Female Foundations 2026
Your cow herd is your future.
Whether you raise them or buy them, the females you put back in your herd now will have a profound effect on the herd your grandchildren will oversee. Set them up for success with genetics focusing on the maternal foundation. Find herds committed to being that maternal source in this special advertising section of the Angus Beef Bulletin.
2026 Female Foundations Participants
Sponsored content
Albrecht/Penz
Albrecht Ranch Angus and Penz Angus Ranch have partnered since 2012 to host the Albrecht-Penz President’s Day Bull and Female Angus Sale. Albrecht Ranch focuses on producing females that will work in any environment, complementing the Penz family’s philosophy “Great females produce great bulls.”
Bar KJ Angus
At Bar KJ Angus of Bakersfield, Calif., every breeding decision begins with one goal: producing functional cattle that create long-term value for commercial cattlemen and registered breeders alike. Individual traits are important, but the foundation of the program has always been exceptional cow families.
Bucksnort Ranch
Established in 2019, Bucksnort Ranch of McEwen, Tenn., continues to hone its focus on building a solid cow herd and then managing those cattle to reach their highest potential. Driving that goal forward are Bucksnort’s ideals for commercial females: maternal ability, consistency, longevity and quality.
Cannon Angus
“Our cows are well-balanced females who express calving ease with growth, maternal ability, and plenty of carcass traits that are marketable to all aspects of the industry,” says Victoria Cannon of Cannon Angus, Flemingsburg, Ky. “We try to have something for everyone.”
Coal Valley Angus
“We try to make cattle that’ll last and get out their and work,” says Jace Coltrane, sixth-generation cattleman, of Coal Valley Angus, Cherokee, Kan. “Every decision we make on the registered side of things, it’s made from the commercial cattleman mindset because that’s who we are at our core.”
Coleman Angus
For nearly three decades, Coleman Angus has built its program around one unwavering belief: Great cattle begin with great cows. Founded in 1996 by Larry and Dee Coleman, the operation has earned a reputation as a premier source for maternal genetics focused on productivity, fertility, longevity and structural soundness.
Dalebanks Angus
At Dalebanks Angus, practicality, profitability and genetics are more than just marketing buzz words. Those points drive nearly every selection and management decision made on the family ranch in Eureka, Kan. Customers expect cattle that calve unassisted, grow fast, grade well and leave docile, fertile and functional females.
Dix Angus Ranch
For Dix Angus Ranch of Stockton, Kan., proven cows and cow families continue to be the foundation their herd builds upon. With cows expected to be sound, functional and fertile out on pasture, additional stress is placed on females to produce quality offspring year after year.
Dix Angus Ranch
Downey Ranch
Downey Ranch has a simple mission statement: “Never wreck anybody’s cow herd.” The Wamego, Kan., operation says they won’t sell anything they wouldn’t use themselves. Fertility under range conditions is the priority, and they won’t compromise on foundational traits of structure, udder quality and longevity.
Downey Ranch
Ellingson Angus
At Ellingson Angus, the cow herd is considered the cornerstone of everything the Ellingson family works toward. While they value performance data and EPDs, the family hopes to never lose sight of the fact that cattle must work under practical conditions on the ranch near St. Anthony, N.D.
GeneMax Advantage
Genetic testing can give commercial cattlemen more certainty on what your herd’s really made of, and what it can be. GeneMax® Advantage™ is the only test exclusively designed for high-percentage Angus females, and it’s the only test that delivers the Angus dollar value indexes ($Values).
GeneMax Advantage
Genetic Excellence
The Genetic Excellence Bull Sale and the Angus Traditions registered female sale are hosted together by Tennessee producers Jared Brown & Son of Rickman and Holt Farms of Livingston. Females are the focus of both operations. As Kent Brown notes, “If the cows are good, the bulls will be.
Hinkson Ranch
Hinkson Angus of Cottonwood Falls, Kan., has been raising registered Angus in environments that lean to the extreme since 1960. The Flint Hills environment, combined with demanding management practices, mean cattle are not pampered. They are expected to perform while grazing native pasture year-round.
Hopson Angus
“We understand the importance of quality genetics and what [they] can do for a cow herd,” Ryan Hopson of Hopson Angus says. “We approach every day with the commercial cattleman in mind, and base our breeding decisions around bulls we would want to go buy ourselves; [with] quality, longevity, and big-footed to go travel.”
Hopson Angus
Huvepharma
The team at Huvepharma is proud of its reputation for supplying only the highest-quality products — like PrimeLine™ IN5 — to customers. By leveraging unique technology, state-of-the-art facilities and a new approach to customer service, the company provides the quality and efficacy you expect and the service and dependability you didn’t know existed.
Huvepharma
Ingram Angus
Ingram Angus of Pulaski, Tenn., supplies Angus bulls and females to commercial cattlemen and seedstock producers throughout the Southeast and across the nation. Managing Partner Jason Upchurch says the best seedstock providers help their customers build more profitable cow herds, and that’s the mindset at Ingram Angus.
Mill Brae Ranch
“We want to produce consistent, predictable cattle that work for our commercial customers and help make them profitable,” says Janice Nikkel of Mill Brae Ranch, Maple Hill, Kan. The family believes productive, functional females are the foundation of a profitable cow herd, and they raise cattle their customers can count on.
Koupal's BB Angus
For Koupals B&B Angus of Dante, S.D., the key is to not make producing good cattle too complicated. The basics of functional cattle are the same everywhere, and the Koupals hold to the theory they do not need to reinvent the wheel. Backed by 50 years of AHIR data, the family helps customers with bull selection.
Koupal's BB Angus
Select Sire
Select Sires Inc. is committed to enhancing the productivity and profitability of dairy and beef producers and has a full slate of Angus sires. Highly fertile semen and genetic consultation are provided by three farmer-owned cooperatives domestically, while World Wide Sires Ltd. delivers international service.
ZWT Ranch
The Mayes family of ZWT Ranch firmly believes in the strength of their motto, “stacked maternal power.” Within their herd, that looks like generations of a power animal with a feminine front end, hoof quality and udder quality, keying in on long-lasting cows with a good production record.
ZWT Ranch
Albrecht/Penz
Albrecht Ranch Angus and Penz Angus Ranch have partnered since 2012 to host the Albrecht-Penz President’s Day Bull and Female Angus Sale. Albrecht Ranch focuses on producing females that will work in any environment, complementing the Penz family’s philosophy “Great females produce great bulls.”
Bar KJ Angus
At Bar KJ Angus of Bakersfield, Calif., every breeding decision begins with one goal: producing functional cattle that create long-term value for commercial cattlemen and registered breeders alike. Individual traits are important, but the foundation of the program has always been exceptional cow families.
Bucksnort Ranch
Established in 2019, Bucksnort Ranch of McEwen, Tenn., continues to hone its focus on building a solid cow herd and then managing those cattle to reach their highest potential. Driving that goal forward are Bucksnort’s ideals for commercial females: maternal ability, consistency, longevity and quality.
Cannon Angus
“Our cows are well-balanced females who express calving ease with growth, maternal ability, and plenty of carcass traits that are marketable to all aspects of the industry,” says Victoria Cannon of Cannon Angus, Flemingsburg, Ky. “We try to have something for everyone.”
Coal Valley Angus
“We try to make cattle that’ll last and get out their and work,” says Jace Coltrane, sixth-generation cattleman, of Coal Valley Angus, Cherokee, Kan. “Every decision we make on the registered side of things, it’s made from the commercial cattleman mindset because that’s who we are at our core.”
Coleman Angus
For nearly three decades, Coleman Angus has built its program around one unwavering belief: Great cattle begin with great cows. Founded in 1996 by Larry and Dee Coleman, the operation has earned a reputation as a premier source for maternal genetics focused on productivity, fertility, longevity and structural soundness.
Dalebanks Angus
At Dalebanks Angus, practicality, profitability and genetics are more than just marketing buzz words. Those points drive nearly every selection and management decision made on the family ranch in Eureka, Kan. Customers expect cattle that calve unassisted, grow fast, grade well and leave docile, fertile and functional females.
Dix Angus Ranch
For Dix Angus Ranch of Stockton, Kan., proven cows and cow families continue to be the foundation their herd builds upon. With cows expected to be sound, functional and fertile out on pasture, additional stress is placed on females to produce quality offspring year after year.
Dix Angus Ranch
Downey Ranch
Downey Ranch has a simple mission statement: “Never wreck anybody’s cow herd.” The Wamego, Kan., operation says they won’t sell anything they wouldn’t use themselves. Fertility under range conditions is the priority, and they won’t compromise on foundational traits of structure, udder quality and longevity.
Downey Ranch
Ellingson Angus
At Ellingson Angus, the cow herd is considered the cornerstone of everything the Ellingson family works toward. While they value performance data and EPDs, the family hopes to never lose sight of the fact that cattle must work under practical conditions on the ranch near St. Anthony, N.D.
GeneMax Advantage
Genetic testing can give commercial cattlemen more certainty on what your herd’s really made of, and what it can be. GeneMax® Advantage™ is the only test exclusively designed for high-percentage Angus females, and it’s the only test that delivers the Angus dollar value indexes ($Values).
GeneMax Advantage
Genetic Excellence
The Genetic Excellence Bull Sale and the Angus Traditions registered female sale are hosted together by Tennessee producers Jared Brown & Son of Rickman and Holt Farms of Livingston. Females are the focus of both operations. As Kent Brown notes, “If the cows are good, the bulls will be.
Hinkson Ranch
Hinkson Angus of Cottonwood Falls, Kan., has been raising registered Angus in environments that lean to the extreme since 1960. The Flint Hills environment, combined with demanding management practices, mean cattle are not pampered. They are expected to perform while grazing native pasture year-round.
Hopson Angus
“We understand the importance of quality genetics and what [they] can do for a cow herd,” Ryan Hopson of Hopson Angus says. “We approach every day with the commercial cattleman in mind, and base our breeding decisions around bulls we would want to go buy ourselves; [with] quality, longevity, and big-footed to go travel.”
Hopson Angus
Huvepharma
The team at Huvepharma is proud of its reputation for supplying only the highest-quality products — like PrimeLine™ IN5 — to customers. By leveraging unique technology, state-of-the-art facilities and a new approach to customer service, the company provides the quality and efficacy you expect and the service and dependability you didn’t know existed.
Huvepharma
Ingram Angus
Ingram Angus of Pulaski, Tenn., supplies Angus bulls and females to commercial cattlemen and seedstock producers throughout the Southeast and across the nation. Managing Partner Jason Upchurch says the best seedstock providers help their customers build more profitable cow herds, and that’s the mindset at Ingram Angus.
Mill Brae Ranch
“We want to produce consistent, predictable cattle that work for our commercial customers and help make them profitable,” says Janice Nikkel of Mill Brae Ranch, Maple Hill, Kan. The family believes productive, functional females are the foundation of a profitable cow herd, and they raise cattle their customers can count on.
Koupal's BB Angus
For Koupals B&B Angus of Dante, S.D., the key is to not make producing good cattle too complicated. The basics of functional cattle are the same everywhere, and the Koupals hold to the theory they do not need to reinvent the wheel. Backed by 50 years of AHIR data, the family helps customers with bull selection.
Koupal's BB Angus
Select Sire
Select Sires Inc. is committed to enhancing the productivity and profitability of dairy and beef producers and has a full slate of Angus sires. Highly fertile semen and genetic consultation are provided by three farmer-owned cooperatives domestically, while World Wide Sires Ltd. delivers international service.
ZWT Ranch
The Mayes family of ZWT Ranch firmly believes in the strength of their motto, “stacked maternal power.” Within their herd, that looks like generations of a power animal with a feminine front end, hoof quality and udder quality, keying in on long-lasting cows with a good production record.
ZWT RanchWhat's in a logo?
Data Driven Herd
The Data Driven Herd program recognizes members committed to the collection and submission of data on multiple traits to Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®) to help better characterize phenotypes in their herd and the Angus breed. There are three levels of recognition: Gold, Silver and Bronze, reflecting the number of traits a herd submits. Data Driven Herds improve the accuracy of related EPDs in their herd while supporting the world’s largest single-beef-breed database and the suite of selection tools available to all producers using registered Angus genetics.
Click the link below to see a list of this year’s Data Driven Herds.
MaternalPlus
The American Angus Association’s Inventory Reporting program tracks performance through whole-herd reporting rather than on an individual basis, allowing breeders to better characterize the maternal traits of their herd through increased accuracy of expected progeny differences (EPDs).
MaternalPlus® is the second tier of the program. In addition to a production record on every female, MaternalPlus herds submit heifer breeding data and weaning weights or calf disposal codes. Find the logo on the pedigrees of enrolled females.
Follow the link below to learn more.
Data Driven Herd
The Data Driven Herd program recognizes members committed to the collection and submission of data on multiple traits to Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®) to help better characterize phenotypes in their herd and the Angus breed. There are three levels of recognition: Gold, Silver and Bronze, reflecting the number of traits a herd submits. Data Driven Herds improve the accuracy of related EPDs in their herd while supporting the world’s largest single-beef-breed database and the suite of selection tools available to all producers using registered Angus genetics.
Click the link below to see a list of this year’s Data Driven Herds.
MaternalPlus
The American Angus Association’s Inventory Reporting program tracks performance through whole-herd reporting rather than on an individual basis, allowing breeders to better characterize the maternal traits of their herd through increased accuracy of expected progeny differences (EPDs).
MaternalPlus® is the second tier of the program. In addition to a production record on every female, MaternalPlus herds submit heifer breeding data and weaning weights or calf disposal codes. Find the logo on the pedigrees of enrolled females.
Follow the link below to learn more.
683
herds are enrolled in the American Angus Association’s MaternalPlus® program.
77%
of Industry Insights respondents say they keep individual cow records.
No. 1
priority for herds: fertility, according to Industry Insights participants.
Related Content
Finding Foundation Females
American Angus Association Regional Managers Radale Tiner, Alex Tolbert and Reese Tuckwiller call in from the road to explore how to select commercial females that will pull their weight in your herd.
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Common Ground
Commercial producers want a female that works. She must calve unassisted, breed back on time, stay in the herd and wean a valuable calf every year. That’s where the Angus female shines.
Read more
Adaptability Is the Foundation of Cow Efficiency
Researcher discusses tips for selecting cows that fit the western range, suggests thinking beyond popular selection trends and focusing on biological adaptability.
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Ellingson Angus
At Ellingson Angus, the cow herd is considered the cornerstone of everything the Ellingson family works toward. While they value performance data and EPDs, the family hopes to never lose sight of the fact that cattle must work under practical conditions on the ranch near St. Anthony, N.D.
Read more
Hinkson Ranch
Hinkson Angus of Cottonwood Falls, Kan., has been raising registered Angus in environments that lean to the extreme since 1960. The Flint Hills environment, combined with demanding management practices, mean cattle are not pampered.
Read more
Current Angus Beef Bulletin
Our September issue focuses on the females of the herd and the records that validate them.
