American Cattlemen Podcast

For cattlemen shopping for breeding stock, the 2026 Vermilion Ranch Fall Performance Sale brings commercial females, registered females, and Angus bulls together over two days in Billings, Montana.  The sale takes place November 27-28 at Public Auction Yards, beginning Friday at 1 p.m. Mountain Standard Time and Saturday at 11 a.m.  Bob Cook, who handles records and sales for Vermilion Ranch, is the featured guest on this edition of Genetics & the Gavel, hosted by Aaron McKinney and powered by American Cattlemen.  Owned by the Pat Goggins family, Vermilion Ranch emphasizes cattle that perform under practical ranch conditions. The breeding program puts fertility, performance, efficiency, and carcass merit alongside the everyday demands of maintaining a productive cow herd.  Those expectations start with females that breed back early, raise a substantial calf, and hold up in tough country. The ranch's experience feeding cattle also helps guide its attention to performance beyond the pasture.  Friday's Offering: Commercial Angus Females  Friday's sale focuses on commercial herd-building opportunities. The detailed sale schedule lists 1,400 commercial Angus bred heifers, selected from a starting group of more than 10,000 head.  Also selling are 100 seven-year-old commercial Angus cows from Diamond Ring, along with 56 three- to five-year-old Diamond Ring commercial Angus cows scheduled to calve in May and June.  The offering gives buyers an opportunity to evaluate both young replacement females and mature cows, with breeding and calving information available through the ranch.  Saturday's Offering: Registered Females and Angus Bulls  Saturday begins with registered females. The detailed schedule includes 76 seven-year-old registered Angus cows, five two-year-old fall pairs, 105 registered bred heifers, and 95 registered April-calving cows.  The bull offering follows with 166 fall registered yearling bulls and 159 coming two-year-old registered bulls. Basin Jameson genetics are featured at the front of the catalog. Buyers can evaluate individual bulls using the pedigree and performance information provided throughout the sale book.  The ranch also reports that the bulls were PAP tested at 6,000 feet, providing additional information for customers selecting breeding stock for higher-elevation operations. Buyers can visit with Cook and the Vermilion team about matching individual bulls to their cattle and environment.  Make Plans for Billings  A Friday evening get-together and prime rib buffet will be held at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center, with refreshments at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. For those unable to attend the auction, the sale will be carried live through Northern Livestock Video Auction.  View the catalog at vermilionranch.com, or contact Bob Cook at 406-670-0078 for information about the cattle and sale arrangements. Listen to Genetics & the Gavel for Aaron McKinney's conversation with Bob Cook and a closer look at the Vermilion Ranch program. The 2026 Vermilion Ranch Fall Performance Sale   For previous episodes of Genetics & The Gavel, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com. American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By: Moly Manufacturing Central Life Sciences Medgene Forge

At J.J. Scheckel Angus near Bellevue, Iowa, the breeding program starts with what a cow can do year after year. Feet, udders, fertility, disposition, and the ability to maintain condition are central to the operation's selection decisions.  Josh Scheckel built the cattle business from a beginning of 40 commercial cows on a rugged eastern Iowa farm. A later purchase of 12 registered heifers helped establish the purebred herd. Today, Josh and his wife, Angie, raise their seven children on the family farm, while the Angus operation continues to emphasize traits shaped by those early commercial cattle experiences. The goal is a moderate-framed Angus cow with length, width, depth, and natural muscle. Females must remain productive in the rocky bluffs and changing weather of the Mississippi River Valley. Cattle that fall short on feet, udders, temperament, or fertility are removed from the breeding herd. That selection is backed by production records. The operation collects weights, carcass ultrasound measurements, hip heights, and other performance information, while using DNA testing to verify parentage and improve genetic evaluation accuracy. The catalog also includes bull foot photographs, and the program reports that no sale bull's feet have been trimmed. The Annual Black Friday Production Sale will offer more than 50 registered Angus bulls and females on November 27, 2026. The lineup includes more than 40 18-month-old virgin bulls, with sons of Baldridge Badger, DL Zoom, Ellingson Profound, and Sitz Stellar 726D. Registered bred heifers include females AI bred to SAV Courage 3003. The J.J. Scheckel Angus sale begins at noon Central at the Bull Development Farm, 21551 375th Avenue, Bellevue. Buyers can attend in person or bid through DVAuction, Superior, and LiveAuction.TV. Visit AngusCattleGenetics.com or contact Josh Scheckel at 563-590-9903 for details.   For previous episodes of Genetics & The Gavel, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com. American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By: Moly Manufacturing Central Life Sciences Medgene Forge

At Hoffman Ranch in Thedford, Nebraska, the cow herd sets the direction. In his welcome to the 2026 fall sale catalog, Jason Hoffman describes the goal as cattle that combine sound structure and useful performance with a problem-free, low-maintenance cow herd. The Hoffman Ranch fall bull sale gives buyers a look at how that approach carries through both Angus and Hereford genetics.   The catalog introduces Jason and Kaycee Hoffman and their children, Haxton, Kennedy, and Hayden, along with Denny and Dixie Hoffman and the Stellpflug family. Jason credits the family, ranch crew, friends, and customers for making the operation possible. He also writes about the value of bringing young and emerging producers into the cattle business.  The breeding program gives commercial cattlemen several ways to put those genetics to work. Angus and Hereford bulls serve different breeding needs, while the ranch places particular emphasis on black baldy  replacement females. Fertility, structural soundness, and females that stay productive remain central to the program described in the catalog.  The November offering includes 100 Angus bulls, 50 Hereford bulls, 40 December-born embryo-transfer heifer calves, and commercial females. Jason describes the commercial female division as the ranch’s largest to date. The registered heifers also offer buyers access to Angus and Hereford donor families.  Evaluation and customer service are part of the sale preparation. The ranch has sent its 18-month-old bulls to Walden, Colorado, for PAP testing with Dr. Tim Holt, and the catalog states that every sale bull is being tested for BCHF. Bull buyers are offered delivery within the continental United States, with central meeting points sometimes necessary, plus breeding and foot guarantees outlined by the ranch.  The Hoffman and Stellpflug Fall Bull Sale takes place Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central at the Hoffman Ranch Sale Facility. Commercial females sell after the bull sale. Online viewing and bidding are available through CCI.Live, with the catalog and updates at HoffmanRanch.com.   For previous episodes of Genetics & The Gavel, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com. American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By: Moly Manufacturing Central Life Sciences Medgene Forge

Dr. Rosslyn Biggs was raised in southwest Oklahoma as part of a multi-generation farming and ranching family. She attended Oklahoma State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics in 2001, and graduated from the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004, becoming a second-generation veterinarian.  Following graduation, Dr. Rosslyn Biggs spent three years in mixed animal practice in Chickasha, Oklahoma, serving as an associate veterinarian at Cimarron Veterinary Services and Verden Veterinary Clinic. In 2007, she joined the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) Veterinary Services as a Field Veterinary Medical Officer, where she contributed to national disease eradication efforts and large-scale livestock export initiatives. In 2015, Dr. Biggs advanced to Assistant Veterinarian in Charge for Veterinary Export Trade Services, managing international exports of live animals and animal products. In this role, she oversaw a multi-million-dollar budget and led a team of 26 employees across four geographically dispersed offices, responsible for live-animal export operations in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri and animal products in 20 states. Her leadership ensured efficient endorsement of over 80,000 export certificates annually and consistent gross revenues exceeding $5 million per year, maintaining the highest-performing service center in the nation. Dr. Biggs joined the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2019 as an Assistant Clinical Professor, where she currently serves as Director for the Center for Rural Veterinary Medicine and Director of Continuing Education. She also serves as a Beef Cattle Specialist with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Her professional interests include food supply veterinary issues, biosecurity, disease traceability, and beef cattle production systems. At OSU, Dr. Biggs is recognized for her leadership in rural veterinary workforce development, collaborative Extension programming, and outreach to the beef industry. She continues to serve as an advocate for state and federal policy initiatives supporting rural veterinarians and livestock production. Dr. Biggs and her husband, Scott, have two daughters and remain actively involved in their family’s ranching operations in northeast and southwest Oklahoma. She values the opportunity to serve the cattle industry through Extension, education, and applied research.    For Future or Previous episodes visit our websites: American Cattlemen American Dairymen Cattlemen and Veterinarians: A Partnership in Bovine Health Sponsored by: Moly Manufacturing Central Life Sciences Medgene Forge

The DuVall family at Capitol Angus Ranch is preparing to welcome cattlemen to northeast Texas for its 2026 Bull Sale. Set for Saturday, November 14, near Whitehouse, the sale will feature 132 Angus bulls, with the cattle auction beginning at 1 PM Central.  Tyler DuVall joins Aaron McKinney on Genetics & the Gavel to introduce the Capitol Angus program, discuss their breeding philosophy, and preview this year's offering.  THE CAPITOL ANGUS PROGRAM  The family's breeding goals center on good feet, correct structure, growth, and carcass quality. Capitol Angus emphasizes deep-bodied, thick-made bulls developed for use in commercial and seedstock herds. The ranch also uses the performance of previous progeny to help guide selection within its donor program.  Capitol Angus is part of the family's Texas BeefHouse business, connecting its cattle program with a beef business serving customers beyond the ranch.  THE 2026 OFFERING  This year's catalog includes more than 55 sons of Rhoades Doc Dre, along with genetics from Kingston, Deadwood, Premium, Headstart, Guardian, and other sires. The interview gives Tyler an opportunity to walk through the offering and point buyers toward bulls and sire groups he wants to highlight.  SALE DAY AT CAPITOL ANGUS  The sale will be held at the ranch, with the sale facility located at 19682 FM 756, Tyler, Texas 75703. Cattle are available for viewing before sale day. Wes Tiemann is listed as the cattle auctioneer, and online cattle bidding is available through CCI.Live, SuperiorLivestock.com, and LiveAuctions.TV.  A customer appreciation dinner and live beef auction follow at 5 PM Central. For information about the cattle offering, visit CapitolAngus.com or contact Tyler DuVall at 903-316-6225.  Listen to the complete Genetics & the Gavel conversation for more on the family, the Capitol Angus program, and the November 14 sale.   For previous episodes of Genetics & The Gavel, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com. American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By: Moly Manufacturing Central Life Sciences Medgene Forge