December 7, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact: 

Holly Martin, director of communications

816-383-5143

hmartin@angus.org

To download Miller Angus photo, click here.

Cutline: Miller Angus was awarded the American Angus Association Century Award at the 2023 Angus Convention. Pictured from left are Kelsey Theis, 2023 Miss American Angus; Georgia Miller; Don Miller; Kody Miller; and Mark McCully, American Angus Association CEO.

To download Mike Sitz Angus Ranch photo, click here.

Cutline: Mike Sitz Angus Ranch was awarded the American Angus Association Century Award at the 2023 Angus Convention. Pictured from left are Kelsey Theis, 2023 Miss American Angus; Debra Sitz; Mike Sitz; Jesse Sitz; and Mark McCully, American Angus Association CEO.

To download Williams Angus photo, click here.

Cutline: Williams Angus was awarded the American Angus Association Century Award at the 2023 Angus Convention. Pictured from left are Kelsey Theis, 2023 Miss American Angus; Dr. Alex Williams; Dr. Staley Smith; Linda Carmichell; Bebe Reed; Betsey Gregg; Dottie Reed; Trey Reed; and Mark McCully, American Angus Association CEO.

A Century of Dedication

Three outstanding families honored with the American Angus Association Century Award.

The work of Angus breeders is more than a business – it’s a way of life. The American Angus Association initiated the Century Award to recognize its members and their families who have been in continuous production of registered Angus cattle for at least 100 years.

Three outstanding operations marked a century of American Angus Association membership in 2023. Miller Angus Farm of Estelline, South Dakota, Mike Sitz Angus Ranch of Burwell, Nebraska and Williams Angus of Gray, Tennessee were recognized as 2023 American Angus Association Century Award recipients during the Awards Reception and Dinner, Nov. 5, at the Angus Convention in Orlando, Florida.

The passion and dedication to the Angus Breed is clearly shown in this group of producers’ stories, persevering through hardships that both the cattle industry and Angus breed have faced over the past 100 years. “I commend these breeders for their relentless dedication to producing Angus cattle and their willingness to continue to be leaders within the Angus Family,” said Mark McCully, American Angus Association chief executive officer.

Miller Angus Farm

Five generations of work hard, play hard, Miller Angus was started by Gust Miller. At 17, Gust moved alone from Germany to the United States. He deboarded the train in Goodwin, South Dakota and worked for farmers there. Their first registration was in 1923 and over the years have developed their herd based on calving ease, good mothering abilities and good growth.

            Around 1900, he moved to the property northeast of Estelline, South Dakota, choosing a spot with a spring on the hill to build his house, where Don, Gust’s grandson and his wife, Georgia, live today. While Don’s generation focused on performance and growth his grandsons are breeding for phenotype, power, structural integrity and good-footed cattle. Their grandson, Kody, says he looks to another 100 years with emphatic enthusiasm.

Mike Sitz Angus Ranch

In 1923, William August Sitz and his wife, Frieda, purchased registered Angus cows from William Williams of Clarks, Nebraska. When those heifers calved, the bull calves were traded back to William Williams for more heifer calves and thus began the expansion of the Sitz Angus herd. Years later, William’s grandson, Mike Sitz, married Debra Cook, a cattle feeder’s daughter. The years were a challenge, but the young couple persevered. Mike continued to artificially inseminate, performance test and register calves. Advised by their banker to either crossbreed their registered herd to Charolais bulls or move to town and get a job, Mike stood strong on his belief that there was profitability right around the corner. The Sitz say that unwavering optimism and a calm approach has been their key to survive and thrive for 100 years. The 1920s cow lines live on strong today as their daughter, Bethany, and her husband Joel, plan to keep the operation going for generations to come.

Williams Angus

For more than a century, the name Williams has been synonymous with Angus cattle in upper East Tennessee. In 1921, J.T.E. Williams, a Jonesboro businessman and political figure, bought an Angus bull for use on the small herd of mixed-breed commercial cows owned by his teenage son George A. Williams. In that same year, George purchased his first registered Angus as a 4-H club project. That initial purchase sparked a love for Angus cattle that continued to grow and expand until his death in the fall of 1975 that occurred while packing his bags to travel to Chicago for the final showing of the famous International Livestock Exposition. His son, Alex, is now at the helm, and is concentrating on continual improvement of the herd. Known as “the genetics man,” he spends time working with customers to help them understand genetics, which in turn contributes to their long-term success.

For more information about the American Angus Association Century Award, visit www.angus.org.

– Written by Julie Isbell, Angus Communications

ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving more than 22,000 members across the United States, Canada and several other countries. It’s home to an extensive breed registry that grows by more than 300,000 animals each year. The Association also provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on 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, visit www.angus.org.