Sept.
20, 2010
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For
more information, contact:
Crystal
Albers, assistant director of communications/web editor, at 816-383-5100 or calbers@angus.org
To
request photos contact: prphotos@angus.org
American
Angus Association® Board Candidates Announced
Ten
Angus members have announced their candidacy for the American Angus Association
Board of Directors.
Every year, candidates compete for five seats on
the American Angus Association Board of Directors. As of Aug. 15, 10
Association members had announced their intention to run for the Board.
Biographical sketches submitted by the candidates are presented here in
alphabetical order. Two are incumbents. Board members elected Monday, Nov. 15,
at the Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky., will each serve a three-year term.
Tom Burke
A candidate for the Board of Directors because
of his love, dedication and devotion to the Angus breed, Tom Burke asks for
your support. A fourth-generation cattleman, his great-grandfather used
registered Angus bulls in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His grandfather,
father and uncle were all registered Angus breeders. Today, Tom is an owner of
the original Burke Farm, homesteaded 125 years ago in southeastern Minnesota.
Tom attended and cast his first vote at the 76th
Annual Meeting of the American Angus Association 52 years ago. He has been a
delegate for many years.
A charter member of the Minnesota Junior Angus
Association, Tom was elected its first president in 1960 and served three
consecutive terms. In the 1960s, Tom and his twin brother, Tony, were selected
as State Star Farmers of Minnesota. Tom served as vice president of the
Minnesota Future Farmers of America and president of the Minnesota 4-H
Federation.
After completing his military obligation, Tom
joined the staff of the Drovers’ Journal, serving as fieldman for two years. In
the 1960s he joined the staff of J.B. McCorkle, a national Angus sale
management firm in Smithville, Mo. Upon the death of McCorkle in 1972, Tom
continued the sale management business.
He was elected chairman of the All-American
Angus Breeders’ Futurity in 1972 and is currently serving his 40th term as
chairman.
Elected to the Missouri Angus Association (MAA)
board in 1971, 1972 and 1973, Tom served as vice president in 1973 and 1974. He
was chairman of the MAA State Show and Sale in 1974. In 1972 he was recognized
as Man of the Year by the Missouri Junior Angus Association. Tom is one of the
five original life members of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association.
He is a charter member of the Atlantic National
Angus Show and has served on its board since the show’s inception in 1987. The
show was dedicated to him in 1993, 1996 and 2007.
For a span of six decades, Tom has annually
conducted more than 175 registered Angus sales, conducting sales in 47 states,
six Canadian provinces and the Caribbean. He takes great pride in managing and
conducting Angus sales of all types and kinds, being accessible to breeders and
treasuring the lifelong friendships he has made.
For 20 consecutive years, he was honored by the
American Angus Association as Promoter of the Year. During that period, he
signed up more than 1,000 adult and junior members.
Tom was recognized as Marketeer of the Year at
the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, Colo., in 1994.
On numerous occasions, he has been honored by
the American Angus Auxiliary for his work on their behalf. He has the
distinction of being the longest-serving judge for the Auxiliary-sponsored All-American
Certified Angus Beef®
(CAB®) Cook-Off at the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS). Tom was an
announcer at the first National Junior Angus Showmanship Contest in 1967 and
served in that capacity through 1973. He has attended all 44 National Junior
Angus Showmanship Contests, as well as all 42 NJAS events.
Tom was inducted into the Angus Heritage
Foundation in 2004. In 2005, the Kansas Angus Association selected him as an
honorary member. In 2006, Tom received the Association’s Historic Angus Herd
award, and in 2009 he was appointed to the Angus Heritage Foundation Selection
Committee.
Tom co-authored Angus Legends, Volume I; the updated second
printing released a year later; the Atlantic National book Unforgettable
Memories;
and The 40th Anniversary of the National Junior Angus Show released last year. He
is presently working on four Angus books.
Tom’s daughter, Carmen; son-in-law, Jake; and
three grandchildren — all members of the American Angus Association
— reside on the Burke Family Farm at Platte City, Mo. Tom is a member of
the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Weston, Mo.
Today Tom travels 340 days a year on behalf of
the breed. His life is Angus cattle. Tom owns 250 registered Angus cows, has 30
bulls in major artificial insemination (AI) studs and owned the bull that led
the breed for registrations in 2007. He is involved daily at the American Angus
Hall of Fame, home of the largest collection of Angus history in the world. He
has traveled extensively internationally to Angus shows and events.
As a director, Tom says he will value your input
and opinion as an Association member, always putting first and foremost the
needs of the Angus breed and its members. He seeks to:
•
Support any actions that will add value to Angus cattle and not take away.
•
Be a watchdog for the purity of the breed and assist to drive away third-world
breeds that may attempt to
take a presence in the Association.
•
Pursue and protect investment in the breed’s most special asset, Angus youth.
•
Support performance programs.
•
Further advance the importance of Angus bulls in commercial programs.
•
Continue to be a strong proponent for the betterment and expansion of the CAB
program.
Tom says, “I believe it is the responsibility of
a director to see that our Association continues to remain financially strong
and, at the same time, be aware of the needs and demands of the Association
membership.”
Robert B. Groom
The New York Angus Association has unanimously
endorsed Robert B. Groom as a candidate for election to the American Angus
Association Board of Directors.
Robert was born on a dairy farm in Cheshire,
England. He graduated from high school in 1984 with high marks at the age of
16. A year later he and his family moved to the 360-acre diversified stock farm
of East Tullyfergus, Perthshire, Scotland.
He established the Tullyfergus Aberdeen-Angus
Herd in 1987. A first-generation breeder, he built the herd slowly as he
studied the breed and its history. Funds to expand the herd were earned by
operating a contract sheep-shearing business in June and July, during which
several people were hired to help shear 30,000 ewes.
In 1989, he undertook a three-month study tour
of the Angus breed in the United States, living and working with families
raising Angus cattle in many different areas of the country.
Robert married Linda in August 1993 and rented
the nearby farm of Balwhyme. This was used entirely for the production of
registered Angus and malting barley. A herd of commercial Angus cows was used
as recipients for embryos from their American donor cow and promote the
maternal and performance characteristics of the Angus breed to other producers.
In the United Kingdom (UK), Robert was appointed
to the technical committee of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society (A-ACS) in
1996. During the time he served, this committee was primarily concerned with
DNA parentage testing and estimated breeding values (EBVs). In 1997, he was
elected to Council of the A-ACS. He served on Council for two years prior to
coming to the United States in fall 1998. The Tullyfergus herd was dispersed in
September 1998, setting a UK record for a registered Angus calf.
Since coming to the United States to pursue
their “American Dream” in October 1998, Robert and Linda have re-established
the Tullyfergus Angus herd near Lyons, N.Y. It is a 50-cow registered
operation, producing bulls for commercial and registered cow-calf producers,
show heifers and steers. In addition, they provide management for a 100-cow
commercial herd that produces top-quality steer calves and replacement females,
recipients for embryos and club-calf prospects. They harvest more than 600
acres of dry hay each summer for feed for the two herds and to sell. A small
amount of cash cropping and custom round baling is also undertaken.
Robert is an active member of the New York Angus
Association (NYAA) and the New York Beef Producers Association (NYBPA), having
served as president and vice president of the NYAA. He is currently a director
and junior advisor.
Robert served as chairman and vice chairman of
the Western Region of the NYBPA. He was recognized as Beef Promoter of the Year
in 2007 and Cattleman of the Year in 2008 by the NYBPA and New York Beef
Council. In addition, he has organized numerous promotional and educational
events for both the NYAA and NYBPA to further the positive message about Angus
genetics and beef consumption. He was selected to participate in the Beef
Leaders Institute (BLI) program in 2009.
Each October the herd hosts a joint production
sale with friends Roger and Alice McCracken and Rita Partee to offer both
registered Angus bulls and females and top-quality commercial Angus females.
Linda is a research associate at the University
of Rochester Medical Center, and they have three children — Oliver, 13;
Charlotte, 9; and Evie, 4. After three years of legal work status, they decided
in September 2001 to start the process to attain legal permanent residence in
the United States (a green card). It was granted in April 2008. Robert and Linda
will be eligible for citizenship in 2013; their daughters are natural-born U.S.
citizens. The children show cattle at local fairs and the state fair. They are
active in school activities, such as newspaper and band. In addition, they
lease cattle to several local 4-H members and mentor them through the show
season in all aspects of beef cattle management.
As a younger breeder, Robert would bring a world
of experience to the American Angus Association Board, having already served on
the national board in the UK. Those who know Robert marvel at his energy,
enthusiasm and common sense. He has proven himself as a critical thinker and
problem solver. He is a great student of breed history and pedigree.
Robert, Linda and their children were the
subject of an “I am Angus” video in fall 2009. The video can be seen online at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmg8JwNPeZw.
Chad Hoffman
The Illinois Angus Association has unanimously
endorsed Chad Hoffman, Colfax, Ill., for a second term on the Board of
Directors of the American Angus Association.
Chad was born and raised in Colfax on the
Hoffman Angus farm. He graduated with honors from Octavia High School. Chad’s
enthusiasm for Angus cattle came at an early age, working alongside his father,
J.G. Hoffman, who started Hoffman Angus along with Chad’s great-grandfather in
1962. Chad started his Angus career with involvement in 4-H, the national FFA
organization, the Illinois Junior Angus Association and the NJAA. He was very
active in these associations, and participating at the NJAS was a highlight of
every summer.
Hoffman Angus produces seedstock for purebred
and commercial producers. They sell cattle through state and national sales and
by private treaty off the farm. Chad has incorporated the use of AI, embryo
transfer (ET), ultrasound and Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®)
into Hoffman Angus, and he is proud that all of his income is derived from the
cattle industry.
Undecided about what to do for the summer after
his first year of college at the University of Illinois, Chad applied for the
summer job program sponsored by the American Angus Association. He was employed
at Goshen Angus of Paris, Ky. The summer job experience was very successful,
and Goshen Angus hired Chad as their full-time herdsman.
Keeping education a priority, Chad was able to
transfer to the University of Kentucky (UK), where he graduated in 1989. He was
on the 1989 UK livestock judging team. One of the proudest accomplishments of
college was being on the dean’s list at both universities.
For the past 15 years Chad has been employed by
Genex Cooperative Inc., a subsidiary of Cooperative Resources International
(CRI). Chad has had several positions with Genex. He started out as the beef
marketing specialist, working with all Genex employees and training them on the
beef industry and how to sell beef semen. Other positions Chad has attained
have included area sales representative, area sales manager and regional sales
manager.
All of these positions have given Chad the
experience to work with people and manage situations that take communication
and decision-making skill. Chad believes that communication is the key to any
business, explaining your thoughts and ideas and listening to those of others.
A tremendous amount of experience was gained while working with the budgeting
and forecasting for Genex and CRI.
Chad is married to the love of his life,
Janelle. They live on Hoffman Angus Farm with their three boys — Cale, 6;
Brec, 4; and Zane, 2. Chad said it was love at first sight when he saw his
wife. Janelle is the local funeral director in Colfax.
Chad looks forward to sharing his love of cattle
with his boys. He is adamant about leaving a viable and sustainable future for
his sons at Hoffman Angus.
Chad is committed to service. He believes that
you should serve your church and community. Chad and Janelle are members of
Immanuel Lutheran Church, and he serves on the board of directors of the
Octavia Fire District. He has been elected president and vice president of the
Illinois Angus Association and serves on its board. He also served as 2007
National Angus Conference & Tour chairman for the state of Illinois.
Chad would like to serve the American Angus
Association membership by being re-elected for a second term on the Board of
Directors. During his first term he served on the Information and Data
Management and Industry Relations committees and the Angus Productions Inc.
(API) Board.
Chad attended the NCBA’s Young Cattlemen’s
Conference (YCC) in 2007. He was sponsored by the American Angus Association
through the Angus Foundation. Chad still remembers this as a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.
Chad has had an opportunity through his
employment to travel extensively throughout the United States, seeing numerous
cattle operations and the concerns and challenges each faces.
“We need to communicate our thoughts and ideas
to each other and let everyone prosper,” he says. “Development and training of
our young members is critical, as they will be the future of the Angus breed.”
John Elbert Harrell
With a diverse and unique blend of business,
educational, organizational and Angus cattle experience, John Elbert Harrell
announces his candidacy for director of the American Angus Association.
The Alabama Angus Association unanimously
endorses this candidacy based on John’s lifetime of service with distinction to
that organization.
Says Greg Blythe of Macedon Farms, “John Elbert
has one agenda, to serve all Angus breeders equitably with honesty and
integrity.” He is a lifetime member of the American Angus Association and grew
up on Harrell Brothers’ Angus Farm. His great-grandfather began farming in
Lowndes County in 1880, and the fourth-generation farm included 250 registered
Angus cows. His father, Walter, established that historical herd and, in
addition to running that operation, was executive secretary and fieldman for
the Alabama Angus Association for more than 40 years.
John Elbert has 41 years experience breeding
Angus cattle, 25 years experience as a community bank president coupled with 15
years of experience as a successful small business owner. Roland Starnes,
Kensington Cattle Co., says, “John Elbert is a successful and passionate
cattleman, businessman and community leader and a candidate with an allegiance
to one thing — all breeders of the American Angus Association, large and
small.”
John Elbert is a third-generation graduate of
Auburn University with a degree in agricultural economics. He holds a master’s
degree in human resource management and a graduate degree in banking from the
Stonier School of Banking, and a certificate in financial planning from Florida
State University.
He showed heifers as a junior and was captain of
his county livestock judging team. He was manager of Harrell Angus Farm from
1977 to 1982 and was responsible for the herd’s AI program, annual production
sale, and the marketing of 100+ bulls annually. He was then hired as ‘Pickett’
division manager of Lovana Farms, where he was promoted to performance director
for all cattle operations. With the help of the American Angus Association, he
developed and implemented one of the largest performance records programs to
date.
While continuing to breed Angus cattle, he began
his banking career, which took him to Florida, Georgia and Alabama as a
community bank president, where he provided financial services to countless
customers — from small business owners to large corporate clients —
giving him a broad understanding and a wealth of expertise in business and
financial management.
John Elbert and his wife of 33 years, Ann, and
their son, Wesley, now own and successfully operate Big Blue, an Auburn college
bookstore they established in 2004.
He is a director and past president of his state
association and chairman of the Sales Committee. A strong supporter of junior
Angus, in 2007 the Harrells donated a heifer that generated more than $17,000
for the Richard Dyar Scholarship Fund. He serves as treasurer of the Lee County
Cattlemen’s Association, is the current president of the Auburn Chamber of
Commerce, a past director of Cattle for Christ International, is a Gideon and a
past Rotarian. He is a member of Lakeview Baptist Church, where he serves as a
substitute Sunday school teacher. He and Ann have two children, Wes, who works
in the family business; and Maggie, an attorney in Washington, D.C.
John Elbert has a tremendous appreciation for
the American Angus Association and the contribution Angus cattle make to the
beef industry. He believes that reliable and accurate performance records
provided by the American Angus Association, availed through the diligence and
commitment of its breeders, has given Angus members powerful tools for success.
That database, second to none, must be utilized and protected to ensure
continued success.
Harrell says he appreciates the contributions of
the regional managers and staff, along with the tremendous impact CAB has had
on Angus beef demand.
John Elbert says the Association faces many key
issues and opportunities and that we must remain diligent as the No. 1 beef
breed association in the world. Lanny Upton, president of the Alabama Angus
Association says, “John is well-prepared to serve the American Angus
Association. He is progressive, objective, and there is no doubt he will vote
independently with the best interest of our breed and breeders every time.”
The members and directors of the Alabama Angus
Association respectfully ask the voting delegates of the American Angus
Association to elect John Elbert Harrell as a director in the 2010 election.
Curtis W. Long
Curtis W. “Doc” Long of Butler, Mo., has received
the unanimous endorsement of the Missouri Angus Association (MAA) board as well
as the overwhelming support from the membership of the MAA during its annual
membership meeting in his candidacy for the American Angus Association Board of
Directors.
“We are proud to have Doc Long as Missouri’s
candidate for the AAA board and are confident in his ability to fairly
represent the entire membership,” says Rick Washam, MAA president. “He brings
nearly 50 years of experience as an Angus breeder to the table, and it is that
involvement as a true Angus breeder that helps him relate to our membership.”
Doc has been breeding Angus cattle since 1963.
He joined the American Angus Association in 1967 and the MAA in 1974, serving
as its president from 2001-2002.
His Briarwood Angus Farms includes 220
registered cows and more than 1,900 acres, with 320 acres in native prairie,
150 in cropland and 1,500 in permanent pasture. Doc and his wife, Ann (the
farm’s business manager), married 52 years, have two adult sons, Curtis and
Kent, former junior Angus members.
Base genetics came from the Wye Plantation and
are still highly selected for functional, good milking cattle that calve easily
without forsaking growth, rendering eight generations of superior Angus. Each
spring Briarwood offers approximately 50 bulls and 40 female lots in its annual
sale.
A charter member of U.S. Premium Beef (USPB),
Doc understands value-added products. Briarwood cattle consistently grade more
than 90% Choice, with more than 50% qualifying for CAB. Briarwood Angus Farms
finishes approximately 100 head annually for USPB’s NatureSource™ Natural Angus
Beef and utilizes performance data in all breeding decisions, while
aggressively managing health and nutrition to develop bulls and females.
The son of humble farmers, Doc was born in
Ironton, Mo. At age 5 he moved to Festus, Mo., later enrolling in the
University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) School of Agriculture in 1952. He was a
member of Alpha Zeta agriculture honorary society and earned a bachelor’s
degree in agricultural biochemistry. He served on the Alpha Gamma Rho committee
that purchased property and helped start the foundation that raised money to
build its fraternity.
In 1956, Long returned to Festus to work as a
cattle buyer in his father’s meatpacking house. Two years later, he married and
moved to Columbia upon acceptance to MU’s medical school. He graduated in 1963
after intensive surgical training at Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. He then
completed an internship at General Hospital in Kansas City, with an emphasis in
obstetrics and surgery. Long distinguished himself as a physician who provides
an array of essential services to rural patients, including development of a
new procedure for a tonsillectomy. (For complete medical résumé, see www.fcm.missouri.edu/deptnewslong.aspx.)
In 1964, the Longs moved to Butler, where Doc
has maintained his practice for more than 46 years. The 2010 Missouri Physician
of the Year, he is also recognized by MU’s School of Medicine for developing a
residents’ training program that teaches skills necessary for bringing
comprehensive care to rural areas.
Doc served his community on multiple bank boards
and was a founding member and part owner in Community First Bank of Butler.
Most recently, he fulfilled five years of service on Bates County Memorial
Hospital’s board. The Longs generously back 4-H, FFA and cattlemen’s
associations.
An advocate of junior Angus programs and the
Angus Foundation, Doc established in 1998 the Missouri State Fair Angus Carcass
Contest, which is now in its twelfth year. The Longs continue to fund
scholarships within the MAA and heartily contribute to the Angus Foundation,
having created an endowment to supply awards for the National Junior Angus
Carcass Contest for years to come. Junior members benefit, but Doc contends the
Angus industry benefits as well, knowing young, progressive producers are
taking Angus the right direction.
Doc encourages the next generation to focus on
the end product. He believes in steadfast commitment to the longstanding
reputation of Angus genetics and the youth involved in its industry-leading
opportunities and says, as a national board member, he would like to help
improve the programs available for junior members and see youth involved and
progressing in the breed and in life in general.
“I believe I can bring diversity to the Board
and will also try to see that all members of the AAA are treated equally,” Doc
says. “I would be honored to serve the American Angus Association to accomplish
such endeavors and work to keep Angus Number 1.”
Leo McDonnell
The Montana Angus Association board endorses Leo
McDonnell as a candidate for the American Angus Association Board of Directors.
Born and raised in Billings, Mont., Leo is a fourth-generation rancher, raised
around both feedlot and cow-calf operations.
He and his wife, Sam, live near Columbus, Mont.,
and have four children (Steve, Darcey, Kelsey and Buffy) and 10 grandchildren.
They own the Midland Bull Test and 600 cows.
Growing up, Leo was active for 10 years in 4-H,
showing fed steers, and the local Boy Scout Troop, eventually becoming an Eagle
Scout. He fitted and showed several champions for various breeders at major
shows in the western United States while in high school. Also while in high
school he started his Angus herd with cows purchased from Candee Angus.
From 1971 to 1975, Leo attended Texas Tech
University and the University of Wyoming, studying animal nutrition for a
feedlot background and animal science. He returned home in 1976 to help his
father run the Midland Bull Test and also managed a commercial feedlot, Patton
and Davidson Feedlot.
Leo and Sam purchased their first ranch in 1987
near Reedpoint, Mont., and later moved their ranch to Rhame, N.D., where they
graze about 350 registered cows. They also have a herd of registered cows in
western Montana and maintain a fall-calving herd at Columbus, Mont.
Leo and Sam purchased Midland Bull Test
following his father’s death in 1993. Known as “The Granddaddy of Performance,”
the test is recognized as a pioneer in the development and promotion of
performance. Midland has grown to testing more than 2,000 bulls per year. It
has often led the field in introducing breeders and ranchers to additional
trait selection. It was one of the early seedstock programs to measure testicle
size, recognizing its importance to early fertility in female offspring, as
well as its importance to bull fertility.
Midland was one of the pioneers in ultrasound,
measuring for ribeye area (REA), intramuscular fat (IMF) and back fat (BF) in
1969 and 1970. It has now become the largest private facility to measure
individual feed intake to assist in identifying more-efficient cattle. Emphasis
has been on efficiency as it relates to the cow herd and replacement females.
In 2008, they turned the management and
operation of Midland Bull Test over to their son Steve Williams and his wife,
Lindsay. Leo and Sam now concentrate their efforts on the cow herd, ranching,
grandchildren and developing a national database for efficiency-tested cattle.
Leo has been involved in several industry
groups, being a past chair of the Montana Cattle Feeders; a delegate in the
mid-1990s for Montana, sitting on the NCBA International Trade Committee and
the Research and Education Committee; a co-founder for R-CALF USA in 1998-1999;
and currently a director of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association. Leo has also been
active in the Montana Stockgrowers Association; the Montana Cattlemen’s
Association; and the Beartooth Stockgrowers Association.
Leo has testified on behalf of U.S. cattle
producers at numerous Congressional hearings, including being the sole cattle
producer invited to testify before the U.S. Senate Trade Deficit review
Commission in 2001. He is credited with taking the lead in getting
country-of-origin labeling (COOL) passed and has spent considerable time in
Washington, D.C., advancing issues important to U.S. ranchers.
Leo has received numerous awards, including the
1999 Black Hills Stock Show Agri-Businessman of the Year and the 2000 Ag
Advocate of the Year presented at the Billings Chamber of Commerce ag
appreciation dinner. Most special to Leo and Sam are a pair of saddles awarded
to them in South Dakota on behalf of their work for cattle producers.
In his spare time, Leo likes to read, spend time
with children and grandchildren at sports events, fishing and youth rodeo. He
says the cattle business and ranching has always been their passion, so they
don’t need a vacation. They do what they enjoy every day.
“Life works best when you give back, and I believe this is
true on a business and industry level,” Leo says. “The Angus breed, Angus
breeders and the Association have in a large part been responsible for our
family’s successes in ranching and at Midland Bull Test. It is for that reason
that I am running for Director. I would hope with my experience of working with
breeders and ranchers with diverse interests and a love of this industry and
the passion to see it advance would be an asset to the members.”
John Pfeiffer
The Oklahoma Angus Association (OAA) unanimously
endorses John Pfeiffer as a candidate for the American Angus Association Board
of Directors, noting his lifetime experience with Angus combined with his
dedication to agriculture make him uniquely qualified to represent the nation’s
largest breed organization.
John graduated from Oklahoma State University
(OSU) with a bachelor’s degree in animal science. While attending OSU, he was a
member of the livestock judging team, Block & Bridle and Farmhouse
Fraternity, and he purchased his first 160 acres, which serves as the home
place today.
John and his wife, Gaye, have been married 29
years and have two sons. John Christopher attended OSU, judged on the livestock
judging team and is currently in the Marine Corps. Andy graduated from
Mulhall-Orlando High School and is building a successful swine operation.
The Pfeiffer family started in the Angus
business when John’s great-grandfather purchased an Angus bull in 1907. John is
a fourth-generation Angus breeder whose herd began with two heifers his granddad
gave to him when he was 9 years old. His granddad bought life memberships to
the American Angus Association for each grandchild when they were born and had
a history of starting many young people in the Angus business, including Minnie
Lou Bradley, whose first Angus cow was purchased at Pfeiffer Stock Farms to
start her beef enterprise. That tradition of youth support is carried on by
John and his family today.
The family operates a diversified farming
operation consisting of 1,400 acres of crops and pasture. Much of the wheat,
alfalfa and corn go directly to the 140 registered Angus cows. Stocker calves
are brought in depending on the amount of excess wheat pasture and market
conditions.
Registered females are merchandised through the
fall production sale with Blackjack Angus in Seminole, Okla. All bull calves
are tested through Oklahoma Beef Incorporated (OBI) in Stillwater, Okla., and
sold either through OBI sales or the spring bull sale at Blackjack. John has
served as director and president of OBI. Steers are fed through the Oklahoma
Steer Feedout. John Christopher and Andy had several champion carcass steers at
the NJAS and Oklahoma Junior Cattlemen’s Association Steer Feedout. The carcass
data has been used to make breeding and culling decisions, and the results have
affirmed progress in the breeding program.
John spent 30 years teaching high school
science, served two years as administrator and was twice selected as teacher of
the year. In addition to full-time teaching and farming, he made time to be
instrumental in the agriculture community on a local and state level. He is a
member of the Orlando United Methodist Church, where he has served as lay
leader and chairman of the Administrative Board.
He has been president of the OAA and, with Gaye,
serves as editor of the Oklahoma Angus Challenger and directory. In the 1970s,
when the OAA was unable to hire a field person, John produced the Challenger
for several months. In 2006, when the OAA again found themselves in need, the
Pfeiffers stepped in to keep the publications viable.
John and Gaye have attended the CAB Brand
Builders Seminar in Wooster, Ohio. They have served as advisors to the Oklahoma
Junior Angus Association and were finance chairmen for the 2007 NJAS. They have
been named 4-H Volunteer Leaders of the Year on the state level and are Angus
superintendents at the state fair and Oklahoma Youth Expo.
John has served as president of United
Cooperative, and vice president of Logan County Farm Bureau and FSA Committee.
He was a member of the first Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program. He has been a
director for the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, president of the Logan
County Cattlemen’s Association and president of the Mulhall-Orlando Lions Club.
Whether the ag teacher needs a load of sand for the local fair barn or Farm
Bureau needs a producer to visit the state legislature, they call John to get
the job done.
John feels that the American Angus Association
has long benefited from strong leadership that has concentrated on making Angus
the beef breed. John’s experience in all aspects of the cattle business and
leadership in various organizations give him an understanding of what it takes
to keep Angus at the forefront of the cattle business. His work with people
outside the ag sector provides a framework of how to communicate our business
to them.
John says it’s imperative that we focus on
producing beef and that the Association continues to provide members the tools
needed to produce a profitable product. There are many challenges facing the entire
ag sector. John’s lifetime perspective in the Angus business provides insight
on how to meet those challenges, which he feels are surmountable.
The Oklahoma Angus Association asks your
consideration of his candidacy.
Jim Rentz
The Ohio Angus Association unanimously endorses
Jim Rentz of Coldwater, Ohio, to serve a second term on the American Angus
Association Board of Directors.
Jim currently serves on the Angus Foundation and
Angus Productions Inc. (API) boards as well as the Industry Relations and
Information and Data Management committees. He also has served on the Finance
and Activities committees.
His lifelong dedication to the Angus business
started 58 years ago with the purchase of two heifers in 1952. From that
defining moment, Jim’s Creek Side Farm herd near Chickasaw, Ohio, has been
known for producing high-quality seedstock. His herd has been enrolled in AHIR
from its inception and has earned the Historic Angus Herd recognition through
58 years of breeding registered Angus cattle.
In his early career, Jim worked as herdsman for
Forest Hill Farms in Ohio before going to Ohio State University to major in
animal science. While at Forest Hills, Jim fitted the 1956 All-American Angus
Futurity Supreme Champion bull.
In 1959, he was hired by the Angus Journal as fieldman for
Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, a position he held until 1973. During these 14
years, Jim honed his sales acumen through marketing print advertising and
working as a ringman throughout the Midwest.
After his tenure with the Angus Journal, Jim started Rentz
Auction Co., which specialized in Angus sale management. For the next eight
years, he traveled the United States and Canada promoting the Angus breed.
In 1968, Jim married his wife, Judy, and they
raised three children — Sheri, Doug and Nick, all of whom were active in
the Ohio Junior Angus Association and showed at the county, state and national
levels. Sheri and Doug showed back-to-back grand champion carcass steers at the
1985 and 1986 NJAS with animals bred and raised at Creek Side Farm.
Today, Sheri and her husband, Dan Platfoot,
along with their three children reside at the farm and oversee the daily
operations of the Angus herd. The grandchildren now are involved with 4-H and
showing cattle. In 1994, the Ohio Angus Association presented the Rentz family
with the Ohio Angus Family of the Year Award.
Active on the state and national Angus scene,
Jim served as president of the Ohio Angus Association in 2001 and 2002 and
continues as a state director. For the past 30 years, he has been a delegate to
the American Angus Association annual meeting. He also spent three terms (nine
years) on the Ohio Beef Council and is a past treasurer of the Ohio Cattlemen’s
Association.
Nearly 23 years ago, Jim co-founded the Ohio
Beef Expo and served as chairman and manager for the first five years of this
successful event. Jim also has had the privilege to serve on four committees
for honorees of the prestigious Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Award.
On the local level, he was involved in creating
the Mercer County Cattlemen’s Association and served five years as president.
Jim founded the Mercer County Junior Fair Boosters, a support group that
financially assists the annual junior livestock sale, and he currently is vice
president of the Mercer County Fair Long-Range Planning Committee.
Jim started the annual Showcase Sale in 1978.
This sale — dedicated to offering high-quality seedstock — was
developed to give smaller breeders an opportunity to have their own production
sale in one event.
After spending 28 years as a sales
representative for Post Printing Co., Jim retired in 2008. During that span, he
oversaw the printing and production of many livestock accounts that included
Angus sale books, directories and promotional materials.
Four years ago in Louisville, Ky., during the
North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE), Jim introduced his
book, 50+ Years of Angus Trails and Tales, in which he highlights many of the
historical Angus personalities, herds and events that helped shape the dynamic
industry into what it is today. The marketing of this book currently is handled
by the American Angus Auxiliary.
The past three years have been challenging for
the Angus breed, and Jim has been an active board member representing the
industry and finding solutions to difficult issues. He recognizes that some of
the industry’s biggest challenges are not from within the breed but from the
outside, such as organizations against animal agriculture and state and
national politicians who do not understand what it takes to produce safe food.
Jim’s experience, knowledge and wisdom through
his business career and decades in the Angus industry will continue to benefit
the American Angus Association Board of Directors. He would appreciate your
support.
Kenny R. Totty
Kenny R. Totty, “KT,” is dedicated to the Angus
breed and helping other small-scale breeders like himself. As a
sixth-generation farmer in a small community in middle Tennessee, KT has worked
to both organize and sustain small grassroots organizations to support Angus
breeders throughout the state. Because of these efforts, he has received
unanimous support from the Middle Tennessee, Upper Cumberland, East Tennessee,
and the South Central Tennessee Angus associations.
KT graduated from Middle Tennessee State
University in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After
working for the Tennessee Department of Conservation, Division of Strip Mine
Reclamation, for a few years, he left his employment with the state to found his
own company.
For 20 years he successfully operated
Appalachian Reclamation and Consulting Company (ARC). ARC worked primarily in
the mountains of East Tennessee and Southeastern Kentucky, reclaiming land
devastated by the strip mining of coal. ARC also worked as an engineering
consultant with coal operators to establish better conservation practices. This
experience provides KT with the necessary knowledge to care for his land
properly. He feels that it is important to impart this knowledge to others so that
we all can be good stewards of the land.
After the birth of his two children, KT left ARC
to return home to the small community of Totty’s Bend to fulfill his lifelong
dream of raising cattle and raising his children in the environment in which he
had grown up. Both his grandfather and father had raised commercial beef
cattle, with his father using Angus bulls in more recent years. KT determined
from the beginning that the Angus breed was the premier cattle breed and
purchased his first Angus females in 1992.
KT says we must continue to aggressively market
our brand and the CAB program so that both breeders and consumers continue to
perceive the Angus breed as the premier breed. All breeders are experiencing
difficulties in this economy. We must ensure that the consumer appreciates the
quality of our product through the efforts of both the CAB program and the
Angus Foundation.
From the beginning, Totty’s Bend Angus Farm has
been family owned and operated with only occasional hired labor. This has been
harder in recent years with both of his children away at college and the growth
of his wife’s business. Jannie, his wife of 28 years, is a full-time certified
public accountant (CPA) and maintains all the Totty’s records. She also helps
with hay and working cattle.
Son Ben has a bachelor’s degree in animal and
life science from Mississippi State University and is now working on his
master’s degree in natural resources economics at the University of Tennessee.
His daughter, Abigail, is a senior at the University of Tennessee pursuing a
degree in public relations. Both talk of returning home, so KT hopes that one
of them will become the seventh generation to farm in Totty’s Bend. This past
Fourth of July, KT and Jannie organized a bicentennial celebration for the
Totty’s Bend community that was originally settled by one of his ancestors.
KT has taken a leadership role in several local
and regional organizations. He served on the board of directors of the Hickman
Farmer’s Coop for six years and was chairman of the board for two years. He has
served as both vice president and president of the Middle Tennessee Angus
Association. KT is currently serving on the board of directors of the Upper
Cumberland Angus Association. Through the relationships he has developed in
working with the members of these various organizations, KT has gained a unique
perspective on the struggles that both large- and small-scale cattle breeders
face in these tough economic times.
Several years ago, KT saw the need for an
effective marketing tool for the small-scale producer. As a result, he founded
the Duck River Angus Classic Female Sale in 2008. An alliance of three
grassroots Angus associations in Tennessee, it has allowed small-scale
producers to share both marketing and facility expenses to fashion a sale that
is large enough to attract many buyers. Some of the larger-scale producers who
have their own sale each year have also participated in this sale, which is
hosted each fall in a centralized location and has enjoyed great success.
KT is committed to the advancement of the Angus
breed. He says we must continue to support our breed and address any genetic
issues we currently face or may face in the future. We cannot let these issues
undermine our “brand.” As Angus breeders, we must be prepared to meet the
challenges of the future, whether genetic, economic, animal rights activism,
environmental issues, or government restrictions.
With support from the majority of Tennessee
breeders, KT would be honored to serve on the board of directors of the
American Angus Association.
Kevin Yon
The South Carolina Angus Association unanimously
endorses Kevin Yon of Ridge Spring, S.C., as a candidate for the American Angus
Association Board of Directors. Kevin is a first-generation Angus breeder who got
his introduction into the cattle business at the age of 14. It was then that he
borrowed money to purchase an Angus heifer. Thirty years later, Angus cattle
are still a way of life for Kevin. His platform running for the Board is simple
— to give back service to the breed and the people who have afforded him
the opportunity to grow his business and family successfully.
Kevin met his wife, Lydia, at Clemson University
where they were both pursuing degrees in animal science. After college, they
got their feet wet as a couple in the cattle industry by landing their dream
job of managing a registered Angus operation, Congaree Farms, near Columbia,
S.C. After seven and a half years of growth there, the owner decided to
disperse his cattle operation. Out of a job, but not their dream, the Yons took
the plunge in 1996 and started their own Angus operation, Yon Family
Farms.
By this time, the Yons were the proud parents of
three children under the age of 6, who made the move with 100 head of Angus
females to embark on the venture that would become the family’s sole source of
income to this day.
With both parents working fulltime on the farm,
the children have essentially “grown up” with the farm and have been part of
its development every step of the way. Angus cattle have been an integral part
of their lives and they have been very involved in NJAA activities, as well as
4-H and FFA. The eldest, Sally, is currently serving as Miss American Angus.
The Yon children have all borrowed money to purchase their own cattle and have
all worked on the farm as they attended school. Sally and Drake are both at
Clemson University pursuing degrees in ag education and ag economics,
respectively. Corbin is a rising high school junior.
What began on 100 acres with additional leased
land has evolved into an operation utilizing more than 2,000 acres that
maintains approximately 500 head of Angus brood cows and 200 commercial cows.
Two annual sales (one in November and one in February) are hosted at the farm
each year. More than 200 Angus bulls and about 100 head of females are sold at
auction.
The Yons stress the importance of utilizing all
the tools available and are strong proponents of performance testing, running
an on-farm bull test for two groups of bulls each year. Their operation is
forage-based and focuses on producing cattle for their customer base, which is
made up mainly of progressive commercial cattlemen.
Kevin has held leadership positions in numerous
ag groups, beginning as president of the Block & Bridle Club at Clemson
University, where he was also on the livestock judging team. He has served as
president of the South Carolina Angus Association and South Carolina
Cattlemen’s Association, and as chairman of the South Carolina Farm Bureau Beef
Advisory Committee.
He most recently served on the Beef Improvement
Federation (BIF) board of directors and on the advisory council to the National
Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium (NBCEC). Kevin has participated in the YCC
tour for young leaders sponsored by the NCBA and has served on NCBA committees.
Yon Family Farms was named the 2009 National
Environmental Stewardship award winner. Kevin has been a delegate to the
American Angus Association annual meeting for numerous years. He has been a
speaker at both the CAB Annual Conference and the National Angus Conference
& Tour. In addition to serving in these cattle leadership roles, Kevin is
active in his community and church, serving as an officer in the Ridge Spring
Volunteer Fire Department, Little League Baseball coach, 4-H Livestock Club
volunteer leader, board member of the Ridge Farmer’s Mutual Coop, commissioner
of the Saluda Soil and Water Conservation District, and as a deacon at Ridge
Spring Baptist Church.
Kevin, his family and Angus friends are
enthusiastic about the opportunity for Kevin to serve as a Board Member and
give back to the breed that he loves.
— Compiled by Angus
Productions Inc.
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