull traps and see a Brangus Value Project semen sire, CB Blount 607G7, which I learned was named after a retired longtime manager at the 711. After my visit at Hayman’s, I made my way down to the U.S.’s largest
Brangus breeder, Wynne Ranch in Okeechobee. Manager Frank Lewis and I had a great visit looking through his private
treaty sale bulls that should be ready to go here soon. The next week I was back in Texas for a quick trip to the office to meet IBBA’s newest Executive Vice President, Rick Cozzitorto, and on the way back to Louisiana I made
some stops at Tuna Rosa Ranch in Gonzales, Texas and Champions Valley Brangus in Schulenburg. At Tuna Rosa, I had the opportunity to hop in the pickup and ride around with Kurt Trammell and Roger Gonzales. The Tuna Rosa crew have been focusing on performance red and black Brangus for a while now and the total depth of quality throughout the herd is a testament to their dedication. We also had a chance to see renowned semen sire BWCC Papillon 548G still looking like he could step right into the picture pen despite having been live covering cows.
The next stop was Champions Valley Brangus where I met owner and IBBA board member Gary Adamek and manager Zach Kalina. We had a chance to walk through the construction site of the new show barn and ride around to see the bulls selling private treaty, next year’s sale bulls as well as some high-quality show prospects. Gary and Zach take a lot of pride in the growing Champions Valley operation and do a great job of creating functional cattle with a high degree of eye appeal for the show ring. If you spend any amount of time with these two, their commitment to supporting the junior show program is plain to see. The next week marked the beginning of the fall sale season
with the MBJ and TRIO Power of the Brands Sale held at the MBJ Ranch in Wharton, Texas. This Red Brangus and black-red-carrier sale was well attended by both IBBA members and commercial customers alike. Domestic and international all found their way to the weekend’s festivities and contributed to a strong sale. Be sure to check out the new sale report section on the IBBA website to view the results!
I then hopped on a plane headed for Kansas City to attend another Genetic Merit Pricing Taskforce meeting. This is an industry wide initiative to develop a system of scoring, and eventually pricing, feeder cattle based off of genetic merit rather than phenotypic traits alone, such as hide color or percentage of ear. Good, high-performance cattle should be priced accordingly, which is the aim of this taskforce. Coming up, I will be travelling to the Southeast Brangus Breeders Showcase Sale in Dothan, Alabama on September 28th, followed by the Villa’s-CX Advantage Sale on October 5th, the Little Creek Farms and Friends Brangus Bull Sale in Okeechobee, Florida on the 11th, the Circle F Farms Sale in Baxley, Georgia on the 12th, the Oklahoma Brangus Breeders Sale in McAlester on the 19th, the Florida Prime sale in Bunnell, Florida on the 22nd, the Oak Creek Farms sale in Chappell Hill, Texas on the 26th, and the Gulf Coast Genetic Alliance Sale, formerly the MidSouth Cattle Company fall sale, in St. Francisville, Louisiana on the 29th and finally the GenePlus Sale at Chimney Rock Cattle Company on November 1st and 2nd. Sale season is here, everyone travel safe.
Vincent Hurla Roy Hurla Michael Hurla Chad Hurla
Justin Hurla
Election Time Again IBBA Board of Director Elections
by Jeremy Jackson, IBBA Secretary/Treasurer
Fall is here and that means it’s IBBA Board of Director election season. There is a race in every region this year. In Texas, Mike Weathers has finished his term and will not be running again. In Oklahoma, Shiloh Hall has term limited out. There are board members that have finished their first term and will be running for reelection. These are Grady Green in the Southeast, Gary Adamek of the Texas region, and Josh Walker in the National Seat.
If you are interested in running, please contact the nominating committee chairs for the district that you wish to run in. The contact information for each board member is listed in the front of the Brangus Journal or can be obtained by calling the office. The following are the nominating committee chairs for each district:
Texas—Mike Weathers
West—Shiloh Hall
Southeast—Rob Singleton
National—Randy Schmidt
The nominating committees will have their candidates vetted and turned into the office with their bios by October 10th. Candidates must be
members in good standing. This means that their bills are paid. Around Thanksgiving, ballots will go out with prepaid envelopes. The envelopes go to our accounting firm and must be received by the first business day in January. If you mail your ballot to the IBBA office, your vote will not count. The ballots must be mailed to our accounting firm.
CULL COW MARKET UPDATE
CATTLEFAX TRENDS
by Matthew McQuagge
In the current environment of historically strong prices, producers need to remain committed to considering different options to maximize revenue. As calf sales receive the bulk of marketing efforts, one component that frequently gets overlooked is the sale of cull animals. While pregnancy and culling rates can vary greatly between operations, a general assumption is that the sale of cull cows and bulls contributes approximately 20% of gross revenue on a cow-calf enterprise. With additional management, these animals can transition from a byproduct into a value-added component within the business.
The cull cow market is one that displays an extremely consistent seasonal pattern. Cull prices typically move higher in the early spring before peaking in the summer when strong grilling activity drives ground beef demand. This demand starts to soften in September and is followed by a large supply of spring-calving cull cows hitting the market resulting in a November low. The 20-year average break from the August high to the November low is 15%.
are strongly correlated to Utility cow prices, set new highs this past summer with prices around $375/cwt. These factors combined to result in cull cow values that averaged above $140/cwt from June through August. Since then, prices have initiated their seasonal decline to reach $133/cwt last week. Applying the seasonal pattern to the recent peak of $141/ cwt on U.S. average Utility grade cow prices, a 15% decline in value would place support around $120/cwt this fall. This is a $120/head decrease from current levels for 1,200-pound cows. Current supply forecasts would suggest that this $120/ cwt level would serve as support again in the new year, from which a seasonal pattern can based. Maintaining this seasonal trend would place Utility cow prices at $135/cwt by the end of the first quarter in 2025.
With these expectations in place, we can consider alternative strategies to just hauling culls to the sale barn. If an operation maintains a fall calving herd, then the seasonal pattern suggests that the majority of the time, the most profitable option is to market cull cows at the time of weaning/culling in the spring. There is no reason to expect anything different this next year as the decreasing cowherd and small supply of designated replacement heifers this past January supports a strong slaughter cow demand in 2025.
While this market typically sees little year-to-year variation in prices, this past summer has seen cull cow values reach record high levels. On the supply side, a decline in beef cow slaughter numbers reflects the current cowherd stabilization. Year-to-date, commercial beef cow slaughter is down 16% from 2023 levels with a total expected decline of 582,000 head in 2024. From a demand standpoint, consumer preference for ground beef products has been extremely robust even at current high prices. 90’s lean trimmings, which
For spring-calving operations, producers have the opportunity to increase the value of cull cows from the fall lows by retaining ownership into the new year. The seasonal index indicates that the bulk of the spring rally is complete by the end of March, and any price increases beyond that are marginal and may not cover costs. A CattleFax model built to measure year-toyear returns on retaining ownership of cull cows finds that holding and feeding cows into the new year was a profitable strategy 32 out of the last 40 years. Over the last 20 years, this model has netted an average of $49/head to feed culls for an extra 95 days. While part of this value is derived from the seasonality of the market, it also assumes an approximate 150 pounds of weight gain for these cows through the feeding period. Applying projections for both cow prices and feed costs this winter suggests potential for feeding cull cows to generate a profit of $174/head this year with a total cost of gain of $1.17/lb. This expected return, well above the long-term average, is driven by historically strong cull values coupled with inexpensive feed costs.
While this model accounts for costs beyond feed such as labor, vet/med, and interest, it still remains a generic model. The costs and performance associated with retaining cull cows will vary greatly between operations. Operations with thin, but healthy, culls will have a greater profit potential than operations with fleshy culls due to their ability to jump quality grades and enter into a higher price bracket. Likewise, operations that have access to inexpensive grazing such as crop residue will record a lower cost of gain than operations with high forage costs. This becomes even more relevant this winter where producers in many regions will face challenges due to the transition back into a La Niña weather pattern. Operations seeking to preserve winter grazing and/ or forage supplies will want to weigh these considerations carefully against potential shortages. Another option to improve the value of cull cows is to prolong the breeding season and market them as bred cows.
One of the primary reasons that females are culled is due to lack of pregnancy, usually a result of falling behind in a targeted yearly calving interval. Over the past 20 years, prices for lowerquality bred cows in the fourth quarter have averaged $425/head above that of Utility-grade cull cows on a per-head basis. This winter, that premium is expected to exceed $650/head for a process that requires minimal additional labor. This price spread is expected to widen over the next couple of years as cowherd expansion trends will increase the demand for bred females.
When evaluating these options, it is important to consider both cash and non-cash factors. Whenever possible, a partial budget should be utilized to estimate potential profit of different strategies. Likewise, financial solvency and risk exposure need to be considered as well. While market trends at this stage favor retaining and feeding cull cows, the prolonged ownership comes with increased risk, particularly at these high prices. Cull cow marketing is not a one-sizefit-all strategy and should be evaluated annually in order to maximize net returns for the cow-calf enterprise.
EPD-OLOGY
Is Ultrasound Worth it?
by Darrell L. Wilkes, Ph.D. Consultant
IBBA members spend a considerable amount of money every year ultrasounding cattle for “invisible” traits – traits that end up affecting the value of carcasses hanging in a packing plant. Rarely does the extra money earned through higher value carcasses land in the pocket of the seedstock producer who laid out the money for the ultrasound in the first place. This begs the question – is it worth it? The answer, in my humble opinion is -ABSOLUTELY YES.
IBBA computes and publishes an EPD for Intramuscular Fat (IMF). IMF is, of course, a proxy for marbling which is the trait that actually has real value in the beef supply chain (a lot of real value). It is a good and valuable question, then, to ask just how well IMF correlates with actual marbling? If the correlation is strong, then we can feel comfortable knowing that the
money being spent on ultrasound, or the extra money spent to buy a bull with a strong IMF EPD, is money well spent.
There are several ways in which to investigate the question of how strongly correlated IMF is with marbling. One can read literally thousands of research papers and come away with a fairly high level of confidence that IMF and marbling are correlated sufficiently well to justify the investment in ultrasound. But even that is only part of the question. The real question that needs an answer is whether or not the IMF EPD, as computed and published by IBBA, is a legitimate selection tool such that, if you select for more IMF, the progeny produced by your bulls will actually have more marbling and, thus, be worth more money hanging on the rail. That’s the real question. The only way I know to answer it is to test sires
with different IMF EPDs by feeding and harvesting their progeny and actually measuring the honest-to-goodness marbling
I’m not from Missouri, but I am a fan of their state slogan which is to “show me”. Like most serious cattle breeders, I get a little nervous stringing together a series of theories based on indicator traits while betting a lot of money that the final computed “answer” is really correct.
Fortunately, enough of your fellow breeders were serious enough about this question to invest their own money in the Brangus Value Project. Because of this, we can provide an answer to the question.
Through Round 3 of the Brangus Value Project, we have tested 16 Brangus and Ultrablack sires and one Angus reference sire. On average, there are about 17 progeny from each sire that were fed and harvested together in proper contemporary groups. Complete feedlot and carcass data was obtained on all the steers. While 17 progeny may not sound like a lot, it is enough to compute an actual marbling EPD for each sire because the trait of interest (marbling) is fairly highly heritable and because of proper contemporary grouping from birth to harvest.
We computed an actual Marbling EPD based on actual marbling scores and compared them to the IMF EPDs of the sires. The correlation between the two independent EPDs was .67. This is a strong correlation. It tells us that as we improve IMF (based on the IBBA IMF EPD) we also improve marbling which adds real value to the feeder cattle produced by our bull customers. This is a very encouraging result but it is only the beginning of an important journey.
When you see a Marbling EPD published for an Angus bull, for example, the EPD is based on a combination of actual marbling data as well as ultrasound data. It won’t surprise you to know that the volume of ultrasound data vastly outnumbers the actual marbling phenotypes in their database or any other seedstock database that publishes a Marbling EPD. The most important point here is that there needs to be enough actual marbling data to establish a genetic correlation within our own population between IMF and marbling. Once we have that, we combine the actual marbling data with IMF data and then we can compute a marbling EPD for a large number of cattle in the IBBA database. It has long been a goal of IBBA to publish a Marbling EPD – not just an IMF EPD. Our good friend Pete DeLeeuw (Pennridge Ranch) served on the Breed Improvement Committee for many years. One of the
things that has bothered Pete forever is the fact that the Across Breed EPD Adjustment Factors published by the Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) contains a blank for the Marbling EPD adjustment factor for Brangus. It leaves the impression that we don’t know enough about the marbling ability of Brangus to even compute the adjustment factor. The reality is that MARC cannot compute an adjustment factor because we don’t publish a Marbling EPD. We’re going to solve that problem so Pete can stop worrying about it – this is the point in this essay where it is appropriate to use the common text phrase “LOL”. Pete – we heard you.
In order to finally fill this void, we will continue the Brangus Value Project. It won’t take much longer before we can compute a credible and meaningful Marbling EPD for a good portion of cattle in the IBBA database.
This essay began by noting that seedstock breeders, including IBBA members, spend good money to measure traits that have actual cash value for people two or three steps downstream from the seedstock sector. If your bull customers are not retaining ownership of their highmarbling steers sired by your high-IMF bulls, they may not be getting extra profit either. The extra profit may not show up for the stocker operator who buys 5-weight calves and sells 7-weight feeder cattle to a feedlot. The feedlot is the one who gets the extra profit by selling on a grid to a packer. Now, back to the question: is it rational to spend your money to improve the genetics for marbling when you don’t get an immediate payback from highergrading carcasses? As a supplier of genetics, that’s your job. That’s how you do your part to ADD VALUE to beef production. And, because many of you have done that, we can brag about the superior performance and carcass value of Brangus- and Ultra-sired steers.
I’ll close this essay with a word of encouragement. I recently attended a meeting where I bumped into a longtime friend who owns a 30,000-hd feedyard in Nebraska. He is surrounded by some of the best cattle on God’s green earth, so his expectations of cattle performance and carcass value are set very high. As we chatted in the hallway, he said that “the Brangus cattle I’ve fed lately are pretty darn good.” You would have to know this gentlemen to know what a huge compliment that was. Take my word for it –more and more people are noticing the Value of Brangus.
DMR MR SMOOTH 535K44
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WAT STEADFAST 535K71
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DMR MAIN STREET 535J26
535F2 SONS:
Don't Just Take it From Us!
StorieS from the 75th AnniverSAry
By: Lindsay L. Allen
“Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Brangus breed was a significant milestone that called for reflection on the breed's journey and achievements. Brangus has withstood the test of time. The 75th Anniversary steering committee, made up of past staff members, Brangus breeders, and leaders, united to host one of the most memorable events in recent Brangus history. Large crowds gathered to see it all—from the working International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) committee meetings and ladies' style show to the impactful presenters and messages during the educational session to the final Gala evening. Reflecting on and honoring our past, combined with the success of our celebration, sets the stage for the next 25 years,” shared Joy Reznicek Sundbeck, chairmen of the planning committee for the 75th Celebration.
The IBBA held its historic event to honor and recognize the last 75 years of success and growth in the Brangus breed in Fort Worth, Texas, Aug. 9 - 10, attracting 420 participants from 21 states and seven countries! The weekend was full of laughs, great food, old memories, friendships, high quality speakers and excitement and it was all centered around the breed that continues to perform and top the market.
“I remember vividly how exciting it was to be an active participant in the planning and execution of the 50th anniversary celebration in 1999, and what an amazing week of events we had back then. At
75 YEARS BRANGUS CELEBRATION
the time, I thought, ‘Man, this will never be topped!’…but I was wrong!” Joe Patterson shared.
As Tracy Holbert reflected on the event, he too said it was incredible crowd and the most impressive event since the 50th Anniversary. “It was an outstanding event from A-Z. Leading up to the event everyone was always talking about the Facebook posts that were promoting the Anniversary and we had the most impressive educational program lined up for the weekend too. I’ve been watching panels of seedstock breeders for 40 years now and I’ve never seen a standing ovation for one until the 75th Anniversary,” he shared.
Don Cox echoed Tracy’s sentiments and shared that “it was the best event I have seen in the IBBA; the celebration brought back people that were the foundation of this breed and helped it grow. It added fire to those attending and will propel many to be more involved and continue the growth that we have seen in the last 75 years.”
The celebration kicked off at GKB Cattle in nearby Desdemona, Texas, with a seedstock panel discussion featuring Jim Williams of V8 Ranch, Kevin Hafner of Express Ranches, Timmy Lucherk of MP Brangus, and Savannah Hanson, an officer of the International Junior Brangus Breeders Association (IJBBA). Hosts Gary and Kathy Buchholz welcomed the standing-room-only crowd to view their cattle operation, meet their staff, and enjoy a steak dinner and a visit with PRCA World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Jacobs Crawley.
This kick-off event was a notable highlight for many. Mike Doguet said he and his wife found their visit at GKB Cattle to be the most enjoyable part of the whole
“The 75th Anniversary “WOW“ it was a good one! I can only imagine what our 100th Celebration will be like. I’m being very optimistic about this, after all, I’ll be 98 years young, but I do plan on being there!“
- Eddie Blazek
“The celebration brought back memories from my 52 years in the breed; from moving into our current IBBA building, to decreasing the board membership to allow for more conversation and quicker decisions and all the people in between that have grown this breed. I’m so proud to be part of the Brangus breed.“
- Dr. Robert Vineyard
weekend, in addition to meeting up with all the “old timers” that he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Everything was so well executed and it all started on day one at GKB Cattle,” Mike said, “It was also a great weekend of catching up with those I hadn’t seen in a long time and who had helped build the breed up over the last 75 years.”
Wes Hunt, who made the trip to Texas with his dad, who has been an IBBA member since the mid70s, said the memories made with his dad on the trip are irreplaceable and noted that the pre-event at GKB Cattle was impressive. “From their facilities, to the tour of their operation and the speakers that day, it was all top notch,” Wes said.
As John McKnight reflected on the day, he said, “The tour of GKB Cattle was so nice; they rolled out the red carpet and it was a wonderful day at the ranch.”
When the festivities moved to Fort Worth the next day, the efforts of the 35 plus member committee, led by chairman Joy Reznicek Sundbeck, continued to be on full display as attendees gathered for a reception and mingled. As Buck Thomason said, “it was great to see old friends and as you get older you begin to cherish these times together even more.”
“Every detail was covered. The crowd was way larger than expected and spirits were high and everyone was in awe Friday evening at the reception. The breed came together in ways I never could have imagined. Joy Sunbeck and her team set the bar for the 100th Anniversary!” Jeremy Jackson shared.
One thing that was obvious to attendees when they first arrived was the enthusiasm from not just the long-time breeders, but the youth and younger generation of Brangus breeders too!
OUT WORK• OUT LAST
Bulls that help your bottom line.
Town Creek Farm bulls hold up, out-work, out-last and out-perform their peers. Fewer bulls to replace. Thirty years of developing proven bulls. They work!
√ Select your bulls from proven Brangus (selection of 1st gen 3/8-5/8 bulls) Ultrablacks, Vigor Max™ (Brahman x Angus half-blood), 3/4 Blood and Brahman Bulls.
√ Opportunity to buy bulls from a program that culls EVERY open female and EVERY female that doesn’t bring a calf to weaning pens.
√ Cattle fit the commercial world, backed by good cows behind our bull offering.
√ Maternal bulls develop superior replacement heifers that are fertile, long-lasting and have good udders.
√ Offering full two-year-old bulls.
√ Large selection of calving ease heifer bulls.
√ User-Friendly bulls.
√ Bulls are hard, ripped and toned; ready for breeding pastures.
√ Managed to be disease-free. ALL bulls are out of Johnes-free cows.
√ Environmentally adapted and acclimated bulls that withstand heat and humidity.
√ Longevity – of breeding bulls and of their daughters.
√ Fertility is our top priority. All other traits follow fertility.
√ Genetics developed and proven for more than 30 years.
Town Creek Farm Sale
Saturday, October 19, 2024 • 12 noon at the ranch near West Point, Mississippi
150 Brangus, VigorMax™ Half-Blood Bulls, and Ultrablack & Plus First Gen Brangus Bulls 250 Commercial Brangus Bred Heifers
Go to www.TownCreekFarm.com to request a sale catalog.
TOWN CREEK FARM
Milton Sundbeck, Owner
32476 Hwy. 50 East, West Point, Mississippi 39773-5207
“This was one of the few cattle gatherings I have attended that was not just ‘old folks’ but had so many young faces in attendance too. I’ve never seen so many from the younger generation gathered for a cattle event like I have at the 75th Celebration, it was encouraging to see,” Robert Field said.
Chris Hardee echoed that by saying, “One of the neat things was the turnout of all ages at the celebration and to see past junior members come back; it was all evidence of the passion and dedication for the breed. Seeing past staff members that weekend also showed how important this breed is to people.”
The speakers at the event were unforgettable and topped everyone’s favorites list from the celebration. Randy Blach, CattleFax CEO, urged attendees to learn from the past, emphasizing that while the industry is experiencing recordhigh beef prices, consumers are also paying unprecedented prices. A panel discussion followed, featuring Donnell Brown of R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas, Jack Holden of Holden Herefords in Valier, Montana, Gabriel Connealy of Connealy Angus Ranch in Whitman, Nebraska, and Mark Gardiner of Gardiner Angus in Ashland, Kansas. Each panelist shared an overview of their operation, strategies, and challenges. Lee Leachman of Leachman Cattle Co. in Fort Collins, Colorado, concluded the program with a presentation on the next 25 years in the cattle industry.
Although it was hard to name one thing, Bill Davis said if he had to pick a highlight from the overall event, it was the speakers both at GKB Cattle and in Fort Worth. “If you line up a list of major cattle players in the United States, you hit
“I was so impressed and surprised at the event. I can’t even imagine how much work went into that event. Sally and I also enjoyed seeing so many old friends and the enthusiasm from international breeders. I can’t say enough good things about the 75th Anniversary; it was so professionally executed!“
-RL Robbs
“All would agree, the IBBA 75th Anniversary Celebration was HUGE! From the great field day at GKB Cattle blasting off the weekend, to the productive committee meetings and kickoff reception, to the compelling educational experience to the wonderful finale at the Saturday night gala; the over 400 attendees had a blast seeing old friends and making new ones all the while celebrating the past, present and future of Brangus! What I saw was a bunch of very, very joyful people glad to be in Fort Worth with folks from all over the world with a common interest - the Brangus breed that we love. Many, many thanks to all the committee members who pulled this event off without a hitch.“
- Joe Fuller
a bunch of them by looking at the agenda for the 75th,” he said.
Gary and Kathy Buchholz agreed that the presentations were outstanding. “The panel of four breeders, representing various breeds, generations and geographic locations, was one of our favorite moments of the weekend. To learn and hear from each panel participant and hear about their operation was educational and entertaining,” they shared.
Vernon Suhn also shared his takeaways from the speakers, saying, “The speakers throughout the entire event were, without question, the best I have ever heard in all my years of involvement in this industry. Our breed should pay close attention to what was discussed by Randy Blach about the fundamental changes that have driven this industry to where it is today and what will drive it in the future. It was a great educational event, in addition to an opportunity to reconnect with breeders, both old and new.”
The pinnacle of the event was the final night’s Gala that presented an interactive timeline of the last 75 years and provided an entertaining overview of the breed’s history and included deliberate pauses in the presentation to hear from Brangus breeders who were part of the moment in time being highlighted in the presentation.
As Doug Williams said, “It was a hell of a time on Saturday to be part of and witness the timeline presentation.”
“The entire event was two plus days of seeing optimism and fun and comradery all the attendees had in being together. I have not seen that many smiles and laughter at an event in a long time,” recalled EC Larkin.
75 YEARS BRANGUS CELEBRATION
“It’s hard to narrow in on just one aspect of the Celebration that stood out the most. Joy Reznicek Sunbeck and her organizing committee spent over a year planning and executed to perfection! Everything from fundraising to planning the culmination banquet to socials and recognizing past contributors went off superbly.
To see our corporate sponsors participate and express their confidence and thanks to our Brangus breed was especially gratifying! But most of all, seeing and greeting many of the breeders from the past responsible for the unprecedented growth of the breed in the early years, seeing the ongoing breed leaders as they came together and continue to build the demand for Brangus seedstock and realizing their commitment to our breed’s growth was beyond great!“
“The 75th Anniversary event is one that will be talked about for years to come. We paid tribute to the past and forecasted the bright future of the Brangus breed. For me, growing up in the Brangus breed, it was heartwarming to see some of those that I looked up to during my childhood like John McKnight and Gerald Sumrall. The event also presented the opportunity to reunite with past IJBBA members. These days the conversations were centered around children and careers, but Brangus brought us all together. Another enjoyable part for me was watching the almost year-long efforts of the planning committee culminate during the weekend in Fort Worth.
The passion, talent, history, and enthusiasm of the 75th Anniversary committee is something that I truly enjoyed witnessing and being a part of.“
- Traci Middleton
A sincere thank you to our Steering Committee; this incredible event wouldn’t have happened without your hard work and dedication!
Jaxon Allen, Oklahoma
Michael Childers, Alabama
Shelby Conley, Texas
Mark Cowan, Texas
Rebecca Cowan, Texas
Don Cox, Texas
Trey Cuevas, Mississippi
Bill Davis, Arkansas
Mary Douglass, Texas
Wade Fisher, Texas
Joe Fuller, Texas
Melanie Fuller, Texas
Martha Hollida Garrett, Texas
Allen Goode, Texas
Jack Gorczyca, Oklahoma
Grady Green, Arkansas
Megan Greenwood, Texas
Janet Greuel, Georgia
Shiloh Hall, Oklahoma
Tracy Holbert, Texas
Jeremy Jackson, Arkansas
Jodi Jackson, Texas
Diane Johnson, Texas
Belinda Lavender, New Mexico
Dr. Stephen Lee, Louisiana
Traci Middleton, Tennessee
Sami Roop, Texas
Rob Singleton, Florida
Joy Reznicek Sundbeck, Mississippi
Garrett Thomas, Texas
Lea Weinheimer, Texas
- Mark Cowan
CATTLE MARKET OUTLOOK
Brangus breeders looking for some good news heard quite a bit from speaker Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax. Cattle prices are up and expected to stay up for the next couple of years as the national herd slowly rebuilds and beef demand is near 30-year high despite inflation at the grocery store.
Americans like their beef and they are willing to pay for the good stuff. From 2000 through 2023, Bloch said beef gained 6% to 7% share in spending as pork and poultry’s share of spending declined.
“ We’ve come a long way as an industry,” Blach emphasized. “Thank goodness we got through the rough times in the ’80s and ’90s. We need to appreciate where we are today. Cattle liquidation has slowed but not stopped. But this is not a repeat of the last cattle cycle. In 2014-2016, we saw the fastest expansion in history. One of the reasons why expansion is slower this time around is 8% to 10% interest rates. However, the profit signal for the cow-calf sector will start to move the needle.”
It's a far cry from the time period of 1974 to 1997
Other looming market factors to consider include:
• La Nina returning mid to late 2024.
when Blach reminded the crowd that the industry lost 374,000 producers and cattle inventory declined 16 million head from 1980-1994 with beef cows accounting for 5 million of that. Beef consumption declined from 78 lbs. to 66 lbs. and cattle prices didn’t respond. What changed? The quality revolution driven by the National Beef Quality Audits. In those days, an estimated one in four steaks had an eating problem. Thanks to producers’ hard work on genetics and management, beef demand turned the corner. But it’s a lesson producers can never forget.
“It’s all consumer demand from decisions made in board rooms 20 to 30 years ago,” Blach stated. “The only way we get new dollars into our industry is through the consumer. We have to make every decision with the consumer in mind.”
• Feed costs are down significantly in 2024-25 compared to 2020-2023.
• Retail red meat and poultry prices will all move higher as beef leads the way.
• Beef demand has proven resilient with some weakness noted, but holding.
• Consumers love their meats (beef, pork, chicken and turkey protein) as consumption is near 220 lbs. per capita. The biggest difference in the current cycle and the 2014-2015 cycle is total meat supply availability.
• Cattle and beef prices will be strong from 2024-2026.
By Lauren Wottlin, Ph.D.
New SenseHub® Cow Calf assists with reproductive efficiency, monitors cow herd
For producers using artificial insemination (AI) or embryo transfer (ET), getting cows or heifers pregnant promptly is critical. A high pregnancy rate requires good heat detection.1 Visual heat detection not only takes time, but it also isn’t an exact science.
Proprietary monitoring technology assists with breeding success, plus alerts producers to cows needing attention. Both benefits protect the investment of high-value cow-calf herds.
New SenseHub® Cow Calf helps detect estrus, determine ideal insemination windows and uncover reproductive issues faster, all while monitoring for well-being.
By continuously monitoring each cow or heifer, the system helps to identify when an animal is in estrus, allowing for insemination at the best time to optimize conception rates and minimize calving intervals.
SenseHub Cow Calf also can help detect a heifer or cow that didn’t conceive at approximately 21 days post breeding. It also reports anestrus animals, making it easier to spot those with irregular cycles.
Monitoring for well-being
The system provides continuous monitoring of herd activity and rumination through an ear-mounted accelerometer. Real-time data allows for early detection of behaviors that may suggest health issues, enabling prompt intervention.
Convenient alerts are delivered to smartphones, tablets or desktop computers, saving producers time and providing peace of mind. LED-lighted ear tags help easily identify animals flagged by the system.
SenseHub software provides customizable reports and dashboards to meet each operation’s needs and integrates with various cattle management platforms, providing actionable insights related to estrus, health and nutrition.
The system is easy to install and maintain. The time from placing an order to actively detecting heats is five to six weeks.
For more information, visit SenseHub-CowCalf.com
By Lauren Wottlin, Ph.D., R&D manager with Merck Animal Health
1. Perry, George. Detection of standing estrus in cattle. South Dakota State University. 2004. FS921B.
If your goal is a healthy, profitable herd with strong protection from clostridial disease, then look no further than BOVILIS VISION 7 powered by the proprietary SPUR adjuvant.
• SPUR allows for smoother administration and fewer reactions with less stress than other clostridials1-2
• Fewer reactions means more weight gain – an extra 14 lbs at weaning3-5
• For every 50 head, that adds up to an “extra calf” at sell time
that’s the kind of momentum we all like to see.
WHAT MAKES FOR AN Iconic Seedstock Producer?
The 75th Anniversary of Brangus brought together renowned seedstock operators and other heavyweight cattle industry minds for an exclusive educational program, with the kind of wisdom shared that can help ensure Brangus breeders are around for the next 25 years.
Purebred cattle organizations don’t often seek expertise from producers in other breeds. However, when organizers for the 75th Anniversary of Brangus program invited a well-considered panel of iconic seedstock operators to speak, they paid no mind to what breeds of cattle these programs produce. Instead, they looked for seedstock operators with common denominators of long-term success, passion, vision, character and proven track records of adopting innovative technology combined with genetic strategies to create opportunities for multiple generations of their families to continue ranching.
As moderator Tracy Holbert put it, “We could all learn from these folks so much that can guide us as we breed
By Sharla Ishmael
cattle for the next 25 years, so when we get ready to celebrate our 100th Brangus Anniversary, we will have become better seedstock producers.”
The seedstock panel included representatives of four nationally recognized breeding programs — Donnell Brown of R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas; Gabriel Connealy of Connealy Angus in Whitman, Nebraska; Mark Gardiner of Gardiner Angus in Ashland, Kansas; and Jack Holden of Holden Herefords in Valier, Montana. While each operation is unique, they all share an obvious priority — putting the customer’s needs first. It sounds simple enough, but the difference between these outfits and other seedstock programs (no longer in business) might come down to
execution and dedication to that central premise.
R.A. BROWN RANCH, TEXAS
Brown and wife Kelli are the current owners of R.A. Brown Ranch, which started back in 1895 and has run several different breeds over the years. Their sons, Lanham and Tucker, represent the sixth generation on the family ranch that now focuses on Angus, Red Angus and SimAngus. They market over 800 bulls every year in sales at the ranch — one in the spring and a fall sale. R.A. Brown Ranch has been honored with many awards for their cattle, Quarter Horses, and the leadership of multiple family members.
Not satisfied to rest on their ranch’s history and laurels, the Brown family runs a progressive operation utilizing cooperator herds and extensive artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET) to propagate only the best genetics and keep pushing their seedstock operation into new frontiers of genetics.
“I think there are three keys to our success, including No. 1 — focus on your customers,” Brown said. “Focus on their wants and needs. You have to produce what the customer wants to buy, not just what you want to sell. That’s been a big lesson for me and I’ve done both, believe me. No. 2 is to use all the tools available that identify the best genetics. And No. 3 is mass multiply the best genetics.
“ We started AI the year I was born and I went to AI school when I was 13,” Brown explained. “We have also used in vitro fertilization and some gene editing and we DNA test every animal utilizing two different genetic evaluations. We use all the tools available to help us so that we can identify the best cattle with all the tools to make the best decisions. I’m excited about the opportunities we have ahead of us and what new technology we can utilize.
“The good news is that none of us have to change.
But the reality is that we will have to compete with those who do,” he pointed out. “I also love this statement about the paradox of change — that is, change has never happened this fast before and it will never move this slow again. There will be challenges like drought and fire and life just not going the way you’ve planned, but you need to set the right goals and press on toward the prize.
“As we look to the next generation, I’m going to say the most important thing really is to take care of your customers,” Brown said. “We can work together with them to find solutions. We’ve worked with 17 different breeds in my lifetime but now we focus on the best three that we feel our customers need and want, and we have the tools for us to make the best decisions. “
HOLDEN HEREFORDS, MONTANA
Jack Holden is owner and manager of Holden Herefords, a multi-generational family ranch located about 60 miles south of the Canadian border. His grandfather, Les Holden, purchased his first Line 1 bull in 1947 from the U.S. Range Station in Miles City, and even today the breeding program utilizes line breeding — a system of breeding close relatives to maximize desirable traits. Line 1 Hereford cattle have had a tremendous influence on the breed and much of the early beef cattle breeding research was based on these genetics.
For the Holdens, the Line 1 program has stood the test of time, outlasting fads and industry changes. Jack took over the ranch from his grandfather in 1987 and has been unwavering in his faith in the family breeding program. His grandfather was a pioneer in performance testing, taking weights, growth measurements, circumferences, yearling heights, and weights since the 1950s — long before the introduction of EPDs. Jack and his wife Tresha have two
children, Brooke and Jack, and their spouses, who are part of the ranch along with grandchildren representing the fifth generation. Holden Herefords has more dams of distinction than any other breeder and recently held its 58th annual sale in March.
“ We run on 5,500 acres of deeded and leased ground,” Holden explained. “Half of our cow herd is recips. We put in 350-400 embryos a year, so ET is a big deal in our herd. It’s been a great ride, with a lot of ups and downs in this business. We’ve gone through tough stuff like everyone, but we believe in our program of line breeding. We’re selling uniformity and consistency and predictability — it all goes back to the cow. We really believe that. I don’t care if we get the best bull you’ve ever seen, if I don’t like his mother he’ll never breed a cow on our place.”
The Holdens run 300 head of Hereford cows that are culled hard every year. They have a 50-day breeding program followed by a 30-day clean-up period. All the cows not bred in the first 50 days are sold unless there’s a very specific reason to keep them.
“Our embryo program is backed by those cows,” Holden added. “We’ve been parent-verifying since I came home in 1987. We started ultrasound in 1995, working on carcass traits and every animal on the place has been genomic tested since 2012. Our program is about balance. You’ve got to be on top of your game with line breeding all the time. It’s great to have the tools like ET to see what genomics can do when you have five or six full brothers and see how that breaks out.”
Utilizing these tools has worked — 67 sires raised by Holden Herefords have been recognized by the American Hereford Association as Certified Hereford Beef Sires of Distinction. This designation means a bull has a proven accuracy of at least 30% on ribeye area (REA) and marbling EPDs as well as ranks in the top 25% of the breed on the $CHB profit index.
“ We’ve stuck to our guns and believed in what we’re doing,” Holden added. “We’re blessed to have the customers we do and to have a family operation continuing. My dad says this registered cattle business is not an occupation — it’s a disease. And there is no cure. I’ve tried to never forget the legacy that was left to me and to not screw it up. When you
look at the common denominators of programs like ours, it comes down to quality cattle, even though we may all look a little different in terms of the targets we’re after. And then I think it’s back to your customer base and marketing.”
CONNEALLY ANGUS, NEBRASKA
Gabriel Connealy is a fifth-generation rancher at Connealy Angus and the third generation to sell bulls. At 31 years old, armed with a finance degree and a master’s in animal breeding, he brought a new perspective home to the family ranch where they run 3,000 head of registered Angus cows in the vaunted Sandhills of Nebraska. Gabriel's parents, Jerry and Sharon Connealy, have made it possible for the three of their four kids who wanted to be part of the operation to have that opportunity.
“I need to acknowledge that a lot of the things I’m talking about with our ranch, I wasn’t part of making those decisions,” Connealy said. “I wasn’t even born, so I owe it to my grandparents and parents for the vision and framework they laid which has allowed me to be here. I’m eternally grateful to get that opportunity to come back to the family ranch and raise my kids there, work with my siblings and be with my parents on an everyday basis.
“I came home from college with all these new ideas and was ready to light the world on fire. I was ready to really change the way we did things, and I found out pretty quickly that the experience some of these guys had was worth quite a bit more than what I’d learned in the classroom. Now, do I still have ideas? Yes. Are my ideas always the best ideas? Yes. Do we implement these ideas? We’re still working toward it,” he added with a laugh.
In this family operation, each sibling has their own area of influence. Jed Connealy, who is a representative for Northern Livestock Video, oversees Connealy Marketing
and assists their commercial customers in getting their calves sold through his video expertise and feedyard connections.
Hannah Connealy oversees marketing, social media and event planning, including the family’s bull sale — purposefully designed to be an event that can’t be missed for buyers and their families.
Connealy Angus utilizes AI almost exclusively — they only have four clean-up bulls for 3,000 cows. They also do a lot of embryo transfer work and they sell over 1,000 bulls a year, primarily through two annual ranch sales in November and in March. Those 1,000 Angus bulls go to homes all over the U.S. and 95% are delivered with pickups and trailers by the brothers for free.
“Delivering the bulls is an incredible opportunity to get boots on your customer’s turf, get side by side with them and look at their cattle in order to better understand their herd and goals so you can better serve them in the future,” Connealy said. “You can get burned on the delivery sometimes, but on the whole, you’re going to make money on that deal just through the quality of interaction that you have and the personal relationships you can form with those customers.”
Another unique feature of their breeding program is they calve four times a year. This decision was also made with their customers in mind so they can offer different ages of bulls for sale — not just yearlings. They also AI some 8,000 to 10,000 commercial heifers for their customers for little to no money.
“It’s a service we offer to try and keep our customers moving in the right direction,” Connealy explained. “It gives us another opportunity to be on their place to interact and appraise how well our bulls fit with their needs. Ours is a family business, and for me to be able to still be selling bulls
in 30 years, our customers still need to be in business in 30 years, too. We have a passion for the lifestyle that we love and success in my mind is being able to work with the animals, care for them and the grass together with my family. I have young nieces and nephews and kids at home. My role is just to keep the wheels on the bus until they are tall enough to reach the gas pedal. It’s a long-term mindset.”
GARDINER ANGUS RANCH, KANSAS
The Gardiner family has ranched in south-central Kansas since their ancestors made their way in a covered wagon and lived in a dugout for the first nine years on the original 160 acres that today comprise Gardiner Angus. Passed down through the generations, today the well-known seedstock business is operated by brothers Mark and Greg Gardiner, along with their families.
The operation has grown to 48,000 acres with over 4,500 registered and commercial cows that generate 2,600 Angus bulls for sale annually.
Mark Gardiner has been president of Gardiner Angus since 2000 and chairman of the board at U.S. Premium Beef, which has played a big role in the family’s breeding and business goals. Since 1964, the breeding program has been 100% AI and ET and they have managed a 95% conception rate in a 60-day breeding season for fall and spring.
“ We’re living in the greatest time in the history of the beef industry,” Gardiner told the crowd.” A lot of my friends out in the hallway teased me about being the Angus guy ... I said no, I’m a beef colleague. At the end of the day, we’re all in this for the same reasons and the same opportunity. We’re all in this together. Let’s talk about how we can help people succeed to make beef better.
“You’ve got to be disciplined. Who are you? What is your goal? What are you trying to do? You have to make
these choices,” he explained. “If you’re my customer, I need to know what makes you money and what helps you. I have to get on your place and understand what your problems and challenges are. The next thing is determination. You have to get after it and have some work ethic whether it’s cattle or any other business.”
Gardiner explained how his father, Henry, struggled to make improvements with his herd early on. From 1964 to 1980, he was determined to raise more pounds of beef off their grass but weaning weights remained flat even with the use of AI. When Mark returned to the ranch from school in 1980, the very first field data report from the American Angus Association came out — and it gave them the missing information they needed to finally make progress toward their goals.
The Gardiners went from weaning 5-weight calves to 9-weight calves through the use database systems to identify bulls with high-accuracy EPDs. Through pedigree stacking and careful selection, their Angus cattle today are known far and wide for their performance and quality grading.
Gardiner also explained how his family got involved on the other side of the cattle business — the packer. Performance is great, but it’s better if the producer gets paid for it. So, they invested in the packing side through National Beef and Mark was tasked with negotiating a grid to get premiums for those better cattle. It worked. Gardiner Angus Ranch is a founding member of U.S. Premium Beef — a producer-owned beef marketing company that has ownership interest in National Beef.
Producers who are members of USPB sell their cattle to National Beef on the USPB grid and receive carcass data back at no cost. Gardiner Angus shares their USPB delivery rights with customers so they can also make more money and use the data to continually improve their own herds. In fact, between 1998 and 2021 Gardiner customers have sold 122,000 head through USPB earning an average of $92.71 per head above base price — returning over $11 million total. That’s a lot of progress.
“ We didn’t know what we did at the time,” Gardiner said. “But what we did was change the whole paradigm where we were looking at making this a partnership and a win-win and we’ve become better cattle breeders. If we can make our
customers more money, then we have a chance to stay in business, too.”
These elite seedstock programs sell thousands of bulls every year to a whole lot of satisfied, repeat customers. Their environments are different, their cows probably don’t look the same at all, and they utilize different breeding systems. However, the common denominators among them include a long-term mindset, the dedication to using all the genetic tools and technology available, and the discipline to understand and even anticipate their customers’ needs as well as their own.
Oh, and they are already laying plans to ensure opportunities for the next generation of their families in the business — the true measure of success in any rancher’s book.
The Next 25 Years
Lee Leachman, CEO of Leachman Cattle based in Fort Collins, Colorado, closed out the educational program with a thought-provoking look at what the next 25 years in the beef industry could entail. Leachman Cattle markets over 2,000 Angus, Red Angus, Stabilizer Composite and Charolais bulls annually from a pool of 12,000 females with 45 cooperator herds across the U.S.
With an economics degree from Harvard and the benefit of multiple generations of family in the cattle business, Leachman has a unique viewpoint from having been at the forefront of innovation and vital changes in the industry.
In fact, Leachman Cattle is playing a big role in one of the newest markets — the beef-on-dairy movement. Last August, URUS Group bought majority interest in Leachman Cattle. The acquisition gives URUS access to both Leachman’s genetics and database, considered the largest private database in the U.S. beef business with 1.5 million animals and about 130,00 tested with HD 50K.
In short, URUS is a holding company comprised of multiple genetic acquisitions and cooperator entities and it has a foothold on the dairy side where half of all cows are bred to sexed female semen. The opportunity lies in breeding the other half to beef sires to maximize the value of those animals with improved carcass traits. Leachman explained they have worked with URUS and one of the top five feeders in the country to create a closed-loop, beef-on-dairy model.
Leachman Cattle provides data and semen to URUS, which sells beef semen to dairies with a buy-back contract with the feeder. When those beef-on-dairy calves are born, they’re moved to a calf ranch in New Mexico and eventually distributed to feedlots across the country. And the data — feed efficiency, gain, carcass weight and quality, liver abscesses, etc. — flows in and around the loop. While beef-on-dairy has great potential, Leachman says it will not grow to dominate the industry.
“Most of our industry will not change,” he said. “My opinion is that more than 50% of the cattle industry 25 years
from now will be doing things largely like they are today. But there’ll be another 40% doing things quite a bit differently.”
TRENDS TO WATCH
One of the trends he sees impacting the industry is that the economy is going to double in the next 25 years. “There’s going to be more people, a couple billion more,” he explained. “But mostly it’s going to be everyone is going to have more money to spend because we’re going to be more productive. As the economy doubles, there’s going to be tremendous opportunities to differentiate in pricing food. It’s already happening.
“I think our market for beef is going to be more tiered like wine,” Leachman added. “How much will someone be willing to pay for the top stuff? There’ll be more buying power for the foods people want to eat and these people are going to be older. I think people are going to be thinking about food and longevity together. Could we select beef to be even more nutritionally valuable? Think about the fatty acid
profile of meat and even some of the negatives that might come with a high-protein diet. Our bodies respond differently to different foods. There may be opportunities to select animals for the type of cells that are going to provide more longevity. What if we had a longevity EPD — not for the animal but for the consumer?”
Leachman pointed out consumers globally are more connected than ever via the internet and accustomed to increasing levels of customization for all sorts of products. In the future, he thinks it’s likely consumers will know about beef, where it comes from, how it was raised, the producer they buy from, how it fits their diet and will prefer specialized beef cuts. There will still be the bulk of meat going through usual channels, but he envisions more opportunities to take advantage of the demand for specialization on the top end and producers benefitting from the accompanying rewards.
NOT THAT KIND OF AI
In addition to the adoption of artificial intelligence in everything from data analysis to mating decisions, he forecasts
opportunities for cameras and wearables used in the beef industry to do things like detect lameness and more efficiently detect heat. In fact, he predicts efficiency will be critical to beef production in the future as there is going to be more pressure on how producers manage their operations — land, soil, grass, water, cows, all of it.
“ Technology changes everything,” Leachman said. “We will improve things and lower the cost of producing things and we’ll lower our dependence on resources. This pressure is going to make us produce more beef with fewer inputs. I am 100% convinced this is happening today and will intensify as we go forward. We’re going to select for efficiency. I don’t know how that’s going to be defined but very few of our indexes today are efficiency indexes, they’re mostly output indexes.
“It may not be popular, but the cows are going to get smaller, not bigger,” he added. “That’s a controversial thing but they’re going to get smaller because they’re the factory and there’s no way around it. Marbling is the highest economic driver; it’s the single most important trait. But we have not increased red meat yield at all. We need to improve
muscularity. There was a time if we did that, we’d have given up carcass quality. But we’re in a different system now where we can make progress on two traits at the same time.”
Other predictions he mentioned include carcass cut yield by muscle trait (what percentage is ribeye or chuck, etc.), methane EPDs in and restructuring in the beef industry.
“My guess is the downward trend in number of cows is going to continue,” Leachman said. “The downward trend in the number of seedstock and commercial herds is likely to continue. When we were kids, we talked about 800,000 ranchers and now we’re talking about 600,000 ranchers. That means we dropped 25%. But we’ll still be producing more beef with less. But I don’t see corporations owning cows from start to finish — the returns are just not high enough. However, you might continue to see the trend of people own the land and different people own the cows that run on the land. ”
The underpinning of so many changes that Leachman addressed is, not surprisingly, data.
“Data is the driver here,” he pointed out. “Data will drive selection. If we’re not doing the data science right, we’re
going to get squeezed. I don’t think there’s any question that artificial intelligence can analyze way more data than we can. At the end of the day, access to the best data and the best intelligence will probably have a significant effect on the winners and losers — especially in linked supply chains.
“It won’t be long until artificial intelligence is telling us which traits are more important and how important they are,” Leachman said. “It will be showing us the interrelationship between these traits and probably even going to be looking for things that are going wrong that we aren’t finding. It could be making better mating decisions and finding the next outlier.
“I think machines and technology and artificial intelligence are all what’s coming” he said. “A lot of times, you predict this stuff and you think it’s crazy stuff, but there is already a big old snowball rolling down the hill with all these things. In the midst of this, the breeding decisions you make now will have implications for 20 years from now.”
To see if his predictions are on track, save the date 25 years from now to attend the 101st Anniversary of Brangus.
DESPERADO
The National Junior Brangus Show
Established in 1982, the National Junior Brangus Show has been a pivotal part in the upbringing of the International Junior Brangus Breeders Association. As an annual event, exhibitors make it a tradition to join their “Brangus Family” each summer at the National Junior Brangus Show, wherever it may be held that year. The camaraderie of Brangus breeders and the ability to learn more about the breed is what I believe brings exhibitors back each year. There’s something so unique about our breed’s community, as we are all driven cattlemen that come from different backgrounds. We all have one, unified goal, which is to make the Brangus breed the best that it can be!
As a current International Junior Brangus Breeders Association Director, I hold the National Junior Brangus Show close to my heart. I started my journey exhibiting at NJBS in 2021, when the show was held in Belton, Texas for the first time. As a timid and more reserved young girl, I was nervous about attending my very first Junior National. When I first arrived at the show, I was immediately welcomed with open arms by the Junior Directors, Staff, and fellow Brangus exhibitors. I met friends who I had no idea would be so influential in my life today. As the week went on and I exhibited cattle and competed in contests, I truly recognized the value and prestige that an event of this kind has. The hard work and determination of the leaders of this show did not go unnoticed, and I think that this event ignited my spark and motivated me to
by Savannah Hanson, IJBBA Director
pursue leadership roles in the Brangus breed.
This year, The American Classic in Waco, Texas was a week full of fun, fellowship, and quality Brangus cattle. We introduced new events and contests, such as the Professional Social and the Poster Contest for the Peewee Division. Champions were crowned in both the cattle shows and contests, each of which Brangus Juniors proved to be exceptional in. We had a record number of exhibitors and created the NJBS New Exhibitor Program to give our new exhibitors a warm welcome to the National Junior Brangus Show.
In this program, new exhibitors were paired with a Junior Director, and were invited to create friendships with other IJBBA Members. We ensured that each new exhibitor had an enjoyable experience at their first-ever National Junior Brangus Show. The International Junior Brangus Breeders Association Ambassador Program also made its debut, electing four deserving individuals to the position. IJBBA Ambassadors work with the Junior Board of Directors to plan and execute the National Junior Brangus Show and other interactive events for young Brangus breeders throughout the year. Next year’s NJBS is called “Brangus on the Bayou” and will be held in West Monroe, Louisiana from June 30-July 5, 2025. I look forward to seeing new and familiar faces at the show, and creating memories that I will cherish for a lifetime!
I believe the National Junior Brangus Show plays an important role in our breed because of the number of people it brings together each year. There’s no other IJBBA event that has a combination of contests, educational opportunities, and cattle exhibits at this magnitude. For an entire week, Brangus breeders and agriculturalists can come together to compete in various shows, contests, and opportunities. NJBS serves as a great opportunity for Brangus breeders to see new genetics and trends in the breed, and it also gives junior exhibitors the ability to connect with members of the International Brangus Breeders Association.
Ultimately, I think that every IJBBA Member should consider participating in the National Junior Brangus Show. Whether you love being at the end of the halter in showmanship, interviewing for an Employment Position in the Job Interview Contest, or even playing games with your friends in Barnyard Olympics, there is something for everyone at NJBS. I have made some of the most amazing memories at the National Junior Brangus Show over the years, and I hope that every current and future exhibitor can do the same. I highly encourage all IJBBA members to join us for “Brangus on the Bayou” in West Monroe, Louisiana in 2025. You won’t regret this decision!
The IJBBA has put on a first-class event the past several years! We as exhibitors and parents appreciate all the efforts by the IJBBA and its leadership. Everyone here is like extended family, and this week at the NJBS like an annual family reunion. The NJBS offers a great opportunity for exhibitors to build personal development and leadership skills.
I personally credit the IJBBA and the Brangus breed with helping me achieve many goals.
-Michael Allen, DVM Allen Cattle Company
CONTEST RESULTS 2024
2024 - 2025 IJBBA Board of Directors
President: Emma Tittor, Texas | Ex-Officio: Jaxon Allen, Oklahoma | Queen: Camille Burns, Texas | Director: Grant Goree, Mississippi
Waco, Texas | Photography by Lindsay Hanewich Photography
PHENOTYPE + GENOTYPE Red Brangus CHAMPION
Tajo Ms Lola 204L
Truitt Marks
PHENOTYPE + GENOTYPE Red Brangus
RESERVE CHAMPION
M-M Lady Stretch 101/GK2
Raley Wied
PHENOTYPE + GENOTYPE Ultra CHAMPION
Farris Ms UB Masterpiece 59L
Kennedy Horner
PHENOTYPE + GENOTYPE Ultra
RESERVE CHAMPION
JJ Ms First Class 3227L
Emily Jackson
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY Intermediate First Place Winner: Lana Tittor Second Place: Carlee Taylor Third Place: Isabelle Parkey
PHOTOGRAPHY
COMP. GENERATED
First Place: Ross Donaho Second Place: McKenzie Tiemann Third Place: Raley Wied
COMPUTER
BRANGUS
Kinsley Rhodes
GREUEL SPEECH CONTEST Senior First Place: Madison Moran Second Place: Wyatt Jackson Third Place: Sara Aultman POSTER CONTEST
JOB INTERVIEW First Place: Kayla Sansom Second Place: Savannah Hanson Third Place: Caitlynn Robertson
LIVESTOCK JUDGING Novice
LIVESTOCK JUDGING Junior First Place: Kenely Pfeil Second Place: Meagan Hanson Third Place: Bo McBee
LIVESTOCK JUDGING Intermediate First Place: Carlee Taylor Second Place: Isabelle Parkey Third Place: Olivia Vissering
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
Sixth
Seventh
Eight
Ninth
SHOWMANSHIP Senior
Champion Showman: Maddox Hartmann
Second Place: Sara Aultman
Third Place: Camille Burns
Fourth Place: Caiden Pickett
Fifth Place: Jayce Krauskopf
Sixth Place: Kaily Critendon
Champion Showman: Ali Tiemann
Second Place: Truitt Marks
Third Place: Hollis Cowell
Fourth Place: Bo McBee
Fifth Place: Katherine Allen
Sixth Place: Claire Schneider
Seventh Place: Kenley Pfiel
Eight Place: Mady Johnson
Ninth Place: Klaire Horner
Tenth Place: Alexis Bandi
SHOWMANSHIP Senior (continued)
Seventh Place: Kayla Sansom
Eight Place: Bram Christensen
Ninth Place: Carter Aucoin
Tenth Place: Shelby Oglesby
SHOWMANSHIP Intermediate Division
Showman: Emily Jackson
Second Place: Mckenzie Tiemann
Third Place: Gracie Johnson
Fourth Place: Madelyn Eskew
Fifth Place: Carlee Taylor
Sixth Place: Jenna Jennings
Seventh Place: Isabelle Parkey
Eight Place: Carly Metting
Ninth Place: Lilly Leal
Tenth Place: Reid Warr
SULLIVAN
SULLIVAN SUPPLY
SULLIVAN SUPPLY
by Jaxon Allen, IJBBA Ex-Officio
Getting to Know the NJBS Tradition
The National Junior Brangus Show is a tradition in which juniors and breeders from across the country come together for a week of sportsmanship, fellowship and fun. This year the National Junior Brangus Show, or NJBS as we all know it, was held in Waco, Texas. The “American Classic” was a success and allowed our membership to head home with a heart full of lifelong memories and knowledge that will allow them to be successful cattlemen and women in an evergrowing and much needed industry.
There are many things that make NJBS the special and much-loved tradition it is today, but the most important and my personal favorite is our Brangus Family. I have attended many junior national shows hosted by other breed associations, but I can attest personally they are nothing compared to the compassion and respect shown by our Brangus juniors, breeders and enthusiasts. Whether someone who is attending their very first NJBS or their last, they can feel welcomed, loved, and supported by anyone throughout the barns. These past several years I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve and lead the IJBBA as a board member and president. I have been allowed the opportunity to work alongside my fellow board members, our IBBA staff, our IBBA Board of Directors and our IBA members; most importantly I have been blessed to work alongside the juniors, breeders and commercial producers who make the IBBA the special family it is.
The National Junior Brangus Show is the highlight of our year and an event where there is much to be gained. First and foremost, our mission as a junior board is to allow young cattlemen and women to gain knowledge and skills they can utilize in this industry. Contests such as skill-a-thon, salesmanship, speech, job interview, and computer-generated advertisements are all designed with the purpose of allowing the contestant to better themselves and learning a new skill that can assist them in becoming a successful member of a diverse industry. Secondly, the networking and relationship building opportunities available to our juniors at NJBS cannot be found anywhere else. These are all compelling reasons why I challenge our Brangus juniors and breeders to encourage others to attend and participate in our loved and
long-standing tradition.
Now I’d be foolish to say NJBS does not come without its challenges, but the reward is well worth it.
Our IJBBA Board of Directors and our fearless leader Lori Edwards-Dunkerley begin planning the National Junior Brangus Show just a few weeks after the prior NJBS has concluded. Every detail is planned out and thought upon carefully, and there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work done at NJBS that many will not see. However, all this work and planning is well worth our time when we get to see the enjoyment and fulfillment of our Brangus Family throughout the week. As for the challenges our exhibitors may face, I believe the biggest to be stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. It can be tough trying new things and getting to know new people. As someone who came into this breed not knowing anyone and now serving as the IJBBA Ex-Officio, here is a piece of advice, “Try that new contest, get to know your neighbor in the barns, get involved as an ambassador, board member or volunteer. Opportunities will await you behind every closed door, all you must do is open it!”
As I am preparing to retire from the board next year in West Monroe at Brangus On the Bayou, I have been able to reflect on the memories made and challenges faced and I can attest, I would not change a single thing. From the great mentors I have had, friends I have made, and skills gained, I can only simply say thank you. I am preparing to make this last year the best one yet and live it to the fullest, and I challenge each of you to do the same. Live life to the fullest, seize every opportunity, and make the most out of everything. I hope to see you all at Brangus On the Bayou next year!
Waco, Texas | Photography by Lindsay Hanewich
NATIONAL JUNIOR BRANGUS SHOW 2024
Bred & Owned, Ultra, Percentage & Steer Judge: Jennifer Bedwell | Owned Judge: Blake Nelson | Supreme Judge:
Supreme Female
Grand Champion Brangus Female
KK LIVIN THE DREAM 157L2
McKenzie Tiemann, Brenham, Texas
Third Overall Supreme Heifer
Grand Champion Bred & Owned Female
RAFTER L VEGA JO 157K4
Maddox Hartmann, Falls City, Texas
Reserve Champion Brangus Female
TCR FLORA 302L14
Georgia Carrasco, Angleton, Texas
Reserve Supreme Overall Female
Grand Champion Brangus Cow-Calf Pair
ACC REESES 649J8
Cleavie Allen, Crockett, Texas
Fourth Overall Supreme Heifer
Reserve Champion Brangus Cow-Calf Pair
JCF MS JOSIES ENCORE 193K
Gracie Johnson, New Ulm, Texas
Grand Champion Red Brangus Female
TAJO LOLA 204L
Truitt Jaynes Marks, Waxahachie, Texas
Fifth Overall Supreme Heifer
Reserve Champion Bred & Owned Female
6B MS WOODFORD 313L
Eris Basey, Florence, Texas
Reserve Champion Red Brangus Female
DOS XXS DYNAMITES PENNY
Garrett Stutts, Iola, Texas
Carlos Ojea Rullan
Grand Champion Ultra Female JJ MS FIRST CLASS 3227L Emily Jackson, Gentry, Arkansas
Reserve Champion Red Bred & Owned Female RKM MISS PRIMROSE 841L
Paul J. Willett of McKinney, Texas passed away August 27, 2024 at the age of 86. He was born to Joe Celestine and Rosa Marie (Freppon) Willett on June 15, 1938 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Paul married Pasty Sue Newland on February 14, 1959 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was of the Catholic faith and was a member of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in McKinney, Texas.
Paul is survived by his daughter, Suzanne Beasley and husband, Harrison of Sherman, Texas; son, Jeff Willett and wife, Paula of McKinney, Texas; son, Tony Willett and wife, Meg of Little Elm, Texas; seven grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; brother, George Willett of Pittsboro, North Carolina; and sister, Elaine Willett of Jonesboro, Arkansas.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Patsy Sue Willett and his son, Timmy Willett, sister, Rose Marie O’Neill, and brother, Harold Willett.
$50
$50
JOHN MILAM, OWNER
Grady Green, Ranch Manager 870-314-3673 | grady@dragginmranch.com El Dorado, Arkansas www.dragginm.com 2020 IBBA Top ET Breeder
MISSOURI - OKLAHOMA - TEXAS
Joe Cavender, Owner
Justin Matejka, General Manager | 903-521-1070
Mark Cowan, Marketing & Customer Service | 903-810-2413 1200 CR 4716 • Troup, TX 75789 | CavenderRanches.com
