by Sarah Moyer, American Angus Association, & Katie Wagner, Beef Improvement Association

Faces familiar to The Business Breed  were recognized at the 58th Annual Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Research Symposium & Convention, June 1-4 in Boise, Idaho, for their service to the industry.

Among the award winners were 2026 BIF Pioneer Award recipients Bill Bowman and Sally Northcutt-Bowman, both of Saint Joseph, Mo., and former staff members of the American Angus Association. The Bowmans were each presented the Pioneer Award, which recognizes lasting contributions to the improvement of beef cattle and honors those who have had a major role in acceptance of performance reporting and documentation as the primary means to make genetic change in beef cattle.

Seedstock Producer of the Year Colyer Cattle Co. of Bruneau, Idaho; Commercial Producer of the Year Autauga Farming Co. Inc. of Autaugaville, Ala.; and BIF Continuing Service Award recipient Gordon Jones of Lafayette, Tenn., are all active members of the American Angus Association and use registered Angus genetics as part of their production systems.

“Angus and its influence across the industry was well-represented at this year’s BIF convention, including the awards presentations,” says Mark McCully, CEO of the Association.

“This event brings about a great deal of collaboration between our breeders, other seedstock producers, fellow breed associations, researchers — all with a focus on genetic improvement — which helps keep us up to date on what the The Business Breed  can do to serve members and maintain its relevance to the industry on into the future.”

Also during the symposium and convention, Kelli Retallick-Riley, president of Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI), was recognized for her six years of service on the BIF board of directors. McCully was elected to begin a three-year term on that board.

Meet the winners

The following links will take you to brief bios, respectively, of this year's BIF winners:

• Commercial Producer of the Year
  Autauga Farming Co.
• Seedstock Producer of the Year
  Colyer Hereford and Angus
• Pioneer Award
  Bill Bowman
  Sally Northcutt-Bowman
  Charles Gaskins
  Steve Kachman
  Steve McGuire
• Continuing Service Award
  Gordon Jones
  John Hall
  Mahdi Saatchi
  Jackie Atkins
• Ambassador Award
  Jim Johnson
• Baker/Cundiff Student Awards
  Audrey Tarochione, Iowa State University
  Kenedy DeVoe, Kansas State University
• Roy A. Wallace Memorial Scholarship
  Kenzie Barta, Rosalia, Wash.
  Kenedy DeVoe, Justin, Texas

Commercial Producer of the Year

Autauga Farming Co. received the 2026 BIF Commercial Producer of the Year Award recognizing dedication to improving the beef industry at the commercial level.

Rooted in Autaugaville, Ala., Autauga Farming Co. has spent more than a century refining one of the Southeast’s most distinguished commercial cow herds. Founded in 1919 and now stewarded by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wendland family, the operation reflects a deep, unwavering commitment to beef improvement.

“Autauga Farming Company and the Wendland family symbolize the performance principles of the Beef Improvement Federation and have done so for generations,” says Michelle Elmore, Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association (BCIA) executive secretary.

At the heart of the enterprise is a fall-calving herd of 1,018 breeding females — a closed herd for more than 40 years. By eliminating outside female influence, the Wendlands have built a genetic program tailored to Alabama’s sandy soils and climate. Their three-breed terminal rotation of Angus, Hereford and Charolais is engineered for maximum hybrid vigor and produces calves that excel in maternal traits, feedlot performance and carcass quality.

The family’s commitment to data backs every breeding decision. As charter members of the Alabama BCIA since 1964, the Wendlands have maintained 62 consecutive years of performance records — weaning weights, gain ratios and carcass data — now managed digitally through CattleMax and electronic identification (eID) technology. Carcass feedback from their customers informs sire selection, ensuring their genetics perform as well on the rail as in the pasture.

In 2025, they reintroduced artificial insemination (AI) into their replacement heifer program to tighten the calving window and improve calf uniformity. The Wendlands didn’t just build a better herd; they built a better market. Co-founding the Producers Feeder Calf Sale in 1980, they established a regional benchmark for preconditioned, vaccinated, uniform calf loads that command premium prices.

“Their innovative spirit and love of agriculture have and will continue to make a positive and influential impact,” Elmore summarizes. “Each generation has served as a dedicated model for progressive agriculture. Autauga Farming Company will continue to be an advocate for improvement in efficiency, profitability and sustainability of agriculture.”

Other finalists for the award included Mike Petrie and Sons, Oskaloosa, Kan.; SS Cattle Co., Cambridge, Idaho; and John and Patty Tebelius, Bowdon, N.D.

Seedstock Producer of the Year

Colyer Herefords and Angus received the 2026 BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year Award recognizing a producer’s dedication to improving the beef industry at the seedstock level.

Rooted in Bruneau, Idaho, since 1876, Colyer Herefords and Angus represents a masterclass in balancing multigenerational heritage with cutting-edge genetic progress.

Today the fifth, sixth and seventh generations of the Colyer family manage the ranch, which has evolved from a traditional commercial cow-calf operation into one of the nation’s premier seedstock programs.

The Colyer philosophy is built on a “commercial-first” mindset. After a strategic shift in 1992 to focus entirely on seedstock, the family dedicated itself to producing Hereford and Angus genetics that thrive in the rugged western environment. A hallmark of the family’s program is the production of black baldie females, leveraging heterosis to improve fertility and longevity for their customers.

What truly sets the Colyers apart is their early and unwavering adoption of technology. From purchasing their first computer in 1984 to achieving the prestigious Platinum TPR status, a distinction held by only 23 Hereford breeders in the United States, the ranch prioritizes data integrity. By utilizing AI, embryo transfer (ET), in vitro  fertilization and genomic testing, they provide commercial cattlemen with a level of predictability that is rare in the industry.

Their commitment to the conception-to-consumption chain is further evidenced by their direct involvement in marketing their customers’ feeder cattle, ensuring that Colyer genetics deliver value at every level of the beef industry.

The current cow herd consists of approximately 200 registered Hereford and 200 registered Angus females, along with roughly 300 recipient cows used in their ET program. The ranch markets cattle through multiple annual events, including an annual bull sale in February, frozen genetics sale in March, and an annual female sale in October.

“For nearly 150 years, the Colyer family has made a lasting impact on commercial cow herds across the United States by supplying Hereford and Angus genetics rooted in disciplined selection, comprehensive data collection and a focused breeding program,” says Shane Bedwell, American Hereford Association COO. “Their longevity, combined with a forward-thinking approach to genetic improvement, is something that should be admired across the beef industry.”

Beyond the ranch gates, the Colyer family remains deeply embedded in their community and industry. With family members serving as EMTs, school board trustees and industry leaders, their presence extends far beyond the cattle they sell.

Finalists for the award include Jensen Ranch of Courtland, Kan., and Maples Stock Farm of Elkmont, Ala.

Pioneer Award

The Pioneer Award recognizes individuals who have made lasting contributions to the improvement of beef cattle and honors those who have had a major role in acceptance of performance reporting and documentation as the primary means to make genetic change in beef cattle. Receiving the honor this year were Bill Bowman, Sally Northcutt-Bowman, Charles Gaskins, Steve Kachman and Steve McGuire.

Bill Bowman has dedicated nearly 50 years to advancing beef cattle genetics and improving selection tools used throughout the beef industry. A graduate of the University of Missouri, Bowman spent much of his career at the American Angus Association, where he helped lead advancements in performance programs, expected progeny differences (EPDs) and genomically enhanced evaluations.

As director of breed improvement for the American Angus Association, Bowman helped oversee the development of some of the industry’s earliest multitrait selection indexes and supported implementation of weekly in-house genetic evaluations. Under his leadership, Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR^®) hired its first full-time geneticist, Sally Northcutt, while the breed also introduced numerous new EPDs and expanded the use of genomic technology within beef cattle evaluation.

Bowman also helped establish Angus Genetics Inc. AGI has been serving Angus families and the global beef industry through research and its work with the genetic evaluation of economically important traits since 2007.

For more details on the Bowmans’ contribution to Angus, click to read “Ideas and Details: The Team Behind Big Innovations” in the March 2025 Angus Journal.

Sally Northcutt-Bowman has spent her career advancing genetic evaluation and genomic technology within the beef industry. After earning degrees from the University of Kentucky and Iowa State University, she worked with Oklahoma State University Extension and helped elevate Oklahoma Beef Inc.’s bull testing program before joining the American Angus Association in the late 1990s.

At the American Angus Association, she led the development of the breed’s first in-house best linear unbiased prediction genetic evaluation and played a major role in incorporating genomic technology into EPDs. Her work helped expand the use of genomic-enhanced EPDs (GE-EPDs) and advanced the adoption of genomic technology within beef cattle selection programs.

She later partnered with Bill Bowman through Method Genetics LLC to provide genomic-enhanced selection tools for commercial cattle producers across the United States.

Charles Gaskins of Pullman, Wash., devoted more than three decades to Washington State University as a professor of animal sciences. There he became known as a respected teacher, mentor, quantitative geneticist and industry partner. Throughout his career, he helped bridge the gap between research and practical application, assisting producers in using performance data and genetic evaluation tools to make informed breeding decisions.

In addition to his influence in the classroom, Gaskins became a foundational leader in the development of the American Wagyu industry. He helped establish performance testing and genetic evaluation systems for Wagyu cattle, including the development of National Wagyu Sire Summaries and some of the breed’s early EPDs.

His work in quantitative genetics and statistical analysis helped producers better understand carcass quality, marbling, growth traits and breed performance, while also advancing the use of sound science throughout the beef industry.

Steve Kachman, Terrell, Texas, dedicated his career to advancing quantitative genetics and statistical methodology within the beef industry. After earning degrees from Michigan State University, the University of Illinois and Montana State University, Kachman joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he served as a professor in the Department of Statistics and later became professor emeritus following his retirement in 2023.

Through his career, Kachman became widely respected for developing practical statistical solutions for beef cattle genetic evaluation. His work helped lay the foundation for methods used to incorporate genomic information into routine genetic evaluations, including the development of the correlated trait and blending approaches used prior to implementation of single-step genomic evaluation systems.

In addition to his research contributions, Kachman mentored students and scientists through university courses and international training programs focused on applying statistical theory to real-world beef cattle breeding challenges.

Steve McGuire, Bozeman, Mont., dedicated more than 50 years to advancing beef cattle data management and genetic evaluation through his work with the American Simmental Association (ASA). Originally hired in 1973 while attending Montana State University, McGuire helped computerize ASA’s growing recordkeeping system before eventually overseeing the association’s database, registrations and computer systems.

Throughout his career, McGuire played a key role in nearly every major advancement within ASA’s genetic evaluation program. His leadership and technical expertise helped guide the continual evolution of the association’s evaluation system and its transition to International Genetic Solutions, or IGS.

Under his stewardship, the database expanded from serving a single-breed association to becoming the largest beef cattle genetic evaluation system in the world, providing EPDs and genetic evaluation tools to producers across multiple breeds and countries.

Continuing Service Award

Continuing Service Award winners have made major contributions to the BIF organization. This includes serving on the board of directors, speaking at BIF conventions, working on BIF guidelines and participating in other behind-the-scenes activities. As BIF is a volunteer organization, it is this contribution of time and passion for the beef cattle industry that moves BIF forward.

Receiving the honor this year were Gordon Jones, John Hall, Mahdi Saatchi and Jackie Atkins.

Gordon Jones, Lafayette, Tenn., has dedicated his career to advancing beef cattle improvement through education, practical research and seedstock production. A retired Western Kentucky University animal science professor, Jones has remained committed to helping producers apply genetic selection, crossbreeding and management tools to improve profitability and long-term herd performance.

In addition to his academic career, Jones has continued to serve the beef industry through his own operation, Red Hill Farms, near Lafayette.