MISSOURI’S OWN WALL STREET

by B. Lynn Gordon

A new Angus herd and beef restaurant brings excitement to cattle country.

It is a long way from New York City, but this Wall Street is located right where it needs to be - in the heart of cattle country. Located in one of the nation’s most populated cow/calf states and where Angus cattle have a long history, Wall Street Cattle Co., was founded by Eddie and Ann Marie Currier, and son, Adam near Lebanon, Mo.

Eddie knew one day, he wanted to own a ranch and raise cattle, but he had to wait until 2016 to make that wish come true. Growing up exposed to Angus cattle on the family farm from the time he was twelve years old, it was his childhood dream to one day get back to agriculture. However, his love for agriculture was sidelined for many years due to his focus on developing other successful business opportunities in Florida. The Currier family owns and operates Southwest Florida’s largest residential tile roofing business in Ft. Myers, with a staff of approximately 300 team members.

Now, in just four short years, the entire Currier family is actively engaged in achieving the vision and mission of Wall Street Cattle Co. Joining Eddie and Ann Marie are sons, Adam, his wife Krista, and their children Bailey, Dace and Aspen and Tyler, his wife Lisa and their daughter, Charlotte.

LOCATING LAND

Currier had followed the beef cattle industry enough to know that Angus cattle was the breed he wanted to raise, plus he had ties to Angus from his childhood. He knew people were drawn to Angus because of the amazing marketing done by Certified Angus Beef® and the tremendous strides made by the American Angus Association to improve and align herds and provide a database on animals that was second to none.

Choosing the breed was the easy part; the challenge was finding the right location. “It was our desire to find land in the heart of cattle country, central to other beef producing states, and close to interstates,” says Eddie. Second, was finding an area that was still farm-based and open to agriculture where land was affordable and available. “We were looking to find a better way to make the family farm survive during these trying times,” says Eddie.

A chance meeting with a longtime local agriculturalist, Sam Lower, lead to the identification of ranch land for sale that was suitable to their needs has now become the headquarters location of Wall Street Cattle Co., near Lebanon, a small agricultural community about 45 minutes northeast of Springfield, Mo. Identifying land and then the opportunity for Eddie to meet the team from Heritage Bank of the Ozarks, a locally-owned Missouri bank, that specialized in farm lending rounded out the acquisition of a package that was aligned with Eddie’s vision and goals.

With land in hand, the operation was off and running to make the highest and best use of the land possible. “By using technology and by diversifying our portfolio we hope to stand out from the crowd in our diversified use of prime land.” Eddie believes he has found the ‘Wall Street’ of the cattle industry.

Wall Street Cattle Co put down roots in the heart of cattle country near Lebanon, MO.

“We are looking forward to a bright future in the beef industry with Wall Street Cattle genetics and beef.”

GROWING THE HERD

With the ranch acquisition complete, next was building a registered Angus herd. “Our primary goal was to work to increase our herd size and the quality of the genetics offered to the industry,” says Adam. That meant selection criteria centered on good structured, docile cattle that excel in the documented traits important to the Angus breed. With this focus they could produce animals that will add depth to any producer’s program and continue to improve Angus genetics in registered herds throughout the county.

The operation zeroed in on calving ease as well. “We focus on calving ease without sacrificing growth and performance as an important part of herd management,” says Adam. “99% of our calves are born unassisted in pastures, and as we say this allows them to ‘thrive and survive’.

With a cowherd grown to more than 1,000 head in just four years the management team has also grown. The Currier family brought on Ryan Gartrell to serve as chief operating officer. Vince Roberts serves as general manager and his wife, Janet, is the farm secretary. Shawn Johnston fulfills the duties as assistant farm manager. “WSC has brought in people with diverse backgrounds in agriculture, business, and operations to give us a multifaceted approach to running our operation. Our well-rounded staff helps us stand out from the crowd,” says Eddie.

Adam notes, “Our team works diligently to build a full-package animal that harnesses all of the high value animal traits producers are looking for.”

Selection of females to create WSC’s foundation herd began with searching out leading Angus programs, studying their roles and impacts in the breed regionally and nationally, and then acquiring animals either through production or private treaty sales to enter the WSC herd. “We knew with top-quality animals from the different regions we could develop cattle from that point that could go anywhere in the country,” says Adam. Bloodlines came from top herds like Schaff Angus Valley, Express Ranch, Gardiner Angus Ranch, and many others. WSC’s first Angus females were purchased from Friendship Farms of Georgia.

above Lebanon, MO is home to Wall Street Cattle Co., the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for the Currier family who are seeing lifelong dreams come to fruition with their Inaugural Sale on October 31, 2020.

The ranches’ focus was to use as much technology as they could such as enhanced EPDs but to also focus on the basics. “Cattle have to have good feet and legs to be a cow first,” says Adam. In all, the herd is phenotypically driven, but an emphasis is also placed on structure and genomics to make it at WSC and to be part of what the family is building towards the perfect Wall Street animal of the future, explains Adam.

INAUGURAL SALE

Excitement continues to build as Wall Street Cattle Co., becomes a thriving seedstock operation ready to host their inaugural sale on Saturday, October 31, 2020. “We waited until now to have our first sale because we wanted people to see where we were going with our genetics,” says Eddie.

The first offering will include two elite herd bull prospects that embody the WSC program plus 100 lots of females and choice of heifer calves. Many of the offspring are out of hot industry bulls in the breed such as America and Hometown.

above V A R Signal 7244, herd sire at W$C. His progeny and service sells in their Inaugural sale on October 31.

The family is excited about their first public-offering and want to welcome everyone to come out to see the cattle, have dinner on them, enjoy the special country music concerts, and support the beef movement in Missouri and in America.

A springtime offering of 100 bulls and 20-40 replacement females is on the docket as well. “We are looking forward to a bright future in the beef industry with Wall Street Cattle genetics and beef,” says Eddie. “Everything we have done is dad and I, literally it’s a family thing and our team here,” says Adam. “It’s multiple people speaking as one voice here - one goal with different perspectives.”

Wall Street Cattle Co will hold their Inaugural Sale on October 31, 2020 at the ranch in Lebanon, Missouri.

THE EXCHANGE @ Wall Street

Those attending the October sale will witness another exciting venture taking place ̶ The Exchange at Wall Street.

Re-locating to central Missouri, the family realized the area offered limited access to restaurants, especially those presenting options for a meal featuring high-quality Angus beef. What began as the idea to build a small event kitchen on the ranch, grew into the decision to build The Exchange – a 30,000-square-foot private event space located on a 30-acre tract of land inside the ranch, suitable for hosting events like concerts, weddings, corporate functions, and other special events.

Eddie’s vision of The Exchange is to create a meeting place for cattlemen – promoting USA beef and agriculture ̶ a place where cattlemen with all breeds, from all places can come together and advance the beef business in Missouri and the U.S. for meetings, discussions, and events.

Cattlemen will be introduced to the venue, with a kick-off concert to be held the evening before the sale (October 30th) featuring Nashville music artists, Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin, and Collin Raye, with their Roots & Boots Tour. In 2021, this multi-use event venue is slated to provide 12 national music acts in concert in the outdoor amphitheater that seats over 1,600 people.

TABLE TO FARM

Inside The Exchange is the Day Traders Grill, a 150-person, full-service, dine-in restaurant serving lunch and dinner seven days a week. “We have flipped the focus of ‘farm-to-table’ to ‘tableto-farm’,” says Adam. The family is welcoming locals and others to visit the restaurant on the farm, to not only enjoy a delicious meal prepared by two industry leading chefs but to learn more about agriculture and bring consumers and producers together. They have gathered feedback from the local community in sculpting the menu to fit the needs and preferences of future diners, with an emphasis on featuring local ingredients. Future goals are to feature Wall Street Cattle Co beef.

The Exchange at Wall Street Cattle Co