The American Angus Association^® posthumously honors Kenneth and Macil Laughlin with a Historic Angus Herd Award. The Association’s Historic Angus Herd Award recognizes breeders and immediate families who have been in continuous production of registered-Angus cattle for 50 years or more. 

Growing up, Kenneth Laughlin watched his father and grandfather experiment with other cattle breeds, but they always came back to Angus for its superior quality and high demand. So, when the time came for Kenneth and his wife, Macil, to start their own operation in Guilford, Mo., in 1959, the Angus breed was an easy choice for them. 

The Laughlin’s first purchase was a single Angus cow for $300. Little did they know the impact this cow would have on their operation in the future with one-third of the farm’s current herd linked back to that first cow.

Kenneth and Macil had two sons, Donald (Don) Laughlin and the late Dennis Laughlin. Growing up they both helped run the family farm alongside their parents. When they weren’t busy working on the farm the boys were active in their local 4-H and the Northwest Missouri Junior Angus Association. They also exhibited cattle at local Angus shows. 

Wanting to ensure their bulls were beneficial to their operation, in 1969, the Laughlins began submitting performance records to the American Angus Association and the University of Missouri’s On the Farm Testing Program. This effort earned the Laughlins great respect and loyalty and kept their customers coming back.

After Kenneth’s passing in 1987, Macil, with the help of family, took over management of their operation, where she was actively involved until her passing in 2024. Today, their son, Don Laughlin, manages farm.

“Before I even graduated college in 1980, my dad told me that I needed to get a job as being a farmer was not going to cut it in the economy,” Don Laughlin said. “I told my dad I would get a job for 12 months and then I was coming back to the farm.” 

That same year, Don got hired as a regional manager trainee for the American Angus Association and shortly after became a full-time Regional Manager serving several states in the Midwest for 28 years. In 2009, he was honored by the Missouri Angus Association with an appreciation award for his years of service as a regional manager. He was then promoted to Director of Member Service with the American Angus Association where he worked until 2014.

After thirty-four years, Don was finally able to fulfill his commitment and return to the family farm full-time. Today he runs approximately 200 head of cattle and merchandise seedstock across the region. 

Don works hard to honor his parents’ legacy by preserving the values and traditions they built over a lifetime.

Don served as 2020-2021 Missouri Angus Association President and was select to the University of Missouri Leaders Honor Roll in 2025. He has committed a lifetime to the Angus breed and to his Angus family that reach far and wide. 

Visit www.angus.org for more information about the Historic Angus Herd Award or to view a list of awarded members since the program began in 1988.