Cattleman’s Corner Radio

Shawn Booth on Getting Started Early

Listen in to this interview with Shawn Booth of Veteran, Wyoming.

From High Country to the Plains

Now let's check in with Dan Reardon of Rockin' R Red Angus, who had moved his operation from the high country in Colorado to just a few miles south of McGrew, Nebraska.
 
How did your sale go, Dan?
 
"We were really, really thrilled with the sale and how it went and the feedback on the bulls. You know, it was a really challenging time. The two days before the sale is when the big fire hit, and so friends and customers just scrambling and dealing with the fire, and we were kind of wondering on our end what we should do, and we decided to still hold the sale on that Saturday and on that fire started Thursday, and we were really blessed with the amount of people that showed up, the amount of people that bid, so we were really, really excited and really happy despite what was going on in the community. We definitely had some out-of-town buyers. We sold bulls as far east as Illinois, and obviously sold quite a few to Colorado and Kansas and a bunch to Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, so yeah, we had a pretty good representation as far as geography."
 
"I cannot speak highly enough of the crew over at Sugar Valley. We were very, very happy. We were extremely impressed with how professional they were. We feel like we found a home for sure for our sale. The people there were just so nice, so professional. We couldn't have asked for a better partnership than what they did for us over there."
 
That was Dan Reardon talking about the successful sale they had at Sugar Valley Stockyards in Gering, Nebraska. Find my longer interview with Dan on cattlemanscorner.com, as well as hundreds of other interviews.

Cole Epley - Diversified Operation

Buff Tuff Cattle Company Background

South Dakota Producer Troy Thomas

Troy Thomas is a seed stock producer from Thomas Ranch in South Dakota. They have a very diversified operation there with several breeds of cattle. So why so much diversity? 
 
"I guess we've tried to kind of diversify ourselves enough that we can supply bulls to people that are using different breeds and some crossbreeding systems. So what kind of breeds do you primarily focus on? We primarily have Charolais and Angus, but also have some Red Angus and some Simmental cattle. And I guess every year we're kind of surprised, you know, several customers, more than one breed, and kind of incorporate it into some different crossbreeding programs. Depending on what they want to add or what they're trying to do at the present time, we kind of try to fill all their bull needs if we can." 
 
So do you produce any crossbred bulls? 
 
"We've done a few. We've mainly stayed with the purebred registered side. The Simmental cattle, we're doing a little more of the SimAngus, the percentage cattle. But the majority of our cattle are purebred and all registered cattle." 
 
That was Troy Thomas, seed stock producer from South Dakota, on today's Cattleman's Corner.

Joe Klun on Gelbvieh Traits

Summary
On Cattleman’s Corner, Brian Hale interviews Joe Klun of Klun Cattle Company in Pueblo, Colorado, about the advantages of Gelbvieh cattle. Klun says he values the breed for its calving ease, growth, maternal efficiency, and ability to maintain condition in tough environments. He explains that his cows, weighing around 1,400 to 1,500 pounds, are versatile and perform well on a variety of rough grazing conditions. Klun also describes the harsh southern Colorado terrain, including poor grass, sagebrush, cactus, and abandoned river-bottom farmland, where the cattle have continued to thrive.
 
Transcript
Today we have Joe Klun from Klun Cattle Company, Pueblo, Colorado.
 
Tell me what you like about the Gelbvieh again. 
 
"There's just a lot. Good calving ease and the growth, and you get big, mature cows. I mean, the cows that I got, you know, they're probably weighing 1,400, 1,500 pounds, and they're easy fleshing. You can put them pretty much anywhere, and they'll work anywhere you take them. I haven't really had any trouble anywhere that they've been, really, which is a good thing, because I've been just chasing grass and getting pasture wherever I can, when I can. So the versatility of them is one thing that I've found."
 
Tell us about that tough country that you're in, actually. People might want to know what your conditions are like there in southern Colorado. 
 
"A lot of river bottom area. I mean, there's not good grass. It's been a lot of, like, Kochia Weed and just nothing good. Nothing that you really want to have cattle on, but it's something that, you know, all the good stuff is taken. You know, being a younger guy, if you weren't already in it, there's just not a lot of options. So I've had to take them to some pretty rough places, you know, lots of Sagebrush, lots of Cactus, or like I said, the river bottom where it used to be farm ground, and then they quit farming it, so now all that grows out there is Kochia Weed and Pigweed, but they handled that just fine."
 
Joe Klun from Klun Cattle Company.

The Key to the Operation

"My wife June is the key to the whole operation"
 
That is the impression that we received when talking with Gelbvieh breeder Roger Olsen of Platteville, Colorado. Roger is a Select Sire rep, while June runs the cattle operation on a day-to-day basis. 
 
Here is a transcript of today's conversation;
 
Now, here's Roger Olson again today from Mill Iron Lazy V Cattle Company.
 
"One of the things that I failed to mention, Brian, and she is the key to our whole operation, is my wife, June. My way of supporting the herd, I guess, is I am Select Sire Rep here in central Colorado. She kind of maintains the herd herself.  We couldn't do it without her. I didn't want to do an interview without mentioning her. This is a family operation, it's a heritage, it's a way of life."
 
Would you give it up for anything else? 
 
"No, I wouldn't. And you're right, it is a way of life. I've sold herds before, but I've always ended up with cows again. It's just, like you said, a way of life. And it's good people. I mean, the cattle people that we deal with on a daily basis, yeah, you're right, I wouldn't trade it for anything."
 
That was Roger Olson from Northeastern Colorado's Mill Iron Lazy V Cattle Company. 

Meet Gelbvieh Breeder Roger Olsen

Roger Olson's Cattle Operation: Roger Olson is involved in a family-run cattle business in eastern Colorado, operating the Mill Iron Lazy V Cattle Company. The operation specializes in registered Gelbvieh cattle, a breed chosen for its maternal traits, feed efficiency, and adaptability to pasture conditions. Despite challenges from area development and droughts, the cattle have performed well, and Olson maintains a mix of pasturing and feedlot strategies. They also host an annual bull sale, the Pot of Gold Bull Sale, which has been successful over the years, with strong sales of both bulls and heifers.
Broadcasting and Community Engagement: The interviewer, Brian from Hale Broadcasting, discussed how their radio broadcasting covers agriculture in multiple states, including a focus on cattle operations. Hale Broadcasting provides both radio and podcast formats to share insights from the agricultural community, emphasizing personal interviews rather than traditional news reports. The program celebrates a long heritage of cattle operations and promotes sharing stories and information within the community, highlighting its rootedness as a way of life.
Online Presence and Advertising: Roger Olson mentioned utilizing the website gelbviehbulls.net for promoting their annual bull sales. They also engage in various advertising channels, such as postcards and regional publications, with word-of-mouth playing a significant role in their sales success. Although initially lacking in social media engagement, Olson's operation recognizes the growing importance of digital presence.
Family and Heritage: A significant highlight is the role of family in the operation, with Roger attributing much of the success to his wife, June. This underscores the operations as not only a business endeavor but also a lifestyle choice deeply integrated with family values and traditions.
Transcript
Today we have Roger Olson, a Gelbvieh breeder from Colorado. How did you get started in the Gelbvieh, Roger? 
 
Well, in 1970, my dad bought a group of three-quarter blood Gelbvieh cattle from a gentleman in South Dakota. There was 75 head there. The Gelbvieh breed has always been really, really good for us. We've always just stayed with it. 
 
Why do you think that is? 
 
They check all the boxes, as far as maternal traits, feed gain, their do-ability as far as pastures are concerned, docile disposition, very fertile cattle. We have just a super breed up every year. The cows have just not ever let us down. Even drought years, like we are having this year, just having phenomenal calves. Like I said, they've always treated us very well. They've never disappointed. We have an annual bull sale, pot of gold bull sale, over in Montrose, Colorado, every year, last Friday in February. I have been doing that for 35 years and have just been a successful bull sale and sell feedstock. They've always just been really good for us. 
 
What kind of country is that where you are? Is that good for raising cattle? 
 
It was good at one time. We're being invaded by subdivisions and investment groups and stuff like that, so we're having a hard time as far as finding pasture and feed. It's becoming a challenge. 
 
Your location is Platteville. Where is that? 
 
Fifteen miles south of Greeley, up in the north central. 
 
That was Roger Olson from northeastern Colorado's Mill Iron Lazy V Cattle Company. 
 
That's going to do it for today's Cattleman's Corner.

Meet Gelbvieh Breeder Joe Klun

Joe, the owner of Klun Farms & Cattle, discussed his background and journey in the cattle business. Growing up on a farm that has been in his family since the 1900s, Joe has been involved with agriculture from an early age. After starting a separate career in telecommunications focusing on low-voltage fiber optic lines, he has spent over a decade building this business alongside his cattle ventures. Joe’s passion for cattle was revived post-high school by trading his initial herd for equipment, eventually leading him to focus on breeding registered Gelbvieh cattle, which he admires for their calving ease, growth potential, and versatility across tough environments. His approach includes stringent culling and using top genetics through Artificial Insemination (AI) for herd improvement.
 
Joe also shared details about his telecommunications business, which operates statewide in Colorado and extends to other states for projects motivated by pay incentives, such as post-hurricane work in Florida. Now employing 12 people, he is expanding his operations by branching into other areas, including transportation and logistics.
 
Marketing and Sales Strategy for Cattle
 
Joe's cattle sales primarily occur through word-of-mouth and private treaty rather than formal auctions, resulting in satisfied, repeat customers. He shared his thoughts on pricing strategies and the challenges of running a formal sale, noting that while his herd isn't large enough to produce big catalogs, he successfully sells bulls privately. Joe appreciates the rarity and demand variance between black and red Gelbvieh cattle, with preferences influenced strongly by consumer opinion on color.
 
Joe has plans to advance his marketing by considering web presence, having recognized earlier attempts to build a website as time-consuming amidst his other responsibilities. He acknowledges the importance of marketing in reaching broader audiences and expressed willingness to explore professional help to establish an online front for his cattle operations.
 
Challenges and Community Involvement
 
Joe also touched upon the challenges of cattle farming on suboptimal pastureland in southern Colorado and the measures he takes, such as providing protein and mineral supplements to maintain cattle health. Despite prior issues like nitrate poisoning in feed, he has been able to manage herd health effectively.
 
Finally, the discussion included future aspirations and strategies around improving his herd's genetics and maintaining customer relationships through robust guarantees on his bulls. He emphasizes ensuring customer satisfaction for the longevity and reputation of his business.
 
Potential Collaboration
 
Concluding the interview, Joe was offered a promotional opportunity from Hale Broadcasting for marketing support at a discounted rate, highlighting the mutual benefits of promoting the Gelbvieh breed further. The conversation capped with friendly exchanges and best wishes for Joe's multifaceted endeavors in agriculture and telecommunications.
 

Flood Irrigation in Arizona

Our co-host David Woodruff has David Lamoureux, and they were talking about flood irrigation practices in Arizona. 
 
"Yeah, well, it's out south. It's about halfway between Phoenix and Tucson, down south of Eloy, a little place called Picacho, down there by Picacho Peak."
 
And it's all flood irrigated? 
 
"Right." 
 
When you come on raw land in Arizona and you go to flood irrigate it, there's a little bit of leveling involved, or is there a lot? How do you do it? 
 
"When we bought this farm, it was already being farmed, but we went in and laser leveled it and put cement irrigation ditches in and turnouts, and so it had where we could flood irrigate it and take care of the water, and it does a great job. But in Arizona, that farm down there was part of the CAP, the Central Arizona Irrigation Project. We got cuts on our water, so we don't have all the water that we used to, so that's been hard for us. Part of the old Santa Cruz River bottom runs through our farm, and we've got that fence, and we run cows down there in the mesquite, so when you get the rains, you get some good desert feed. But where we're at in Arizona, unless you have flood irrigation, you just don't do much. But it's just a bonus when you get some rain."
 
Dave Lamoureux on the Cattleman's Corner.

Conditions in Southwest Kansas

Now here's more with my conversation with Cole Buffo from southwest Kansas. Do you raise your own feed? 
 
"Yeah, we do all our own alfalfa. We've got about 140 acres of alfalfa ground that we put up. We can usually get about four cuttings a year out of, and it's all along the creek. So, I mean, it's usually pretty decent for us."
 
How's your moisture this year? 
 
"We're a little dry. I know we're trying to figure out when to start planting milo. It would be nice to get a little rain to get a little moisture. Wheat's kind of turning.  I mean, it's either turning, dying, and got frost all in the same little bit."
 
Is it going to be zeroed out by insurance? 
 
"We haven't fully got that far in getting it all checked out yet with insurance. So, they'll tell us that we'll still have to cut it."
 
Do you ever swath it?
 
"Sometimes we do. A lot of times we may. Our big focus is cattle, so we run registered, and then we've got a commercial herd. So, we'll do a lot of grazing on it. We don't do much swathing of wheat. We'll just either graze it or out or cut it for grain."
 
Do you do all of your own cutting? 
 
"Yeah, yeah. We do all our own cutting. I mean, we're primarily wheat, alfalfa, and milo. It's our crops, and then cattle's kind of our mainstay, I guess."
 
Yeah, so how many years have you been doing the cattle now, did you say? 
 
"I've been in the cattle business, I'd say, 25 years, but my in-laws, they've been in it. I mean, my wife's the third generation to be taking over the family farm, and our kids will be the fourth. I mean, they've been doing it since the early 1900s."
 
Cole Buffo from southwest Kansas.
 
Thanks again for listening, and may God bless. I'm Brian Hale.

Meet Cole Buffo of Jetmore Kansas

I have Cole Buffo on the phone with me with Buff Tuff Cattle Co, if I've got the name right. Welcome to the show, Cole, and if you don't mind, just kind of give us a background on that name there and how you got started in the cattle business. 
 
"Yeah, so it was actually a nickname, a buddy of mine that I grew up with kind of gave me back when we were in middle school. And I mean, I got started when I was in grade school with cattle, we started in the Simmental and then kind of dispersed and then got back in the Gelbvieh side of it. And then now that after college, I married my wife, Cassie, and we moved to Jetmore, Kansas north of Dodge city. She and her family had an established Red Angus operation. So now we got Gelbvieh with our Red Angus. We were primarily red and we've kind of got into the black because we had a few customers needing some black bulls. So we started doing some cross breeding to compliment our customer needs."
 
"Like on the Red Angus side, a lot of guys have been crossing Angus in to incorporate Angus genetics on the Red Angus. So they're getting black, red carriers, and then they can get black or red calves depending on what they're breeding. And that's kind of what we've been playing with a little more on our Gelbvieh side. If we trying to breed for homo black bulls, but if we get a red bull out of a black cow, we still know we can sell it."
 
Do you have a sale each year? 
 
"Yeah, so it's usually, I would say the last Friday in March, I guess next year might be a week later with Easter season. We used to be private treaty. Now we're gone to an open house, silent auction type format where we do invite everybody in kind of low key, like all of our buyers kind of see what the bulls are and see how they are. And then it's just kind of a silent auction format."
 
That was Cole Buffo from Buff Tuff Cattle Co.
 
22918 NW Highway 156, Jetmore, KS 67854 is the address for Hayes Red Angus, a cattle ranching operation and member of the Red Angus Association of America. The property also serves as the headquarters for Buff Tuff Cattle Co., which specializes in raising Gelbvieh, Balancer, and Red Angus cattle.
 

From California to Montana

Welcome to the Cattleman's Corner. I'm Brian Hale, sitting in for the late Howard Hale, as we continue his legacy of speaking with cattlemen and women from around the globe. 
 
We're talking to Ted Delagana.
 
Ted is now from Conrad, Montana, but used to be in, was it the Central Valley in California? 
 
"Central Coast, is what we call it."
 
You were involved in agriculture down there? 
 
"Yep, all my life."
 
What kind of things did you do? 
 
"We always had cattle, and then worked for different places that had cattle, and always raised our own hay for the cattle up until when we left. And then I worked for a large place that we farmed about 3,000 acres of dryland grain and hay. Hay there is all oats and barley hay, so it's all just grain hay."
 
On this side of the Madison line, my dad always called it green feed.
 
"Pretty much. We had a whole different world there, a lot of rain down there. So, why did you have the cereal grains for hay, or green feed as we call it up here, instead of like something, perennial grass? Not many, we hardly had, a lot of alfalfa hay, a lot of alfalfa, but perennial grass like they have here, almost zero. The ranch I worked for we summer followed, but where I lived, we planted winter so every year. It was just a rain thing, I think, you know, the amount of rain we get."
 
Could you get more tons per acre off of doing green feed? 
 
"There was alfalfa ranches around and they would get a ton and a half per cutting or so, I'd say, and cut five, sometimes six cuttings. But with our grain hay, we'd get as much as five times the acre on grain hay. You know, we were all selling to cattlemen, feedlots, and then we got fancy stuff. We started growing what they called forage mix. It was a mix of beardless barley, beardless wheat, and a couple varieties of oats. And we'd sell those to the racetracks like Santa Anita and a lot of horse people."
 
Ted Dalagana from Conrad, Montana with our co-host David Woodruff.
 

From 4-H to Selling Bulls

Kory Ostrand of Ostrand Angus, located in Mason City, Nebraska, discussed the origins of his involvement in livestock. Kory detailed how he used money from selling a 4-H steer to purchase a registered Angus heifer at the age of nine, marking the beginning of his journey into registered cattle breeding. His family's ranch has been operational since 1884, making him the fifth generation to run it. They are strategically located about 50 miles northwest of Kearney or 30 miles southeast of Broken Bow, an area known for its quality cattle farming conditions.
 
The Ostrand program focuses on a balanced trait approach, offering a diverse range of bulls and heifers, including calving ease and power bulls. The interview highlighted their strategy to enhance buyer access through online platforms and emphasized maintaining buyer engagement even in variable weather conditions. Hale Broadcasting is assisting in promotional efforts for the sale, offering additional advertising services on their platforms.
 
Listen in to an interesting story on how Mason City, Nebraska Angus Breeder Corey Ostrand got his start with a wise investment.
 
 
www.ostrandangus.com

Successful Sale at Sugar Valley Stockyards

Now let's check in with Dan Reardon of Rockin' R Red Angus, who had moved his operation from the high country in Colorado to just a few miles south of McGrew, Nebraska.
 
How did your sale go, Dan? 
 
"We were really, really thrilled with the sale, and how it went, and the feedback on the bulls. You know, it was a really challenging time."
 
"The two days before the sale is when the big fire hit, and so friends and customers just scrambling and dealing with the fire, and we were kind of wondering on our end what we should do, and we decided to still hold the sale on that Saturday, and all that fire started Thursday, and we were really blessed with the amount of people that showed up, the amount of people that bid, so we were really, really excited and really happy, despite what was going on in the community. We definitely had some out-of-town buyers. We sold bulls as far east as Illinois, and obviously sold quite a few to Colorado, and Kansas, and a bunch to Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota."
 
"So, yeah, we had a pretty good representation as far as geography. I cannot speak highly enough of the crew over at Sugar Valley. We were very, very happy. We were extremely impressed with how professional they were. We feel like we found a home, for sure, for our sale. The people there were just so nice, so professional. We couldn't have asked for a better partnership than what they did for us over there. That was Dan Reardon talking about the successful sale they had at Sugar Valley Stockyards in Gearing, Nebraska."
 
Find my longer interview with Dan on cattlemanscorner.com, as well as hundreds of other interviews.

AGA Commercial Marketing Director

Welcome to the Cattleman's Corner. I'm Brian Hale, sitting in for the late Howard Hale, as we continue his legacy of speaking with cattlemen and women from around the globe. 
 
Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle are well known throughout the beef industry for their maternal strengths and superior growth. With attributes such as more pounds of calf weaned, added fertility, greater cow herd longevity, and heavier carcass weights, just to name a few, Gelbvieh and Balancer offer genetics that work for the commercial cattle business. For more information about the Gelbvieh and Balancer Edge, visit Gelbvieh.org. 
 
On the program today, Commercial Marketing Director for the American Gelbvieh Association, Tom Strahm. So Tom, what is a balancer bull? 
 
"So the balancers are registered hybrid seed stock. It's trademarked from the American Gelbvieh Association and they're a minimum of 25% Gelbvieh up to 75% Gelbvieh , with the offsetting percentage being either Angus or Red Angus. They're out of two registered parents, and we calculate all the performance information on them in the EPDs.
 
So how does that work for crossbreeding?
 
"You know, I think it's a great way to implement a crossbreeding program in a commercial cow herd. Gelbvieh are the continental breed of choice. Very good breed complementarity when used with the British breeds."
 
"And so, you know, when you're thinking about crossbreeding and obtaining the benefits of heterosis and hybrid vigor, I also think that breed complementarity is very important. So the strengths of Gelbvieh complement the strengths of the British breeds very well. And then, you know, if you're using those balancer bulls, keeping your own replacement females, you can continue to use balancers, and it makes crossbreeding easy."
 
That was Tom Strahm, Commercial Marketing Director for the American Gelbvieh Association. 
 
Find out more about Gelbvieh at Gelbvieh org. That's going to do it for the Cattleman's Corner.
 
Thanks again for listening, and may God bless. I'm Brian Hale.
 

Free Interviews for Cattle Breeders

Welcome to the Cattleman's Corner. I'm Brian Hale sitting in for the late Howard Hale as we continue his legacy of speaking with cattlemen and women from around the globe. We'll be back with today's guest right after this.
Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle are well known throughout the beef industry for their maternal strengths and superior growth. With attributes such as more pounds of calf weaned, added fertility, greater cow herd longevity, and heavier carcass weights, just to name a few, Gelbvieh and Balancer offer genetics that work for the commercial cattle business. Visit Gelbvieh.org.
While Howard Hale has passed on to the big pasture in the sky, we are still determined to continue to discover the great people involved in the horse and cattle business.
The Horseman's Corner and the Cattleman's Corner have been on the air since 1994, almost 30 years now of conversations with some of the best folks in the country. Over the years, we have interviewed some of the greatest minds in the business, but it's getting tougher to find local folks. Our listeners are primarily wanting to hear from people who are local to them versus some expert in DC.
If you are involved in horses or cattle, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at 940-224-6315 or visit Hale Broadcasting for all of our radio programs and that phone is listed there too. If Facebook is your cup of tea, follow Horseman's Corner Radio and Cattleman's Corner Radio and drop us a message.
Again, all of our programs can be found on halebroadcasting.com and if this radio station isn't playing one of those that you enjoy, let them know to carry it. It's free to them to carry our programs. We appreciate all the listeners and this great radio station for carrying the Horseman's Corner and or the Cattleman's Corner for all these years.
Thanks again for listening and may God bless. I'm Brian Hale.

Gill Red Angus Sale Results

Let's check in with Bryan Gill from Gill Red Angus to see how their sale went.
 
"Sale was really good. We sold 160 commercial replacement heifers and they averaged just under 3500 and then we sold 98 bulls. Sold every bull we offered and averaged just under $10,200."
 
Wow nice.
 
"It was really good."
 
Oh good yeah that's pretty good averages. Was that your best sale ever?
 
"No last fall was our best sale. We have a two-year-old sale in the fall and that was about a thousand dollars a head higher. But I'm still very happy with what we got."
 
Good well that's good, and are you delivering them yourself or do you hire that out?
 
"Well my brother does most of that. We don't hire anything except for today there's I think 10 head that got on a semi and headed for the East Coast. Three head North Carolina and seven head in South Carolina. Other than that he delivers them all. Well that's a lot of work to do especially if they're spread out he's got to go to several different states I suppose huh? Yeah the December sale they typically stay a little bit closer to us or we still spread out quite a ways but this sale with a DV Auction they kind of went a little bit everywhere several states."
 
Yeah that's gonna happen isn't it with that online stuff?
 
"Yeah we're blessed with DV auction they really help our sale a lot but there's a lot of work afterwards when you sell them all over the country."
 
Timberlake South Dakota Red Angus breeder Bryan Gill.
 
Contact me directly and let's get your program exposed with a free interview on cattlemanscorner.com.

Meet Shawn Booth of Veteran Wyoming

The discussion details the history and operations of Cherry Creek Ranch in Veteran, Wyoming, in an interview with Shawn Booth. He describes his beginnings in the livestock business, starting with raising registered dogs and gradually moving into cattle by purchasing a bred heifer in Montana as a child.
Over the years, Cherry Creek Ranch has grown and adapted through sales and breeding programs. In 2008, they dispersed their cow herd due to severe drought conditions but retained embryos to restart their herd, focusing primarily on top female Angus breeds. Sean continues to pursue innovative breeding practices.
The ranch places a strong emphasis on using donor programs and embryo transplants. Shawn illustrates the complexities of managing donor cows and how critical genetic testing and planned breeding are to maintaining a successful herd.

Record Breaking Sales

Had a chance to catch up with Isabel South Dakota Breeder, Bryce Lindskov on their recent sale.
 
You mind telling us how it went, Bryce?
 
It was a record-breaking sale, like most of them have been good, but this one would of course be our top sale. We sold like 605 bulls, 28 states, 4 Canadian provinces, and I'd say it would be the number one averaging sale for Angus and Charolais in the nation, and then the Hereford's would have been the top three.
 
Yeah, and do they keep numbers on those things?
 
Yeah, that's a national record-breaking sale. Charolais, we've been at the top for 45 years. Angus was sure it would have been the first year we hit the top, and this year would be the second year in a row. I think everybody's got their own program, their own customer-based and our goal is to keep our customer base and keep it growing.
 
Averages don't mean a lot to me in the end, but if you can be at the top of two out of your three breeds in the nation, it makes you feel like you're doing something right. My goal is to retain the customers and pick up new customers, and sometimes averages scare people, but there's a lot of good bulls that could be bought from us and everybody's price range. I always tell everybody the cheapest bull on my sale would be at the top of both sales across the country, so don't feel like you can't buy the cheapest one on our sale. That same bull would probably top a lot of sales.
 
That takes quite an effort to put on a sale of that caliber, I imagine.
 
There's three of us brothers involved in. It takes everybody to do their part, and then the wife's of course. My wife did all the clerking, and my sister-in-law did all the hospitality side as far as the food goes, and then my other sister-in-law was on the block doing the clerking up there. So I'd say we had 65 people all hands on deck on those two days trying to make it happen.
 
Isabel South Dakota breeder, Bryce Lindskov.

Steve Mowry on Conducting Live Sales

Here's more from my conversation with South Central South Dakota Angus breeder Steve Mowry.
 
You said you've been running it this way. It's been successful running them through the ring. Do you see any disadvantages to that?
 
"You know, I've had bulls that are team as kittens at home and I've had them get excited in the ring and and you know, it hurts the sale. But I mean, they are what they are and I've had bulls that I was a little concerned about and they were, you know, you never really know with livestock. So for the most part, people really, really like to see exactly what they're buying. I like the video sales. Those are okay too. But it's really nice to see the bull come in the ring and see what you're doing. I buy bulls myself. And that's the way I like to buy them."
 
This many years in your reputation you have, you offer guarantee, I'm sure.
 
"Absolutely. Yeah. And you know, I was offering a 50% guarantee just to kind of help the customer share the risk that we've changed. I've never given 50% credit to anybody in my life. We've always given 100%. So this year we went ahead and offered the 100%. So we try to take care of our customers. You have to in this business."
 
After that many years, you got to have a lot of returning customers, right?
 
"We do. We have a great base, it's taken a long time. And you know, just like I said, perseverance and patience. There's been some years that weren't so good. And like I always say, it could have been a little better. It could have been a whole lot worse. We offer free delivery and I don't usually have to haul the bulls very far. I like to brag about that because my neighbors use our bulls. That's a good thing."
 
South Central, South Dakota Angus Breeder, Steve Mowry.

Bullfighting at an Early Age

Steve Mowry from Ma And Pa Angus in Presho, South Dakota.
 
"I started when I was about 16 as a bullfighter, but when I was a young 10, 12 years old, I was in Little Bitches rodeos. I always enjoyed the bull riding more than I rode barebacks and saddle broncs both. I had a lot more luck with junior bulls and even the senior bulls growing up. I just clicked with cattle. Horses, I was more afraid of a horse than I was a mean bull."
 
"On the other side note, I actually rode when I was a kid at about 12 years old, but they had us on steers rather than many bulls. Maybe it was just different area or time."
 
"Up here we have some super-ranked cattle and their yearlings and two-year-olds are as mean as all get out. They'd run over you and that's what the junior boys kids rode. In some places they do ride steers, but even junior, when I started my bullfighting, I was doing those junior rodeos and the bulls were plenty mean and a great place to learn."
 
"I could not have been in a better place in the world to learn my trade. My first cows that I bought well was actually from winning from the 1983 bullfight championships. I won 12,000 there and I brought it home and bought black baldies. From then I switched to black and today we're 100% registered Angus."
 
"And the name of your ranch is Ma And Pa Angus in Preshos, South Dakota?"
"Absolutely."
"Well, we appreciate it. Was there anything I should have asked you that I didn't get out?"
 
"Life's been a journey. To God be the glory."
Steve Mowry from Ma And Pa Angus, Presho, South Dakota.

Steve Mowry - Passionate About Angus

Steve Mowry from Ma anb Pa Angus in Presho, South Dakota has a sale today. So the first question is Steve, if you don't mind, just give me a little background on how you got started in the cattle business.
 
"I guess I've always been drawn cattle in one form or another. I grew up on a ranch, my dad bought this ranch in 1961, the year that I was born. I followed my brothers into rodeo. That was some of my first enjoyable experiences. Cattle have just been a part of everything I've ever done. I went on to did pro rodeo for quite awhile as a rodeo bullfighter. When I retired from that, I worked for a veterinarian for a couple of years in kind of fell in love with the Angus breed while I was at the veterinarian."
 
"The timing could not have been any better. When Ag was bad in the 1980s, there was a Wrangler jeans came out with a program called the Wrangler Bullfighting Competition. I was a rodeo bullfighter and they paid a tremendous amount of money. It got up to $485,000 for a 16 man tour. I won more than my share of that $485,000. That's basically how I got in the cow business was my winnings from those bullfights. I was buying cows when cows were dirt cheap in the 80s and my dad was running them on shares with me. That's how I got started."
 
"We have 65 yearling bulls on the sale. We are on DV auction. You'll be able to bid and buy there. Our catalog and videos are there, of course, but the sale itself is at Presho Livestock Auction. We still run the bulls in the ring one at a time so you get to see exactly what you're buying."
 
Steve Mowry from Ma and Pa Angus, Presho, South Dakota. 

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