Aug. 27, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:
Carrie Heitman, Creative Media manager, at 816-383-5200 or cheitman@angusjournal.com; or

Becky Weishaar, Creative Media director, at 816-383-5200 or bweishaar@angusjournal.com

VIDEO: The Angus Report feature on the Kansas Angus ranch tour.

Follow Us to Kansas

Participate in a day of ranch tours before attending the National Angus Convention.

Last fall, the inaugural Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show proved to be one of the industry’s must-attend events for its membership, education and trade show venues. This year, participants will have the added opportunity to see some great cattle.

The Kansas Angus Association will host a tour Monday, Nov. 2, prior to the official start of the convention, which is slated for Nov. 3-5 in Overland Park, Kan. The Kansas Angus Tour will allow attendees to spend a day visiting area Angus farms and ranches. Buses will depart at 7:30 a.m. from the Overland Park Convention Center’s courtyard level parking lot.

“The state of Kansas is home to several prominent Angus operations, and we are looking forward to showcasing their programs as part of the preconvention tour,” says Jeff Mafi, American Angus Association regional manager for Kansas and Oklahoma.

The tour will make three tour stops: Mill Brae Ranch, Maple Hill, Kan.; May-Way Farms Inc., Baldwin City, Kan.; and Chair Rock, Greeley, Kan.

 A bus will depart before the Chair Rock visit for tour participants wishing to attend the Angus Foundation Supporter Recognition Event that evening in Overland Park.

An additional $75 registration fee applies for the Kansas tour, and attendees can reserve their spot when registering for the National Angus Convention & Trade Show. Go online to www.angusconvention.com to access a convention schedule, trade show map and more information on travel arrangements to Overland Park, Kan.

Mill Brae Ranch, Maple Hill, Kan.

Mill Brae Ranch sits on the northern edge of the Flint Hills, which stretch from Kansas to Oklahoma. The largest area of tallgrass prairie in North America, the rolling Flint Hills still remain intact due to the bedrock near the surface.

“We burn the prairie every year from early April on to May, and that’s unique to this ecosystem because the grass thrives on the fire-management practice,” says Mark Nikkel, Mill Brae Ranch managing partner.

Nikkel says he is excited for people from across the United States to visit the Flint Hills and see what Mill Brae Ranch offers.

Guest displays at Mill Brae are: Kansas State University, Alcove Cattle Co., Cline Cattle Co., Mill Creek Ranch and Sunflower Genetics.

May-Way Farms Inc., Baldwin City, Kan.

Just a few short miles down the road from Mill Brae, the tour setting will change from rolling hills to an urban landscape at May-Way Farms Inc. Owner Jason Flory and his family manage cattle from a 10-acre fescue pasture to 1,000 wide-open acres in the Flint Hills.

“A lot of the breeders on display at the May-Way stop will be more of the fescue, cool-season-grass cattle managers,” Flory says. “Participants will see a large contrast of management with a short amount of miles on the tour.”

Flory and his family have been involved in the Angus business for 15 years, getting their start in showing cattle.

 “I think any time fellow cattlemen can network and learn, it’s a great opportunity,” Flory says.

Guest displays at May-Way Farms Inc. are: New Haven Angus, Bar S Ranch, Grady Dickerson and April Valley Farms.

Chair Rock, Greeley, Kan.

Exclusively an artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET) program in cooperation with Gardiner Angus Ranch of Ashland, Kan., Chair Rock has a unique facility that caters to the growing operation. With handling facilities designed with guidance from renowned animal behaviorist and Colorado State University Professor Temple Grandin, Chair Rock is able to move animals through their facility quietly and efficiently with minimal stress.

Not only is Chair Rock growing with superior genetics, but also with their family. Three families are involved in the third-generation ranch, including the founder, Bill; son Carr; and grandson Chandler.

ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association^® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving nearly 25,000 members across the United States and Canada. It provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on the power of Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.

For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association’s programs and services, visit www.ANGUS.org.

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