Angus Ancestry

Angus Ancestry

by Melissa McGee Buehler

September 2019

Photos courtesy of Conley Cattle

Kyle & Amanda Conley tap into their rich Angus heritage to grow their business.

Conley Cattle was founded in 2006 by Kyle and Amanda (Penner) Conley. Their families’ roots run deep in the Angus business. Kyle is a third generation registered Angus breeder. His grandfather, William, Sr., started in 1944 at the Gibbet Hill Farm in Massachusetts and continued there until Kyle’s father, Bill, bought the Gibbet Hill herd in the mid-1990s. Bill continues to manage his herd in northwest Missouri near Clarksdale.

Amanda is a fifth generation Angus breeder with her family transitioning to Angus in 1912. She grew up on the Penner Ranch in Mill Creek, the oldest business in Oklahoma. The Penner Ranch ran Hereford and Red Durham cattle in the early years of the operation. Felix Penner purchased the first Angus cattle in 1912 and began noticing the black cattle only had to move to water every other day versus daily like the red cattle. He eventually phased all red-haired cattle out of the herd.

Kyle and Amanda Conley with sons Case and Jack.

After completion of their college degrees from Oklahoma State University, Kyle and Amanda moved to Oklahoma, close to Amanda’s family operation, but still work closely work with Bill’s operation in Missouri. Conley Cattle is located near Sulphur, Oklahoma, nestled in the foothills of the Arbuckle Mountains. This area is known for high quality native limestone pasture and productive Bermuda grass.

Kyle and Amanda were both active members of the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) throughout their youth and showed at numerous junior nationals. The couple credits the NJAA for giving them the opportunity to meet and get to know one another.

Kyle had some success over the years and received the Silver Pitcher in 2000 and 2002. He was Premier Breeder in 1996 and 2001. Over the 11 years that Kyle exhibited cattle at the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), he won Grand Champion Owned Heifer 1993, Reserve Champion Bull 1998, Reserve Champion Cow/Calf pair 1999 and 2001. Reserve Champion Bred & Owned Heifer 2001, Grand Champion Cow/Calf 2002, Reserve Champion Bull 2004 and a multitude of Division Champions. Kyle also served on the NJA board of directors as the Foundation Chair in 2002.

Amanda also had some success and beat her husband in 2001 by showing the Champion Bred & Owned Heifer at the NJAS.

Angus has been an easy and natural choice for the Conleys given their rich heritage and the unparalleled qualities of the Angus cow. Kyle says,

The Angus cow rises above other breeds for function, maternal instinct, and marketability. Obviously, Angus are known for marbling and superior carcass traits in the beef industry, but the true highlight of being an Angus breeder is carrying on the friendships with the people in the breed that have been in the business for multiple generations like our family. They are second to none!

Each step of the way, Conley Cattle has been committed to providing their customers with high-quality seedstock that can compete in the showring and be functional and useful in the pasture. It is their goal to provide any available information and technology to prospective buyers to be competitive in this seedstock market. Conleys provide weights, DNA parentage, AHIR (Angus Herd Improvement Records), and genomic testing to stay current with Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs).

To meet the demands of some commercial bull customers, the Conleys have implemented a Sim-Angus breeding program. Although they are producing F-1 crosses, the focus remains to balance EPDs with sound, productive and attractive maternal cattle. By providing these Sim-Angus bulls, customers have more to choose from if they are looking to add pounds to their calf crop at weaning time.

Some notable females that have impacted the Conley herd include, BC Pure Pride 304, KNC Sandy 804, PR Lady 909 (original Mulben Pride), PR Penner Ernestine 3496, Silveiras S Sandy 2355, and Conley Sandy 5104.

above 2016-2017 ROV show heifer of the year, Conley Sandy 5104, bred by Conley Cattle.

In addition to the maternal strength backing these females, you will find a set of herd bulls that have a lot to offer. SMA Watchout, the 2016 Grand Champion bull at the National Western Stock Show, has an awesome set of females in his first calf crop. Other sires that have impacted the herd include, BC Lookout 7024, Penners Double Black 2257, EXAR Blue Chip 1877B, 5T Power Chip 4790, Stevenson Turning Point, SMA Watchout 482, Conley Express 7211.

NWSS Champion Angus Bull

The Conleys are members and stay involved in the American Angus Association, American Simmental Association, and the Oklahoma Angus Association. They also get off the ranch to show some cattle throughout the year. Conleys often exhibit a pen of bulls in the yards in Denver and some cattle on the hill show as well. They also keep up with their customers’ successes. Conleys bred the 2016-2017 Roll of Victory (ROV) Show Heifer of the Year, Conley Sandy 5104, 2016-2017 ROV show sire of the year, and 2008 show sire of the year.

Marketing cattle that fit the needs of the commercial bull buyer is a focus of the program. The bull sale is the 1st Saturday in February held in conjunction with Penner Ranch. The bull market has vastly grown in the last five years from selling private treaty to an annual bull sale of 75 registered lots and 300 Penner Ranch commercial bred heifers. Conleys bull customers are mainly local ranchers who appreciate fertility, phenotype, low both weight, high weaning weight, and moderate yearling weight bulls. Some of the top end bulls go to bull studs and top breeders around the United States. The 2019 top-selling bulls, Conley Extra Point 8105 went to Genex, Conley South Point 8362 went to Wilbar and Poplar Meadows of Canada, and Hyline Ranch of Montana purchased Conley Hyline 8045.

The annual female sale is September 21st held at Conley Cattle. The female sale offers a select set of 40 open show and donor females as well as a group of 15 bred heifers with some performance cattle also offered. Conleys will host their third sale of the year with an Angus Live online sale in the late fall, offering late spring show heifers, select semen, and rare embryos. Kyle and Amanda invite you to Sulphur to visit and view their operation. They enjoy visiting about Angus cattle and learning more about their customers’ operations.

It's a full house on sale day at Conley Cattle.

As the family looks toward the future in the Angus business, Kyle hopes that his two sons will become part of the operation and be involved in the NJAA when they get a little older. Kyle commented,

“We look forward to our sons, Case and Jack, continuing this way of life.”

He also hopes to continue the female sale in the fall and expand the bull sale in the winter as the demands for seedstock and commercial females grow.

Jack and Case Conley

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“The true highlight of being an Angus breeder is carrying on the friendships with the people in the breed that have been in the business for multiple generations like our family. They are second to none!”

Kyle Conley and his sons in the Yards at the NWSS in Denver.

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learn more - conleycattle.com

Conley Cattle Co. will hold its Fall Production Sale on Saturday, September 21, 2019 at the ranch in Sulphur, OK.

Turn to page 28 for additional sale information or contact Kyle at 580.618.4533.

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