Claim OwnershipThe Angus Conversation
Subscribed: 31Played: 694
Subscribe
© 2025 The Angus Conversation
Description
There are some pasture chats or bull sale discussions that are just too good to keep to ourselves. In this Angus Journal podcast, we’ll bring you interesting and entertaining chats with fellow breeders, researchers, marketers and more. Keep up on all things Angus. Be part of the conversation.
88 Episodes
Reverse
The balance between applying the gas pedal and the brake — that’s what Barb Downey has spent her career as an Angus breeder perfecting. She and her family ranch near Manhattan, Kan., where they work hard each year to make their “built for the long haul” tagline true. The cattle they breed have to last, and their business plans ensure their ranch will, too. Downey talks about her “safe to fail” approach to innovation, why being replaceable is a good thing and the key to being a good business p...
What starts as a dream takes both capital and creativity, paired with a strong dose of hard work, to make it a reality. Sometimes the extra “umph” is someone else who helps along the way. For both Calli Williams, Mitchell, S.D., and Jake McCaleb, Gordonsville, Tenn., they had a passion for the Angus business that industry veterans helped them cultivate. Hear how these producers in opposite parts of the country started small, what they’ve done to grow their business, how they learned the ropes...
From his early years growing up as “Dr. Dan’s son” to paving his own way in the cattle business, Randy Daniel, Colbert, Ga., has always had a keen eye for cattle. Combining that with Angus tools, he grew his cow herd and his reputation in the business — and he shares many solid bits of wisdom from that growth in this episode. A long sought-after judge, Daniel has been all across the globe evaluating cattle and gives some insight on the show ring today. This conversation covers everything from...
In this bonus episode, new American Angus Association president Jim Brinkley joins fellow Board members Darrell Stevenson and Ron Hinrichsen to recap Angus Convention, what they learned and the conversations had among Angus breeders in Kansas City. The 142nd Annual Convention of Delegates concluded the weekend of education, fellowship and celebration. The group shares updates about newly elected leadership, strategic plans and what’s ahead. HOST: Mark McCully GUESTS: Jim Brinkley, 2026 ...
HOSTS: Mark McCully and John Stika GUEST: Gary Smith Gary Smith had no plans to become a meat scientist. In this episode, Smith shares how he found his path in the industry to dedicating more than six decades helping transform the beef industry through research, education and mentoring. He highlights how far the industry has come, including the development of vacuum packaging and the important work of the National Beef Quality Audit helping shape today’s quality-focused beef industry. Smith a...
HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully GUESTS: James Coffey James Coffey’s granddad discouraged him from returning to the farm. But he did it anyway. This episode covers Coffey’s path from business owner back to the Hustonville, Ky., farm, and details his No. 1 focus: the commercial customer. Knowing their needs turned into a large customer buyback program, which is an additional source of both revenue and data for Branch View Angus. Coffey covers how the tobacco industry shaped the ca...
HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully GUESTS: Mick and Ross Varilek Varilek Angus Ranch was Angus when Angus wasn’t the norm. After a rough dehorning experience, Elvern Varilek turned to the breed in the 1940s, and the family has never looked back. Mick Varilek returned to the ranch after graduating from South Dakota State University, with his new bride, Lynn, and they raised three children alongside the Angus cattle. Now their son Ross and his family have done the same. They are gear...
The American Angus Association Board of Directors met in Saint Joseph, Mo., Sept. 8-11 and covered a variety of topics including: Long-range Association objectives Research project updates Review of genomic ownership policy Association financial forecasts and entity budgets Events and opportunities to come at the 2025 Angus Convention HOST: Mark McCully GUESTS: Jonathan Perry, chairman of the American Angus Association, has spent much of his life wor...
HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully GUESTS: David and Carol Medeiros Starting out as first-generation Angus breeders wasn’t easy, but David and Carol Medeiros were determined to make it work. In the tough agriculture climate of the 1980s, they balanced off-farm jobs, raising kids and managing cattle near Denair, Calif. With teamwork and hard work, they grew their operation and partnered with the Dal Porto family to launch an annual production sale — now the second-longest runn...
HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully GUEST: Paul Hill Paul Hill says he’s been lucky in life, but his path would indicate more than luck. The longtime Angus breeder grew up on a peanut farm and commercial cattle operation in Florida, but his lifetime in the cattle business has taken him from Missouri to the East Coast and eventually to Ohio. Paul and his business partner, Marshall Reynolds, founded Champion Hill Angus and grew it into a leading Angus program across the country...
There is a special sense of camaraderie found at the National Junior Angus Show each year that’s hard to describe. This episode’s guests cover finding a supportive community within the Angus breed, the challenges of traveling long distances to attend the show, and the fun and learning experiences along the way. Cailee Flood, of California, and Tripp Gibson, from New Mexico, agree that stepping out of their comfort zones has paid off in a big way. HOSTS: Miranda Reiman, Mark McCully and ...
International experience has a way of changing people, and several young Angus producers recently got the chance to learn that firsthand. While at the National Junior Angus Show in Tulsa, Okla., Sam Jordan spoke about his time at the Royal Highland Show in Scotland, and Tucker Stagemeyer and Jonwyn Ayres recapped their World Angus Forum experience from Australia. They talked about adapting to different formats and country-specific styles while highlighting the global friendships they’ve kept ...
Starting a small business is no small feat, but doing so while also juggling schoolwork and cattle work? That's a challenge that these podcast guests have proven they’re ready to tackle. Corbin Russell, Paxico, Kan., and Kasey Meyer, Blue Hill, Neb., both grew up in the National Junior Angus Association, so they had a feel for managing chores and schedules, but they also have another thing in common: entrepreneurship. Corbin talks about starting his leather work business, while Kasey gives in...
With research and data top of mind for both the membership and the American Angus Association Board of Directors, the group’s June meeting was focused on topics and decisions to help keep the Angus breed progressing forward. This recap episode covers highlights from the meeting, including: Questions and details about livestock efficiency research funded through the Global Methane Hub Proposal of an AHIR data recognition program Heart health research update Success at t...
HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully GUESTS: Tyler and Andy Musgrave Musgrave Angus wants to be known for balanced, moderate cattle that thrive in different environments. On this episode brothers Tyler and Andy Musgrave share their philosophy on using their own sires vs. sourcing outside genetics, how they’ve created outliers while also remaining consistent, and the importance of maintaining the traditional Angus “look.” From Bando 1961 to LD Capitalist, they tell the stories o...
HOST: Miranda Reiman GUESTS: Kurt Kangas and Reese Tuckwiller Angus optimism is running high across the country, as strong feeder calf prices fuel record demand for bulls. In this episode, American Angus Association regional managers Kurt Kangas and Reese Tuckwiller share numbers from their sale season and sentiments of breeders in different parts of the United States. They cover everything from useful investments during this economic period to customer service and marketing that...
HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully GUESTS: Scott and Andrew Foster At Seldom Rest Farms the business model is different than many: Angus youth are their main target demographic. Selling Angus show heifers across the United States allowed brothers Scott and Bruce Foster to bring the next generation back to the Michigan farm. Today Scott’s son, Andrew, and his family are active in the day-to-day management of the nationally renowned operation. Phenotype matters, but having an en...
HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully GUESTS: Richard and Kathy Tokach Traditions can be a nice foundation for or a barrier to progress, and the key lies in knowing which to keep and which to use as a springboard. In this episode, Richard and Kathy Tokach talk about their return to the family’s fourth-generation North Dakota ranch and about all that’s changed in that time. After four decades of marriage — raising three kids on the operation — they now work alongside the next ge...
Sometimes you hear history second-hand, and sometimes you get to talk to people who lived it. In this episode, Keith Evans shares a little of both. As a 36-year employee of the American Angus Association public relations department he had a unique vantage for many big changes through the years. He first covers early history from proxy voting to the move to St. Joseph, before switching to changes he observed, such as the incorporation of artificial insemination to the “elephant ads.” Upon reti...
Genetic innovation in animal agriculture is moving at a faster-than-ever pace, and this episode digs into the history of performance testing while exploring new technologies like computer vision, microbiome analysis and ways to collect more commercial phenotypes. The discussion covers the challenges of more data, including the labor and expense of proposing new traits, along with the opportunities to make big moves in important categories such as health and efficiency. Open-mindedness, collab...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States