14 minute read
HIGH POINT GENETICS
by Doug Ward
Doug@ABPmag.com
photos courtesy of Brian Oswald
It was a beautiful Saturday morning in February 2020 and I was headed to High Point Genetics 12th Annual Angus-SimAngus Bull Sale in Osceola, IA to find a new herd bull for a friend. In addition offering insurance to other bull buyers on their purchases. As I made the four-hour trip to Osceola, I didn’t see many beef cows along the way. I was driving through corn and bean country USA, mile after mile of flat country. As I drove south of Des Moines on Interstate 35, the countryside began to change. Hills appeared “just like that” and I sensed I was entering Cow Country. After about thirty miles, I took exit #33 onto Highway #34 and headed to the east edge of Osceola. 1071 Harken Hills Drive is the location of the High Point Genetics Angus and SimAngus cattle operation. It is nestled between the beautiful rolling hills, the municipal golf course and Osceola housing developments right on top of a hill. That view is something to see...
As I drove up the lane to the auction location, I saw an English Tudor-style barn that obviously was built decades before. It was crafted of red brick, stucco and white painted diagonal trim boards. I took out my camera and started taking pictures so I could show and tell people about this historic place. This is where the High Point Genetics Bull Sale was to be held.
Now, “fast forward 10 Months.” I needed something to write about! Boom! I’ve got it! I’ll phone Brian Oswald. “Hey Brian, Doug Ward here! I want to do an article about you, your cow-calf operation and the history of the Harken Farm and Barn!” So, back down to Southern Iowa I go on another beautiful day.
As I approach the street sign Harken Hills Drive, I see the huge black bull and the sign above him saying “High Point Genetics.” As I drive up the street and onto the lane and circle drive, I see another sign saying “Harken Hills Ranch, Dan Oswald Family.” I met Brian near the bunk house office where I sat down with him and asked “So what’s with the Harken Hills Ranch?” Brian began explaining that this farm property was previously owned by Dr. C.R. Harken, a well-known Osceola native who returned to Osceola to practice medicine in the 1930’s. Doc loved Angus cattle and built the farmstead to suit his own taste. In 1935, Doc hired a carpenter by the name of Klinebeck from nearby Murray, Iowa to build the Tudor-style barn which he completed in 1937. At the time of the barn’s construction, it was one of the most modern beef facilities around. It could be converted from a working cattle facility to a 1,000-person sale facility in a matter of hours. During the years that Doc practiced medicine in the area, many of his patients were unable to pay their medical bills, so Doc would let them work off their debt on the farm. With their help, the place was manicured to look beautiful. Those same folks would help care for Doc’s Angus cow herd.
Often visiting Doc and his cow herd was J. C. Penney. Penney was the founder of JC Penney department stores. He also had an Angus cow herd near Hamilton, Missouri. Penney was a bull customer of Doc, and Doc, likewise, purchased cattle from Penney. The Harken cattle were often shown by Doc’s employees at various shows including the International Stock Show in Chicago. The Southern Iowa Angus Association used the farmstead as their headquarters since the barn could be converted to a sale arena with bleachers on both sides and chairs above in the mezzanine and included the authentic auction block which is still used at High Point sales today.
Our family’s first recollection of the property came while looking for pasture ground in the mid 1970’s. After Doc passed away, his family sold his farms. Ownership of this farm changed hands several times over the next nearly twenty years. Following the farm crisis of the 80’s, a local Savings and Loan took ownership. When the Savings and Loans folded, the Resolution Trust Company was put in charge of the Savings and Loan assets. Therefore, the farm was in limbo for years while the RTC was in control. The farmstead grew up to weeds and vandals and thieves damaged and stole from the historic barn. Brian remembers coming with his dad to see the deserted place. The weeds were so tall you could hardly see many buildings, fences, the house or smaller sheds. The residence had a look that somewhat matched the barn, but it was in such bad shape that it was unsalvageable. In the barn, stalls and floors had not been cleaned for years and the hay lofts were full of dusty, old, worthless hay. Memorabilia still laid in the barn office and bunk rooms. Pictures of champion bulls and a show steer survived the deterioration. There was one photograph of Doc showing a prize bull to JC Penney in front of the historic barn.
High Point Cache - Top selling Bull from 2019 sale to Semex in Canada
The Harken Farm Headquarters was purchased by Brian’s parents, Dan and Dianne Oswald in 1992. Famous artist, P Buckley Moss painted the barn and donated a print to the local fairgrounds fundraiser. Restoration of the farm has been a work in progress. Today the farm is entirely a grass farm. There are green hills everywhere you look. New livestock handling facilities have been added to the original farmstead. Brian and I walked around looking at the newly added buildings, fences, gates and working facilities. I could see that a lot of time and thought went into the planning and building. It looked very user and cow friendly to me. I could see how cattle would move quietly and smoothly through the system without bottlenecks or obstacles along the way. Brian and his very capable herdsman, Curt Widmer, have a very good place to work and display cattle. Large cattle lots tie into the alleyways, the working shed and the calving barn.
Today the High Point Genetics herd consists of 450 registered females of which 75% are Angus and 25% are SimAngus. Having always raised cattle, Brian’s father Dan came from North Central Iowa, and his Grandfather Art was born in Nebraska, coming to Iowa as a teen during the depression. The cattle business is in their blood and it is what Brian always wanted to be a part of. Being a kid in the 80’s was difficult. Those years were hard for all people in agriculture. Graduating from High School in 1987, Brian could vividly remember his parents encouraging him to pursue a career outside of agriculture. He was recruited to play ball at Central College in Pella. Pella was closer to home and he could come home to help his dad on weekends. He decided to go to Central and major in Business Administration. He liked Central college and especially the athletic programs at Central where he played football for one of his favorite people, Hall of Fame coach, Ron Schipper. When graduating from college with a degree in hand, he went to work for Farmers Home Administration for a year in two different counties. Next, an Osceola bank offered him a job. At that time his parents were looking to purchase the Harken
Farm. His dad thought that working locally would be good as he really needed help with the cowcalf operation, therefore Brian was back at the farm! Brian and Mindy were married in July of 1992. Here, they’ve raised two children Jacob and Megan. Jake lives and works in Minneapolis and Megan and husband Eddie live and work nearby and are expecting their first child, Brian and Mindy’s first grandchild, in July. Having graduated from college in 1991 and landing a desk job, it took a full year to get used to “sitting there.” For Brian, going home at 5 PM, putting on your chore coat and boots, is when he begins to feel like himself again. With the purchase of the old abandoned Harken farm with the historic Tudor-style barn, there were lots of repairs and clean-up to do. They had 150 cows and a John Deere 2640 tractor, no frontwheel assist! The 70-horse tractor was the only piece of equipment they had to take care of the 150 cows. Later, Brian bought a John Deere 4020 tractor to add to the John Deere 2640. Fences all over the farm were bad, water lines and roofs on buildings all leaked. They were pretty much starting all over again! It was good that Brian had his local job. After growing up in the 80’s and now having a business degree, Brian understood the finances of the cattle business.
When Brian’s dad started out in the cow-calf business, he had Hereford and later, Simmental cattle, the traditional red and white Simmentals. In the early 90’s Brian met and became friends with a local Angus breeder, Dick Bell. Dick had served as President of the American Angus Association in 1976 and 1977. He was one of the few two-term presidents of the association. This was a time when performance records on cattle were just beginning to be implemented. Previously, Dick was one of few that had the foresight to breed Angus cattle with more performance in them, making them able to compete with larger breeds. Dick was a good friend of Dale Davis of Rollin’ Rock and Fred Johnson of Summitcrest Farms, two Angus breeders with performance cattle at the time. Dick was highly thought of in the Angus world. Having met Dick in the 90’s, he and Dick formed a good friendship over the years. Dick had dispersed most of his cows when he had developed emphysema, his wife had passed away and he’d lost his two sons. Brian looked forward to heading over to see his friend Dick Bell. They would always jump into the truck and head to the pastures to look at Dick’s Angus cattle. Dick loved looking at the cattle and talking about them. Brian liked Dick’s Angus cattle and started buying some of his own to compliment the SimAngus program. Brian looked to Dick as a mentor. Another great Angus breeder that Brian considered a mentor was Vance Uden of the TC Ranch in Franklin, NE. When their family would take trips out west and their kids were little, a highlight of each trip was stopping to see Vance and Connie. Vance would always give them a tour and show off his bull calves out on pasture. The TC cattle had performance and “the look” that Brian sought. Vance’s cattle were unique in their kind and he appreciated the way Vance and Connie treated people. Brian strives to treat his customers the same way, as friends. Over the years Brian purchased several herd bulls and groups of cows from Vance. Often, he bought Vance’s older cows that had produced offspring exhibited in their carloads at the National Western in Denver.
While building the foundation for High Point Genetics, Brian had the good fortune to hand pick the top 45 cows from the Silbernagel Angus Farm in ND. Butch was well known in North Dakota and had one of the top performance herds in the state. The day Butch and Barb Silbernagel made the difficult decision to sell their angus herd, a bull stud representative and friend of Brian, happened to stop by their ranch. Butch told the rep of his plans to retire and sell his herd. When the rep left Butch’s ranch, he stopped at the end of the driveway and called Brian telling him about the opportunity. The rep said, “The bull calves from the Silbernagel cows are the biggest, stoutest group I’ve seen! You might want to call Butch. He’s honest and he’s a really good cowman so just give him a call.” So, Brian called Butch that same night. Butch asked “Where are you from and how on earth did you hear about our decision to sell?” Brian and Butch had a nice visit and by that weekend Brian had arrived in Napolean, ND to meet Butch and Barb. They gave Brian production records on each cow in the herd. This purchase helped jump started the High Point Genetics herd. Their added length and performance matched what Brian was striving for. Many descendants of those original cows now strengthen the foundation for Brian’s herd.
Dr. CR Harken and JC Penney
Brian, now 51, has main- tained a career in lending for 30 years. For 15 years he held a leadership position at Great Western Bank, and for the past 11 years has worked for Farm Credit Services of America, which allows him to work from his home office. His understanding of the finance part of farming allows him to be in touch with the kind of cattle that “pay the bills.” As Brian’s time has always been limited, it put more pressure on the cows; if they did not perform or if they acted up or were a problem, they did not stick around. Brian simply did not have time to babysit his cows. High Point herdsman, Curt Widmer, has been with Brian as a full-time employee about 1 ½ years. Brian is fortunate to have as talented and versatile a teammate as Curt. Prior to Curt, part time and weekend help were utilized over the years with many challenges. Once Brian gets off work from his day job, he switches hats and is out to the farm to do what he truly loves, working with and raising good cattle. That schedule could be hard on a marriage, but Brian says his wife Mindy is the most patient woman you will ever meet. Most wives wouldn’t put up with his schedule, but Mindy knows that this is the only thing he has ever wanted to do, to raise cattle. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been very rewarding.
Whether High Point customers sell their calves as feeders or feed them to finish, they still sell by the pound. If these cattle do not perform and gain, they aren’t going to make money. That’s where High Point bulls consistently add performance and stretch to their calves and above all, profitability! High Point cattle are bred to have easy going dispositions and to be structurally sound. Replacement heifers must have good udders and calm temperaments. Artificial insemination allows balanced trait selection methods used in breeding. No single trait selection is used. When it comes to selecting breeding stock, “Use your own eyes. If you go to a sale and find yourself kicking the dirt about a bull-buying decision, should I or shouldn’t I buy him, you need to get in your truck and head home. But, if you really like the bull, find a way to own him.” This was solid advice Vance Uden told Brian years ago, “Always go with your gut feeling.” Both spring and fall calving seasons are utilized. Brian doesn’t breed for the show ring but breeds cattle that are easy to look at. Artificial insemination and genomics are used heavily. All females are individually mated. Visual appraisal and genetic composition are taken into account when making mating decisions.
Brian doesn’t cut corners. He is never satisfied with good enough. The seedstock business is very time consuming and it consistently calls for implementation of ideas that will save time and make cattle better ultimately adding profit to the customer’s bottom line. Last February on that Saturday sale day morning, when I walked into that first pen of High Point Genetics bulls, I knew that someone had spent years of sweat and hours and hours making the right breeding decisions necessary to raise bulls that have a norm of consistency, like these bulls showed from the first pen to the last. Rest assured you can buy bulls with confidence at High Point Genetics. Customers return year after year to purchase their bulls because they know they are raised right in large open lots and pastures allowing their future herd bulls to get plenty of exercise. You need to make a trip to High Point Genetics in Osceola, IA to see this outstanding cow herd. Better yet, visit www.highpointbulls.com to see and request their 2021 Bull Sale catalog. Also check out their farm photos and videos of each of the bulls selling on February 27 in the historic Harken Barn in Harken Hills. You will not be disappointed. Lunch is served before the 1 PM Bull Sale and the barn is heated. If you are unable to attend the sale you can bid online.
