Nov. 11, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:

Jena McRell, digital editor, at 816-383-5100 or jmcrell@angusjournal.com

PHOTOS: Award winner photos available via prphotos@angus.org

A Century of Angus Cattle Production: Laflin Angus

E.B. Laflin’s mission to turn the West “black” with Angus cattle became a family legacy

History runs deep in the cattle business. Today’s nearly 25,000 American Angus Association^® members have their Angus predecessors to thank for the breed’s well-earned reputation of success.

To honor the breed’s most long-standing operations, the Association presents Century Awards to recognize herds, their owners and families who have been in continuous production of registered Angus cattle for 100 years or more.

This year’s Century Awards were presented Nov. 6 during the Association’s Awards Recognition Breakfast, held as part of the 2014 Angus Means Business National Convention and Trade Show in Kansas City, Mo.

Cody Sankey accepted the Century Award on behalf of the Laflin family, which raises quality Angus cattle in Kansas and Nebraska.

Laflin Angus

Laflin Angus, residing in Kansas and Nebraska with their family operations, can trace their cattle roots back to 1799. However their Angus heritage began in 1900, when Eugene B. (E.B.) Laflin purchased the family’s first Angus cattle. Today, the operation remains one of the oldest continuous Angus herds in the United States.

Even at the turn of the century, E.B. stressed that his cattle be efficient, exceptional in size and have bred-in-performance – a tradition that continues today. He was one of the first breeders of registered-Angus cattle in Nebraska, and his early dedication to turn the West “black” set the stage for generations committed to the Angus breed.

To his name were the following bulls: Louis of View Point 7, Glen Eyrie Black and Eline’s Marshall, son of Earl Marshall. E.B. served as the second president of the Nebraska Angus Association and on the American Angus Association Board of Directors in 1924.

Succeeded by his son Lewis E. Laflin, the Laflin Angus legacy continued to gain strength. A skilled manager, Lewis guided the herd through the depression-ravaged 1930’s, even giving $500 of his own money to keep the Nebraska Angus Association afloat.

When the drought-stricken state ran out of feed, Lewis decided to ship the cattle to the northern Flint Hills near Bigelow, Kan., for summer grazing. The cattle were shipped back to Nebraska for wintering; this system continued for nearly 30 years. Like his father, Lewis also served on the American Angus Association Board of Directors from 1935-1941. He also served as the fifth president of the Nebraska Angus Association.

In 1962, Lewis’s sons, Bob and Lew, expanded the operation with Bob buying a ranch near Olsburg, Kan., and Lew staying on the home place near Crab Orchard, Neb. Lew served as president of the Nebraska Angus Association in 1981 and 1982.

Today Barbara Laflin, wife of Bob Laflin, still raises Angus cattle at Olsburg, Kan.  All four of Bob and Barbara’s children are active members of the American Angus Association. Lew and his wife, Virginia, and sons raise Angus in Crab Orchard, Neb.

The Laflin family’s fifth generation is raising Angus cattle and the sixth generation has just arrived. They are spread throughout the United States, and continue to share a passion for the Angus breed set forth by their ancestors more than 100 years ago.

For more news from the Angus Means Business National Convention and Trade Show, visit www.angusconvention.com. Also plan to tune to The Angus Report at 7:30 a.m. CDT Monday, Nov. 17 for full coverage on RFD-TV.

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.

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