Angus University Webinar: Balancing the Consumer and the Cow

How do you balance the consumer and the cow? It's not a new question, and balancing the give and take between terminal and maternal traits is an ongoing challenge.

The January 2024 Angus University Webinar on the topic “Balancing the Consumer and the Cow" aired live Jan. 16. Some of its content was also filmed live at Cattlemen's Congress in Oklahoma City on Jan. 5.

The in-person session took place in the Performance Arena on the OKC Fairgrounds, and this was an educational program for all types of cattle producers. Moderated by Radio Oklahoma Network's Ron Hays, featured panelists included Mark Johnson of Oklahoma State University, Jesse Luckie of Snake Creek Ranch and Paul Dykstra of Certified Angus Beef. Learn more about each of them below.

Prior to the panel discussion, Dykstra gave a market insights presentation for attendees. Then, an Angus Luncheon featuring Certified Angus Beef followed the session. It and the educational session are two of several featured events as part of Angus Commercial Cattlemen’s Day. The cattlemen's day, hosted by the American Angus Association®, features education, competition and fellowship. For those who were unable to attend, watch the Webinar recording on YouTube.

More about the moderator and panelists

Moderator Ron Hays is in his fiftieth year as a farm and ranch broadcaster and ag journalist - and is currently the Senior Farm Broadcaster for the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network. Hays has been honored by a variety of agricultural groups over the years and is a member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He concentrates on coverage of the Beef Cattle Industry - including his daily Beef Buzz radio broadcast - which is also a podcast.

Panelist Mark Johnson is a professor of animal & food sciences at Oklahoma State University where he has worked since 1992. He has held the Totusek Endowed Chair, served as supervisor of the OSU Purebred Beef Cattle Center, conducted youth and beef cattle Extension programming, and coached the Livestock Judging Team. He coached seven teams that won the American Royal, four National Championship teams, earned the National Coach of the Year award seven times, and has judged cattle shows across the US. He authors a weekly article for OSU’s Cow-Calf Corner Newsletter and appears weekly on the Cow-Calf Corner segment of OSU’s SUNUP TV show. He teaches courses in Animal Breeding, Cow-Calf Management and Purebred Beef Seedstock and Sales. Johnson is a life-long cattleman, who along with his wife Brenda and daughters Sydney and Charley, live on a ranch near Orlando, Oklahoma where they operate J&J Beef Genetics, LLC.

Panelist Jesse Luckie is the general manager of Snake Creek Cattle Company in Buffalo, Oklahoma and the fifth generation to return to his family’s ranch and oversee the day-to-day operations. Encompassing approximately 17,000 acres, the ranch has long been a diverse cow-calf operation using Angus genetics. Luckie was raised on the ranch and then went to college. After attending Kansas State University, he built a successful career in accounting and health care analytics before returning in 2010 with his wife, Amanda, and daughter, Addison. Since that time, his primary focus has been to reinvest in the ranch, develop a sustainable succession strategy, and forge synergistic industry relationships ensuring Snake Creek for generations to come.

As the director of supply management and analysis, panelist and market insights presenter Paul Dykstra works with cattlemen to help garner a growing supply of the Certified Angus Beef® brand. He shares information and builds relationships with cattle feeders, commercial cow-calf producers and registered breeders, pointing to ways to profitably manage and market high-quality cattle. Before coming to the brand, Dykstra was the feedlot manager for the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center. During his 20-year tenure he has audited ranches and feedyards pursuing the brand’s Natural product extension. He’s the brand’s resident expert on beef market and grading trends, which he reports in the bi-weekly CAB Insider. Dykstra and his family live in Chappell, Nebraska, where he manages his own cow herd.