The Angus Conversation

Sometimes you hear history second-hand, and sometimes you get to talk to people who lived it. In this episode, Keith Evans shares a little of both. As a 36-year employee of the American Angus Association public relations department he had a unique vantage for many big changes through the years. He first covers early history from proxy voting to the move to St. Joseph, before switch

Genetic innovation in animal agriculture is moving at a faster-than-ever pace, and this episode digs into the history of performance testing while exploring new technologies like computer vision, microbiome analysis and ways to collect more commercial phenotypes. The discussion covers the challenges of more data, including the labor and expense of proposing new traits, along with t

Red meat yield has always mattered to the beef industry, but there have only been mediocre tools available to quantify it. This episode covers the surprising history of the subjective measurement before switching to new technology that could completely modernize the system for the better. Every breeder knows the way to drive directional change is to first start with good data, and

The cattle feeding business has not been a smooth ride throughout the years, but Joe Morgan and now his son, Grant, have found ways to ride the waves by putting the needs of their customers first. This episode covers more than four decades of cattle feeding history — the high interest rates of the ’80s, the poor beef demand of the ’90s, and so on. At every junction, Poky Feed

As the breed continues to make progress, the American Angus Association Board of Directors meets quarterly to provide direction on projects that will keep the Angus breed on top. This episode covered a lot of ground, including these topics: Ongoing research in Angus Genetics Inc., from validation studies to ongoing bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) work Crafting a data recogni

When Lorna Marshall, Cody Sankey or Don Trimmer hit the road for the bull studs they represent, they’re out to acquire the next great genetic package for their customers. How do they choose? How do they compete with each other and remain friends? What happens next after they’ve made a significant investment? This episode covers all of that, along with their take on the beef-on-

As COVID-19-related cancellations mounted in 2020, it was clear exhibitors wanted a place to show and cattlemen needed a place to sell. In the state of Oklahoma, breeders got busy working their connections, and soon Cattlemen’s Congress was born. Now in its fourth year, the event featured record numbers and record-high sale averages this January. It has become a place of camarade

Wildfires, floods, hurricanes, tornados – when natural disasters hit cattle country, it hurts. Lives and livelihoods are changed, sometimes in mere seconds. Today’s guests, Callie Carson of Laurel Springs, N.C., and Steve Herbst, Salmon, Idaho, talk about the hope that exists in those spaces. From everybody saddling up horses to evacuate ahead of a fire to the donations that po

Starting out in the Angus industry wasn’t easy in the 1980s and 1990s, but as the old adage goes: where there is a will, there is a way. Doug Schroeder, of Clarence, Iowa, and Charlie Boyd, of Mays Lick, Ky., talk about the beginnings of their businesses and the opposite end of that continuum, transitioning to the next generation. They cover the tough decisions they had to make w

Industry consultant Nevil Speer helps illustrate the story of the transformation of the nation’s cowherd during the last decade or so, and Oklahoma producer Jimmy Taylor shares his personal example. Rising to meet consumer expectations has been a self-fulfilling prophecy, where better beef begets more demand, but there are other considerations. Can you have the carcass and the co