Cannon Valley Ranch, Premium Beef

CANNON VALLEY RANCH

GOODHUE, MN

PREMIUM BEEF

Tim McCray Tim@ABPmag.com

Honestly, I’ve started and restarted this story 100 times in my head, and even a few times on “paper”. Some would call it writer’s block, but that would insinuate I’m worthy of that title. To be really honest, Derek was the one who suggested it, and it seemed like a good tie in with a story he was working on. So while he was in Idaho visiting a ranch and working on an article about Wagyu, I was visiting Cannon Valley Ranch in Goodhue, MN doing the same thing.

Cannon Valley Ranch (CVR) is well known for its Angus herd. So I was a bit surprised to hear Bruce Waugh, the owner of CVR tell me he was experimenting with some Wagyu a few years ago. I’ve been picking up freezer beef from CVR for a few years now, and it was one of these trips when I first heard that news. I was quite surprised when I ran into them at our state fair this year that their Akaushi beef was now more popular than their Angus. I immediately thought of their Angus herd turning over to Akaushi. What Bruce meant was that their meat sales had taken off, and we’re selling more retail Wagyu beef than Angus. What we hear and our interpretation of what we hear are often two different things.

The pandemic has changed some buying habits, and no doubt, some good has come out of that as ranchers all across America have seen an increase in freezer beef, as grocery store shelves were getting bare in the early stages. Those that already had slots set up at their local butcher shop’s were ahead of the curve and the rest that didn’t - struggled to find openings.

Bruce & LeeAnn, and their sons Aaron & Taylor all play an active role in the operations at CVR. Taylor likes handling the cows and helps out on a daily basis managing the herd. Aaron likes the beef side of the business and has been instrumental in setting up opportunities for marketing their beef from the ranch. Aaron started working at a microbrewery in Rochester, MN which now serves primarily CVR beef to their customers. A good friend of Aaron’s happened to manage the Rochester farmers market and suggested they try some beef sales there as well. Daughter Lindsay lives with her husband Shane Maddock and their children in North Dakota and utilize some of the Cannon Valley Ranch genetics in their herd.

Rochester, MN is kind of a unique, perfect scenario city. I know this fairly well, as it’s also my boyhood home. Headquarters to Mayo Clinic, there is a constant flow of patients coming in for extended periods. Rochester seemed to be unaffected by any major financial crisis in the last century and kept its restaurants and farmer’s markets, alive and well so to speak. In an almost perfect storm scenario, the pandemic, CVR’s location, and their ability to venture into the Akaushi beef business has set them up in an ideal situation. Not only has the public been intrigued by the Japanese beef, but the never-ending supply of patients has also introduced buyers to CVR from far across the US. LeeAnn also tells me they met a customer through social media from New Jersey. He would fly out to Minneapolis, and they met him at baggage claim, filled his coolers, and then he flew home. Customers like that return every week to buy CVR beef at the local market. As I said, I was picking up my own supply, and of course I also desired some Wagyu myself, for “inspiration”. I slightly overcooked it. Just slightly, but it was still very tender and delicious. The tenderness was an extra benefit, as I had been nursing a toothache for a few days. My first taste, and I’m 100% sure I’ll be back for more.

There was some discussion about going out to the pasture to check on the herd. Bruce suggested LeeAnn take me out in their side by side, I suggested we take the jeep so we could all fit. LeeAnn drove, and I may have sold another. I’m Still waiting on that commission from Jeep, but no luck so far. Their herd sire, “Kramers Empire” who was one of the top-selling bulls at Kramers Angus in 2021 posed for a quick photo. I hesitated to see if he was going to sign autographs, but he turned away. The rest of their uniform herd and a few oddball red-colored Akaushi posed for some remaining pictures.

While the demand for CVR’s Akaushi beef has been increasing, LeeAnn & Bruce assure me that they’re not getting out of the Angus business. Their annual female sale is coming up November 14th on SC Online Sales, and their annual bull sale at the ranch in Goodhue, MN on March 4th, 2023.