Angus Journal

02/10/2025

In the same way people can’t choose their family, people can’t choose to be born into a ranching one. When you’re a Sitz in southwestern Montana, you’re lucky enough to be born into a family with a rich history of Angus cattle.

What has helped them and their herd survive for more than 100 years? Jim Sitz says adaptability and knowing “the only thing constant in this world is change.”

Today Bob (Jr.) and Jim Sitz of Harrison and Dillon, Mont., lead Sitz Angus as its third generation and as 2024 inductees into the Angus Heritage Foundation. They can talk the talk and walk the walk of a good cowman because of decades spent learning from those around them. Learn more about the four generations that have made the operation such a force in the industry: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2025/02/fine-tuning

02/05/2025

"I know sometimes balance is a little more difficult to market [because] those of us who are pretty good at marketing extremes… but when you look at the bulls that are at the top of the registration list, they're still the bulls that do a lot of things and are going to work for the commercial industry,” said Lorna Marshall, Select Sires Inc., on the latest episode of .

When she; Cody Sankey, GENEX Beef; or Don Trimmer, ALTA Beef, hit the road for the bull studs they represent, they’re out to acquire the next great genetic package for their customers. How do they choose? How do they compete with each other and remain friends? What happens next after they’ve made a significant investment? This episode covers all of that, along with their take on the beef-on-diary trend, future challenges to their business model and what could be game changers in the future. Find "‘One Bid Away’ — Bulls That Almost Weren’t Famous and Other Tales from the Bull Studs" anywhere you get your podcasts or click here: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/podcast/the-angus-conversation-season-6/e2-bull-studs

02/03/2025

This February, the celebrates blending time-honored practices with modern innovations in this issue, "Tradition and Technology."

Ready to become a subscriber to the magazine? Click here: https://www.angusonline.org/Journal/JrnSubscr.aspx

01/29/2025

Breeding and raising cattle is big business with risk and seasons of opportunity. The rebuilding of the industry’s cow herd will be one of those times producers have the chance to make gains from financial and genetic perspectives.

A series of educational sessions at the 2024 Angus Convention in November focused on the theme of herd rebuilding. Nevil Speer, an industry consultant, said the U.S. beef cow herd is expected to decline to around 27.8-28 million head by early 2025, as producers have been slow to move toward rebuilding the herd after the recent drought period.

Read more from the : https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2025/01/genetic-gain

01/27/2025

"I had some influential people around me at that time that had an Angus herd,” says Mike McGuire, reflecting on his childhood in 4-H. “Boy, it was not long until I wanted an Angus heifer so bad.”

It took five years of patience before that dream became a reality, but it’s one he’s held to tightly ever since.

“This coming March, it’ll be 50 years in the business,” he explains. “I think it is simply out of love for the business to stay in it that long. It has been a really great experience, and there was just nothing I wanted to do more than show an Angus heifer or steer back in those days.”

McGuire’s devotion to Angus and Alabama for nearly five decades culminated in being recognized as the Angus Ambassador of the Year at the 2024 American Angus Association Awards Reception and Dinner. More in this article: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2025/01/from-dreams-to-reality

01/23/2025

"At first, the idea of holding a national cattle show during a pandemic seemed insurmountable. There were legal, political, logistical and promotional battles. Tyler Norvell, lobbyist and president of the Oklahoma Youth Expo, downplayed its potential as the first initial conversations formed.

“I was like, ‘It can’t happen. There’s no way guys. No way,’” he recalled. “And everybody just kind of kept talking and talking.’”

By January 2021, Cattlemen's Congress debuted. This year marked the fifth event, which included shows, a judging contest, livestock sales and more. Norvell; Donnie Robertson, Express Ranches; and Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University, joined to share how the inaugural came together, the effect it has had on agriculture in Oklahoma and beyond, and ways others can generate support for livestock in their home states. Hear the Cattlemen's Congress story anywhere you get your podcast or click here: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/podcast/the-angus-conversation-season-6/e1-cattlemenscongress

01/22/2025

For more than 10 years, Casey Jentz has served as an Angus regional manager in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. His passion for the Angus breed and it's members guides his advancement into a new role as Chief Operating Officer for the Association.

“Angus is the heartbeat of the beef industry,” Jentz said. “The people before us have done a great job of leading Angus and positioning the breed as a leader in the industry. We can build on that and push forward into the future.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/42qA0F2

01/22/2025

In an evolving, fast-paced industry, education always continues. From taking advice from the older generation to hearing out what the youngster cattlemen have to say, producers from the ages of 22 to 90 all admit to being lifelong learners. The big “lessons learned” vary by ranchers who’ve been in production for decades compared to those in their early operating stages; but they can all agree, there’s no better place to learn than in the Angus business.

In this article, hear from Zach McCall, Greenville, Va.; Lake Elliot, Adams, Tenn.; Buttons York, Lusk, Wyo.; Steve Brooks, Bowman, N.D.; and Sam Tuckwiller, Lewisburg, W.Va., about their advice in The Business Breed: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2025/01/lessons-learned

01/20/2025

Standing on stage during the awards dinner and reception Nov. 3 in Fort Worth, Texas, Rosalind Kidwell says she was proud to be shoulder-to-shoulder with one of her best friends, Erin Driscoll, who was waiting just as anxiously for the results.

“I remember when it got announced, she looked over and at me and she said, ‘I knew it, I just knew it,’” Kidwell recalls of the moment her name echoed in the dinner hall. “I feel like it’s something that you can’t equate to anything else. It’s awesome.”

As she takes on the respected red coat and the title of 2024-2025 Miss American Angus, Kidwell’s ready to share her love for these black-hided cattle and their keepers (more from the here: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2025/01/born-for-the-breed).

“I think that Miss American Angus is almost like a focal point for the Angus breed,” the Gentryville, Ind., local said. “I love advocating for the Angus breed. I love talking about it. So, to have that opportunity to advocate for the Angus breed and the beef industry is something I think that is really, really pivotal to Miss American Angus."

01/14/2025

One of the most important aspects of cattle health management is sanitation. The primary roles of sanitation to limit diseases spread by contact with manure; reduce fly populations; diminish exposure to mice, rats and other rodents; eliminate injection site lesions and contaminated wounds; and reduce the spread of blood-borne disease agents are well-established but often under appreciated.

Learn more from the : https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2025/01/vet-call

01/08/2025

When he was hired in April 1991, Bruce Buntin was working evenings, laying out ads. Looking back, Buntin’s thankful Cheryl Oxley brought him on. He’d been laid off from another job, and the opportunity to work at Angus Media was priceless.

“I was looking out to feed my family, and she gave me an opportunity to make some money,” Buntin explains.

As the years progressed, Buntin worked his way up the ladder. From paste up work and laying out co-op ads to computer maintenance work and film processing, his roles grew as the technology did. After 33 years at Angus Media, Buntin retired from the web department last year. Celebrate all that he's done for the Angus family here: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2024/12/winning-the-lottery

01/07/2025

Hustle and bustle. Grit and determination. Balancing act. These two-word combinations describe the lives of three producers who share similar passions beyond raising black-hided cattle. Whether it’s the extra cash flow or following a passion project, these entrepreneurial spirits have found success in managing their own businesses off the ranch while maintaining a strong influence in the cattle industry and Angus family.

In this article, check out how Bodey Langford uses land at Langford Cattle Company for a hunting operation; Colorado junior Jacee Sumpter has grown her small business, Born Pretty Jewelry; and Walter Shealy balances his time between Black Grove Ranch and The Venue, an events center in South Carolina: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2024/12/profitable-producers

01/02/2025

What's the perfect way to ring in the new year? By recognizing and celebrating the "Good Practices" that serve as guiding lights on your cattle operations.

Look for your January issue of the to learn more. Not a subscriber? Change that for 2025 here: https://www.angusonline.org/Journal/JrnSubscr.aspx

12/30/2024

Proper nutritional development of heifers from weaning to breeding is essential to ensure that a high percentage of heifers become pregnant early in their first breeding season. For spring-calving herds in much of the United States, that time coincides with winter weather and dormant forage. These constraints call for producers to carefully monitor heifer growth and to be ready to adjust rations if necessary to meet target breeding weights.

Read more in this issue of 's Veterinary Call column: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2024/12/veterinary-call

12/27/2024

Traditions are born of generations of conversations such as that of our mutton-wrangling friends: discussions about meaning, values and beliefs deemed worthy to be codified into customs, legends and shared wisdom. Through time, traditions form a mosaic of celebrations, habits and practices that establish a cadence for a tribe ­— be it families, professions, churches, communities, nations and even boosters of athletic teams.

At their best, traditions weave a common thread through time that advances the group’s cherished heritage. Traditions, unlike fads that live and die on the whims of popularity, have staying power. They are the evidence of deeply held beliefs and convictions offered as stories, celebrations and rituals.

More from the 's Outside the Box column here: https://www.angus.org/angus-media/angus-journal/2024/11/the-hats-are-great

12/25/2024

Thankful and blessed this holiday season. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from the team.

12/19/2024