In 1973, John and Joanne Reed established their Angus herd in Brooten, Minn. Originally known as John D. and Joanne Reed & Son, the Reed’s rebranded the operation as Bar J Ranch LLC in 2012. The ranch has been home to Angus cattle for more than 50 years, earning it the Historic Angus Herd Award. The award, presented by the American Angus Association^®, recognizes Angus breeders and immediate families who have been in continuous production of registered-Angus cattle for 50 years or more.

The Reed’s purchased their first registered cow in 1973 from Hugh Ingalls of Faith, S.D. Ingalls, along with Jim Wilson of Whitewood, S.D., became mentors to John Reed. He learned a great deal from the two men and carried their advice throughout his career.

John traveled extensively with his father who was a country veterinarian and during that time he was able to observe livestock of all breeds. These observations played a vital role in his decision to raise Angus cattle.

“I found Angus to be more trouble free, with ease of calving and resistance to pinkeye,” John said. “They also had sound feet and were hearty.”

When the industry moved towards larger framed cattle, the Reed’s bred for frame and growth. When that type of selection became problematic, they selected more moderately framed cattle with muscle and volume. They always selected cattle for carcass quality, calving ease, disposition and more recently, heifer pregnancy and foot score.

Bar J Ranch LLC has always employed Artificial Insemination into the operation, along with Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®), keeping considerable performance records on their herd.

Significant DNA testing has been performed on their cattle to identify sires when needed, enhance EPD accuracy and identify and remove cattle with genetic defects from the herd.

The Reed’s showed cattle at local, regional and national shows. Their children participated in Junior Angus Association shows, including the National Junior Angus Show.

Despite many of the highs and lows that come with being part of the cattle industry, the Reed’s have had many successes, including their induction into the Minnesota Livestock Hall of Fame in 2017 and being named Pope County Farm Family of the Year in 2018.

The family has shown many grand champion animals over the years, including Bar J Blackbird 82, Bar J Blackbird 41 and Bar J Blackbird 41-664. They also received the American Angus Association Pathfinder Cow Award on several of their females.

In 2012, when the Reed’s purchased a lifetime membership from the American Angus Association and rebranded their operation, they also added their son, Jake Reed, as a partner.

The Reed’s have sold cattle through private treaty sales and participated in consignment sales. Since 2015, they have held an annual production sale featuring 80 bulls and females.

Today, Jake Reed is responsible for the nutrition and breeding decisions of the Bar J Ranch LLC which consists of 170 cows and an additional 60 bred heifers.

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