Nov. 9, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
Jena McRell, digital editor, at 816-383-5100 or jmcrell@angusjournal.com.
PHOTO: Available upon request via prphotos@angus.org
Generations of Quality: Penner Angus Ranch
Oklahoma Angus herd recognized with a Century Award during the National Angus Convention.
The Angus breed is built on generations of individuals and families who’ve committed their livelihoods to raising Angus cattle. Through years of adversity and opportunity, they adapted their businesses and have grown into the next generation.
The American Angus Association is proud to recognize the Angus breeders who have sustained their farms and ranches for more than 100 years.
The organization presented four Century Awards during its Awards Recognition Breakfast Nov. 5, hosted as part of the 2015 Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show in Overland Park, Kan.
Harris Penner of Penner Angus Ranch near Mill Creek, Okla., accepted the award on his family’s behalf, which purchased their first Angus genetics in 1912.
Penner Angus Ranch
Penner Angus Ranch is the oldest continuously family-owned business in the state of Oklahoma. Tracing its roots to 1854, the ranch was established when Cyrus Harris founded the town of Mill Creek and began raising livestock. A five-time governor of the Chickasaw Nation, Harris was also involved in developing several business ventures to support the community.
His daughter, Amanda, married Texas cattleman Felix Penner in the late 1800s. Penner expanded the livestock operations and grew the ranch to 11,000 acres. In 1912, the family purchased the operation’s first Angus cattle. At that time, the Angus breed was unfamiliar to many in the region. The Penners purchased their first line of Angus genetics from Richard Selman of Rochelle, Texas.
In 1920, they expanded the herd with cattle from J.C. Simpson of Simpson Angus Ranch, whose descendants are also Century Award recipients this year. When the Angus cattle outsold the Herefords in Kansas City, there was no turning back for the Penner Ranch.
A century later, the Penners are still committed to raising high-quality Angus cattle.
The Penner’s ranching heritage lives on through the fourth and fifth generations, who remain connected to the families’ original Chickasaw allotments. Home to notable Angus sires, such as PR Black Friday 0244 and Penners-CC Double Black 2257, Penner Angus Ranch has adopted new technology and genetic advancements that drive the beef business today.
In 1995, the operation was recognized as an Oklahoma Centennial Farm and Ranch.
Today, Cyrus Harris’ great-great-grandson Harris Penner leads the ranch, along with his wife, Vicki. Daughters Amanda, husband Kyle Conley; Becca, husband Chance Kornegay; and Kelly, husband Zach Weldon, remain involved with the family’s operation today.
Five grandchildren also join them: Cyrus, Carter, Case, Ella and Jack. Harris’ sister Becky, her husband, Rick, and their family also continue the quality traditions of Penner Angus Ranch into the next generations.
Angus Convention
Century Awards were also presented to the following families during the National Angus Convention’s Award Recognition Breakfast: Ingalls Centennial Angus, Faith, S.D.; Homestead Farm, Cedar Lake, Ind.; and Simpson Angus Ranch, Edmond, Okla.
For more news from the 2015 Angus Convention, tune in for The Angus Report the week of Nov. 16 on RFD-TV. The 30-minute news program airs at 7:30 a.m. CST Monday, 5 p.m. CST Wednesday and 1:30 p.m. CST each Saturday on RFD-TV.
Online summaries, speaker presentations, photos, videos and much more can be found in the Newsroom at www.angusconvention.com.
ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving nearly 25,000 members across the United States and Canada. It provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on the power of Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.
For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association’s programs and services, visit www.ANGUS.org.
###