The Angus Conversation
The Angus Conversation
‘The Party’s Over’ — How Randy Daniel Got His Start and Built His Angus Legacy
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 raising kids in the Angus breed to looking back on a successful career.
HOSTS: Miranda Reiman and Mark McCully
GUEST:
Randy Daniel, Colbert, Ga., grew up in the cattle business, active in the National Junior Angus Association and learning from his dad, Dan Daniel, who was a well-respected animal scientist. He attended the University of Georgia, met his wife, Beth, after graduation, and together they grew the Partisover Ranch from the ground up. Early on they made a purchase from Spur Ranch, which included the Burgess cow that most of their genetics still trace back to today. Daniel has judged cattle shows across the United States and globally, and he has a heart for sharing his industry knowledge and mentoring the next generation. Daniel and Beth raised their two children in the Angus business and now enjoy time with their grandchildren.
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SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by Deer Valley Farms, where for more than 20 years, they've focused on the form and function needed to improve the bottom line. Join them on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. in Fayetteville, Tenn., for their 19th annual production sale. Check out what they have to offer, including 128 females and 136 18-month-old bulls.
Don't miss news in the Angus breed. Visit www.AngusJournal.net and subscribe to the AJ Daily e-newsletter and our monthly magazine, the Angus Journal.
Miranda Reiman (00:02):
Welcome to the Angus Conversation. I'm your host Miranda Reiman with my co-host Mark McCully, CEO of the American Angus Association. And we are in this period Mark, where we are a week out from Angus Convention. But this podcast is going to drop right after Angus Convention. And I think that after getting off the phone or the Zoom call here with our guests today, it really highlighted one of my favorite parts of Angus Convention. And that's the Angus people.
Mark McCully (00:33):
Yeah. In my opening, I am thinking about and talking about just the, we're calling it Angus advantages and there's so many advantages that this breed and this organization and the Angus family have today. The genetics, the information we have, the market, the consumer, all of these things that are really in our strengths and advantages of the Angus breed. But I do know when we get together, it's the community of Angus and it's the community around that will be able to make Kansas City realizing not obviously all of our members can make that, but it will be a great, I always call it a family reunion of folks coming together and the sharing of ideas and celebrating and just reconnecting. We are going to do some things with the Foundation, always just the community that supports our next generation. So truly the people of this great breed and this association are first on the list of the advantages that we think about and are blessed with.
Miranda Reiman (01:42):
I often nerd out over the charts that we see or the numbers.
Mark McCully (01:47):
Good. I'm glad someone does.
Miranda Reiman (01:48):
Yeah, I do. I really do. I think it's fun to be able to quantify things. I think I hear my journalism professors who say, you can't make a statement without having evidence to back it up.
Mark McCully (01:58):
Data, data,
Miranda Reiman (01:59):
But the people part of that, you can't put a chart to that or, I mean, you can say how many members we have, but really
Mark McCully (02:07):
It's, you can't quantify it. You can feel it. You can't quantify it.
Miranda Reiman (02:10):
Exactly. And that's what I was going to say about today is I guess you just, we visited with Randy Daniel down in Georgia, and folks would know his name from both across the show scene over the decades. Also, those in academia would know him and I guess
Mark McCully (02:27):
Any pretty familiar with the Partisover Burgess cow family, would show up in a lot of pedigrees.
Miranda Reiman (02:32):
Exactly. So we've got someone that I think a lot of people will know. If you don't know him, I think you're also going to enjoy this conversation, but it's definitely one that just when you get done and you think those are the kind of people we got in this business, and that's why we've got the Angus business we've got today.
Mark McCully (02:50):
Absolutely. I think, and I say it throughout the podcast as we're talking, I mean Randy, he's kind of one of my heroes and somebody that I've looked up to an incredibly long time. I've gotten to know him and his family and he's just so real and so authentic, and that always comes through when you visit with him, and it certainly came through today in the podcast. It definitely, enjoyed it, and I think our listeners will too.
Miranda Reiman (03:20):
So today on the podcast, we are headed to Colbert, Georgia, to visit with Randy Daniel. How are you doing this morning, Randy?
Randy Daniel (03:27):
Doing well, thank you.
Miranda Reiman (03:29):
Very good. Well, Mark, I'm really going to let you do a little bit of an introduction because I understand that your history with Randy goes back far longer than mine does, so I'm going to hand the reins over to you
Mark McCully (03:39):
Probably far longer than Randy or I either want one to admit, that means we're getting older. I hate to put years to it, but it does go back quite a while and Randy, truly one of my favorite people and just have such fond memories of even back, gosh, back all the way back to the Michigan State time when I was in grad school and got to know Randy and Beth and the family down there in Colbert, Georgia, got to spend, occasionally would travel, get to travel through the country and get to stop in and go look at some really, really good Angus cows with Randy and just some very, very fond memories. So I had to twist his arm and call in a favor to say, Hey, would you come do this podcast with us this morning? So Randy, we appreciate you agreeing to do it.
(04:22):
Thank you. I am guessing most listening, Randy know you and either have met you in person or for sure know your name, but maybe a little of your background to get us started. Many would also know Dr. Dan, your father, a very influential leader within the beef industry, Saddle and Sirloin inductee. I had read somewhere, it's the fun thing about the internet. You can go research some of these things, that your dad once bought you a steer when you were little and you spent too much time roping him instead of halter breaking him, and he took that steer to market and that was maybe your first show steer and it didn't turn out so well. Is that a true story or is that folklore?
Randy Daniel (05:06):
Yeah, that's what happens on the internet. That is a true story. It is a true story, and I didn't even know that was out there. But yeah, we were in the panhandle, Oklahoma, lived in Goodwell, Oklahoma, at that time, and my sister was showing steers and real competitively, and I got my first one, and you live in Goodwell, Oklahoma, you kind of create your own entertainment out there, that was playing with a rope and a horse and staying in trouble. And I was doing all of the above, and I went out one day to feed my steer and I couldn't find him. And so dad came in that night, I said, I can't find my steer. He said, what steer? And I said, well, my steer, I can't find him. He said, you don't have a steer. And then he explained to me that I was responsible for taking care of that steer. So he sold him. And then my punishment for that was I had to work a whole year for my older sister to earn the right to have the next one, and she was harder than dad was. So that is a true story.
Miranda Reiman (06:28):
That's actually brilliant parenting, I think. I like that story.
Mark McCully (06:33):
Well, so then you got on the straight and narrow and participated in some youth, some Angus. Did I also understand you were in the very first national Junior Angus show showmanship competition?
Randy Daniel (06:45):
I was 15 at the time and I was fourth. Looking back now, nobody at 15 would think about doing that, but yeah, it was a great trip. That was when the futurity was at Lexington and we showed out under those trees. It was a great memory.
Miranda Reiman (07:10):
And then from there you went on to the University of Georgia?
Randy Daniel (07:14):
I did.
Miranda Reiman (07:16):
And animal science, I assume?
Randy Daniel (07:19):
Yeah. That was the only thing I was comfortable that I might get through. So that's all I ever liked. I wasn't like Mark McCully. See, he did that with ease, I had a hard time going to school. So go ahead.
Miranda Reiman (07:32):
But then I think I also read that you were asked to maybe stay on and go to grad school, and you elected not to
Randy Daniel (07:39):
All the time When I was younger, we moved from Oklahoma to Georgia. I always thought, and I think my dad thought I'd probably go back west to go to school. We bought the place that is now Partisover when I was a freshman at Georgia. Then after that, this is where my heart was. I didn't want to go. So I judged here at the university and finished the BS and had a really good year on the judging team. And I thought at that time that I was getting all these letters from schools wanted me to come do graduate work and coach the team. I thought it was because I was good. And then later you look back and everybody thinks, well, that's Dan Daniel's son. He'll stay in academia. And so I went over to my dad's office, I said, and I took my letters over there and my head was big, and I said, well, what do you think? And he said, well, you can't tell a difference in those that can't and those that won't. He was a very good communicator. And he said, what do you want to do? And I said, well, I really want to go run cattle. And he said, well, that's fine, but the party's over. So that's where the name came from. And then he was my partner for gosh, until six years ago.
Miranda Reiman (09:13):
Yeah. So the party's over as the name stuck. When did you come up with the logo or the brand? I should say the brand?
Randy Daniel (09:22):
Well, shouldn't say this, but I guess people that knew me probably figured that's kind of, well, it's not appropriate. It's an upside down wine glass. And Mark and I both know that's not always the case, but that's what the brand is.
Miranda Reiman (09:41):
I think it's brilliant marketing that it goes together. That's why I wondered whose genius it was
Randy Daniel (09:48):
Probably my dad's. I don't remember where that came from, but then we named it and then somebody gave us or made us a Partisover brand that we used for years. Yeah.
Mark McCully (10:01):
Yeah. I love that. Where did you meet Beth along the way? You guys met at University of Georgia, or before that?
Randy Daniel (10:09):
No, Beth was here. She'd tell you that she's five years younger than I am. That'd take about 30 seconds into the conversation. But I was out of school, finished at Georgia and man doing anything I could to try to survive. And my dad, he judged every show down here and everywhere else forever. And he had met Beth and I guess he was forever the matchmaker, and she wanted him to find her a steer for the following year. And so we were in Oklahoma and he picked out, well, we were at Bob Hartley's at Spur Ranch in Oklahoma. And Bob had really good Angus cattle and he also had some Charolais cross cattle, Charolais-Angus cross cattle. And so dad picked out two steers, an Angus steer and a really good smokey one and sent 'em down there. And I think Beth kind of assumed that the black steer was supposed to be hers.
(11:18):
And so she took the black steer who was OK and let her friend have the smokey one. And so the next spring, when it was time to show that steer, dad told me he wanted me to go to Moultrie and clip this steer for this girl. And I said, I do enough free extension work. I'm not going to go. And even though I was out of college, he was still pretty insistent. So I went down there and clipped that steer and that was an expensive trip, Mark. I just kept going back, years later, she came up and finished a degree here at Georgia, and then we got married a couple years later. Yeah, that's awesome.
Miranda Reiman (12:05):
So thank goodness you listened to your dad. So after that, you raised your family in the Angus business. Talk a little bit about that, about how you grew your ranch, how you grew your family at the same time.
Randy Daniel (12:17):
Yeah, Buck came along about three years after we got married. And Whitney, two years later we were, well, Beth was with Extension, took a job as an assistant agent right out of school. And at the time we got married, extension had a freeze on all hiring positions. So, man, we were broke, we were broke, and Beth was here. I was running around shearing sale cow, anything I could to kind of try to make a living. And with that, Beth had to stay here with two small kids and kind of hold things together for a long time. It was good. I can't get her to do a darn thing now except take care of grandkids, but when she wants to, she can really be good.
Miranda Reiman (13:11):
She put in her time, Randy, I know how that works.
Mark McCully (13:14):
Well, anybody that's been around the operation knows where the work gets done, Randy, so who knows to Beth, she's earned that time with the grandkids.
Randy Daniel (13:25):
She's taking full advantage of it. Yeah.
Mark McCully (13:28):
Good, good.
Miranda Reiman (13:29):
So from those kind of humble beginnings, how did you make the ranch and the cow herd into what could be a sustainable, this is going to be our full-time career here?
Randy Daniel (13:41):
Well, to be honest, until the last probably 10 years, we always had to kind of have a side hustle to support it. And so I started, well, I met, well first started selling equipment, livestock handling equipment, and then I met Bill Brewer and River Road Sales and just became a really good friend. And for a long time, that was a lot of why Beth stayed home and because Beth and Dad taking care of the day to day here, because I was running all over the place, selling equipment, trying to make a living. My heart was in the cattle business, but if you don't want to get a real job, you got to find something to support your habit. And it was for a long time. And then as we grew and bought a little more land and expanded and dabbled in two or three other breeds along the way, that was a side hustle too. The Angus cattle were always the priority, and a lot of our success in those other breeds was because we had those Angus cows that we were working with. But yeah, we did a lot of things. I was still doing that when I met McCully.
Mark McCully (15:07):
Randy, that was something that always was impressed upon me of, and I don't know if you said this at one time, or I put this of, it seemed like if there was something that you needed a product, you needed a feed, you became a dealer, or you kind of build a business around that and for sure with the equipment and the river road, is that advice you would give to young folks trying to get going to go out and try to find those opportunities, side hustles or other things to bring some additional income in? Was that a key part of getting going from the ground up?
Randy Daniel (15:44):
Oh, without a doubt. To start with, without my dad, we would've never been able to buy a piece of land. We struggled. We struggled to hang on to it. We sold a piece of land and to kind of hang on, and the house that I'm in now. We sold this piece of land, and they built this house. And then 15 years later, a friend retired and he was insistent we were going to buy it back. I said, heck, I can't buy that. And yeah, you can. I'm going to finance it. I said, well, I still have to pay for it. We've been over our head for the better part of our existence here. But man, it's been good. And as far as the side hustle, the side business, we shoot, we clipped sale cattle and sold equipment, traded cows, traded steers, did everything we could to kind of hold it together. It'd be a lot easier if you married a school teacher. I tried to even get Beth to drive a school bus. I said, at least we can get insurance. That didn't go over very well, but that was a conversation at one time.
Miranda Reiman (17:02):
Was there ever any point in there when you thought it'd be easier to just not have the cattle and have an eight to five job?
Randy Daniel (17:10):
No. No. Heck no.
Miranda Reiman (17:16):
That answer tells me you made the right choice then. I love that.
Randy Daniel (17:20):
Well, maybe it was because of my skillset was so narrow, I couldn't do anything else.
Miranda Reiman (17:26):
I doubt that.
Mark McCully (17:29):
Talk about growing. I mean, were there some pivotal moments, maybe some key purchases? You talked about going out to Hartley's and getting some cows, and were there some key points along the way when you look back at the cow herd and the successes that you've had that were pretty pivotal moments in your history?
Randy Daniel (17:49):
Without a doubt. When we bought this place, we bought, well, two small herds of cows. And at that time, I'd been to AI school and we started searching and breeding those cows. And about three years in one day, I remember my dad saying, the world's not going to stop and let us catch up. He said, if the guy that's going to get ahead, is the guy that's got the cows, he went to Bob Hartley's at Spur Ranch because of our Oklahoma roots. And dad knew all of those breeders out there at the time. And the Emulous cattle at that time had kind of come to the forefront, mainly based on the documented performance records that those guys had kept. And they were kind of ahead of the game at that time. And so dad, man, people say, well, I know you because you judge these shows and stuff, but my background, dad, he was a real performance advocate and pushed that early on.
(19:03):
And so I grew up with that mentality. And so he went to Oklahoma and he was going to buy 40 heifers, and there were four guys down here that were going to divide those heifers. So after he got 40, he told Bob Harley that he wanted to get into the very best of his replacements and get one. And so when those cattle came in, there were 41 head on that truck, and we had to put those Dad and I were responsible for trying to make four equal groups and then put the numbers in the hat and draw. And the one that he had picked the last, of course, wasn't in that group still, even though we divided 'em equally, I still had my favorite group. And just by the luck of the draw, we drew that group. And so to that cow, that one that he picked separately, was the first Burgess cow. And every cow on this place will trace back to that cow.
Mark McCully (20:19):
Wow. It's a pretty pivotal moment.
Miranda Reiman (20:23):
And that's a good place to put a pin in it while we hear from today's podcast sponsor.
(20:29):
For over 20 years, Deer Valley Farms has been focused on the future to deliver cattle that excel in economically important traits while combining the form and function needed to improve the bottom line. Deer Valley Farms continues to balance the needs of the cow calf sector with the growth and performance required in the feedlot and delivers the high quality demanded by today's consumer. Join them on Saturday, November 8th at 10:00 AM in Fayetteville, Tennessee, for their 19th annual production sale. Check out what they have to offer, including 128 females and 136 18-month old bulls. Now, let's pick up where we left off.
(21:11):
So talk about how you grew it then from there. How did you grow a customer base if you started this just kind of right out of college, and how did you find your people and what kind of cattle you were trying to create for 'em?
Randy Daniel (21:23):
Well, I had a privileged childhood. I didn't have anything to do with that. My dad had a following that we, well, I inherited that customer base because people had faith in him. And then it was just up to me to keep from screwing that up. So we had a good base to start with. And then just taking care of people, telling 'em the truth and doing the right thing, they'll come back.
Miranda Reiman (21:56):
Yeah, you kind of rubbed elbows with some of the who's who in the animal science world of that day growing up, didn't you?
Randy Daniel (22:04):
Yeah. I didn't know what Bob Totusek was our neighbor when we were in Stillwater and Bob Long hired Dad to come here. I remember hauling cattle when we were in Oklahoma to Manhattan, Kansas, and stay with Don Good. And to get those cows bred, the bulls they had at Kansas State at that time. And yeah, that list just goes on and on. Sure.
Miranda Reiman (22:33):
So to you, it was just Don and Bob and the rest of the world. It was Dr. Long and Dr. Good and
Randy Daniel (22:40):
Well, I call him that now. I certainly didn't call him that at the time. But yeah, those were my dad's best friends, and that's just who I grew up with.
Miranda Reiman (22:51):
That's neat. So then once you inherited that customer base, how did you make sure that you were producing what they wanted? How much of what you were raising there was influenced by your dad's philosophy and how much of it was your own?
Randy Daniel (23:07):
Well, we were ahead of the curve at that time because first of all, well, at the time I got out of college, the whole beef cattle business was a wreck. I mean, the kind of cattle that were popular, even the cattle, the livestock that were popular when I was on a judging team, we were probably taught to place everything backwards by today's standards. We couldn't have been more wrong. And I start to believe some of that. And I was fortunate that I would come home and I could be humble pretty fast because Dad knew that wasn't the direction that we needed to go. One day we were building fence, and Dad and I were, and I always wanting to breed some cattle that were a little bigger, and we were stringing barbed wire. I said, well, how high you think we should put this top wire? He said, well, just put it high enough where yours won't jump over it and low enough where mine won't run under it.
(24:24):
So well, after that, when I was out of school and our cows, we had those Spur Ranch cows in particular, that 3116 cow that obviously they were light years ahead of where we were, and it put us in a really good position. We just had to figure out how to propagate those faster. So we were a bit ahead of the curve in that we had a set of performance records and we used them, and that probably wasn't a popular thing at the time. And then I started being asked to judge a few shows and dad would tell me, he said, said, you know better than where things are now. And I did. And I think probably I got asked to do a lot of those because here's this dumb kid from the south that wasn't scared, excuse me. I started thinking about him and I get a little sentimental. But that probably gave us a leg up in that people recognized that we were probably willing at that time to be a little different.
Mark McCully (25:56):
I read a quote also that said, and you kind of referenced it earlier from your dad, that he said, everybody's going to have the same sires. So the key is about the cow and from just, it seemed like that was always, that's always the philosophy, the Burgess Cow family. I mean, I think for those that follow Angus pedigrees in my mind, if you think Partisover Burgess, a picture pops into your mind kind of that same phenotype that you guys have always strived for. So talk a little bit about what is that cow that works for you that you're trying to make today or have tried to make over the course of your operation?
Randy Daniel (26:38):
That's never really changed. At one time, I guess Mark, you coach the judging team, and they always tell you, keep that picture in mind of what you want, what you want to be the ideal, and then find the ones that's closest to that. And I think we probably always had that picture. Every mating was always made with the cow in mind. I was yesterday at a place, well, really now they own those cows that we were meeting. And I said, we produced some really good bulls. But to be honest, through all of those years, the bulls were, the bulls in our mating process were not the priority. It was always trying to find that cow maker. And it was gratifying that some of those really good bulls came along in that process with people that were like-minded, a little more maternal minded probably than most. And it was fun. It was fun yesterday to go back through those cows and see what they're doing with them and talk to 'em about what their philosophy was and what they wanted to do with 'em. And yet they're going to take that, they're going to take that and just blow it up and I mean, blow it up in the right way. I was there because I was afraid they would blow it up and those cows would be cast aside, but that's not the case. That's going to be really rewarding.
Miranda Reiman (28:38):
Has it been over the years as there's been more different lines, added diversity in the breed, has it been easier or harder to keep a focus on that kind of cow?
Randy Daniel (28:49):
Well, I guess if your last name is Daniel, and they're as hard ... as we were, that you just think we're going to use all the tools that we've got available to us, but we probably used them in a little different way. And that in that the extreme was never attractive, no matter which direction we went. At one time we had a bull that was a high yearling weight bull in the breed that was out of one of our cows. And then all of a sudden people start calling and they think, well, man, these guys, they're going to be pushing that and we want a part of this. And we go to a point, and that's about as far as we think we can go. So we're back off. And then a bull that wins one of the early sire evaluations was out of one of our cows, and then all of a sudden we get a whole new focus. And the people that are interested in going that direction are calling and wanting to come here and look and can't believe that you're not going to just pursue that and push it. But we never did. And I think probably from a marketing standpoint, we might've missed some opportunities there. But as far as maintaining what we wanted in the cow herd, we just felt like we couldn't do that.
Mark McCully (30:26):
Well, that discipline is impressive. And I think that's something that as to me, a true breeders approach because I think we see, and it's tempting, as you said, there's some marketing opportunities to maybe do some things. And maybe you learned back in the eighties when we were in the frame race and your dad lined you out a time or two of how that wasn't going to work, and maybe that entrenched that discipline. But I think that's something that I always enjoy seeing regardless of programs. But folks that truly believe in a direction that they're wanting to take their cow herd or what they're wanting to do with their Angus cattle, and then staying true to it regardless of maybe what time, what a sale report looks like or what might be fashionable or trendy of the day. So kudos to you guys for doing that. And it's certainly, it's inspiration maybe for other breeders listening that want to stay true to what they want to do and the niche or the lane they want to carve out of the Angus Breed.
Miranda Reiman (31:26):
And with that, we're going to take a quick time out for this word from Angus Media.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
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Miranda Reiman (31:58):
Now back to the episode.
Mark McCully (32:00):
What I guess as you think about maybe fast forward to where you're at today, Randy, and what's going on there in Colbert. Talk about a little bit about just are you are using this embryo transplant. Just kind of talk about what's going on in the Angus operation today?
Randy Daniel (32:17):
Mark. I think when I was 18, I had a better idea of what I was going to do than I do now. When you spend, spend your life with your passion and you build something and then all of a sudden, all of a sudden you sell it, that's hard. So I worked for Beth for two weeks after I sold those cows, and that was not going to work. I just did. I just did manual labor for a little while and I thought, I don't like this, either. So all this process lasted about two weeks and I started buying cows. I had a no compete for a couple of years when we sold those cows, well, really, I'll tell you the story, I'll get sidetracked. But the story, we decided after years that we were going to have a production sale and a classmate of mine at Georgia 50 years ago, he and I were one day they had pulled herford breeders and he and I were sitting there and I said, Whitey, if we were going to have a sale, I think I'd just like to do it with you.
(33:42):
And we started talking about that, and then we talked about sale managers when you have two different breeds and this and that. So then we decided neither one of us were going to hire a sale manager, we just going to do it on our own, and didn't know if it was a good idea or not. And all of a sudden, man, it was just crazy good. And so a guy that bought four of the best lots that we sold and paid a lot of money for them in our world. And he called me and he wanted to know if we had any embryos and he wanted 30. So I sent him a list and there were 60 embryos with several different matings. And I said, you just pick the 30 you want and we'll trade. And he called back and he said, what would you take for all of 'em?
(34:33):
So I sold him those embryos. And then he said, well, we're adding Angus to our operation. They had a big cattle operation, but were just starting in the Angus business. And he said, what do you do with your bulls? And I said, well, we sell 'em privately. And he said, well, would you be interested in selling all your bulls? So they came up and we traded on all of our bulls, which by the way, a couple weeks ago averaged a little over 12,000 on those bulls. So I thought it was good for me at the time. It was incredibly good for them and kudos to 'em. But then he wanted to see the cows. So we go out and we see the cows, and then he wants to buy the cows. I said, well, I'll sell you half of 'em. And he said, well, everybody knows you and they know these cows, and if they're going to buy this, they're going to come buy it from you. And so I did what I never thought I'd do in my life. We ended up trading on all of them. And at my age, it was a good business decision. But geez, I miss those cows.
Miranda Reiman (35:43):
I thought you were going to start out that story saying that then you decided to go drive school bus.
Randy Daniel (35:50):
Well, most days my wife would probably like that
Miranda Reiman (35:58):
Another thing that you're kind of known for, aside from the cattle and all of that is your judging career. And you talked briefly about getting asked to judge, but maybe recap that for us a little bit.
Mark McCully (36:10):
Any idea how many shows you've judged, Randy? I know you've judged in many countries, I'm sure. I know probably three or four different countries.
Randy Daniel (36:21):
My friend Steve Nichols that judged every hog show in the world, he'll tell you how many he judged. I don't have a clue. A lot of them, everything I could ever imagine doing.
Mark McCully (36:34):
I don't know anyone that's judged more, and judged the majors. I mean, you've judged them all. Yeah. Do you have a favorite judging experience? Is there one that was, that was the one that
Miranda Reiman (36:47):
Finally called?
Mark McCully (36:48):
Yeah.
Randy Daniel (36:50):
Oh gosh, Mark, there were so many. I tell you the people laugh when they hear this, but my friend John Edwards one time called me and he said, I need you to go somewhere for me. And I said, where? He said, Maine, and I'd never been to the Northeast. And I went to the Fryeburg Fair in Maine. And first I thought, this is the most backwards thing I've ever seen in my life. And it was fun. And the next year they asked me back, and I thought Beth would eat this up. I mean, it is like stepping back in time a hundred years. And that state, the elite wealthy, live on the coast, but the majority of that state lives below the poverty level. And they all come to the Fryeburg Fair. And I guess that's why a redneck like me fit right in up there. But Beth went and we, golly, you watch, watch the woodsman's contest and the ox pulling contest and the kids training their 4-H calves with this little yoke on 'em and their little whip, and they've got'em following their commands. And I think Beth and I went back 12 times.
(38:14):
It was unique. And people say, well, you got to go everywhere. But that was one that was so different, and we really, really enjoyed that. But I don't know, getting to judge Angus cattle of Denver, Louisville, going to Palermo and to Brazil, and we just had some great opportunities.
Mark McCully (38:41):
Yeah. Randy, has your philosophy of judging shows changed over the years? Do you approach a show differently today than you did when you were first getting started or
Randy Daniel (38:55):
Probably not? Probably not. I did a podcast here a while back, and they were asking questions about advice you would give young people. I think a lot of times, Mark, that I would get invited because, well, I hope this is true. People felt like you'd give 'em a fair shot and you'd be honest with 'em. And now what I'm going to tell you next will probably get edited, Miranda, you told me that was an option, but when I first got out of school, probably a little cocky, don't like to admit that, but Dad and I are standing out there one day and he said, you're going to get asked to judge these shows. He said, you'll judge a lot of 'em. He said, you'll get a chance to judge a lot of them. But he said, you just got to forget all this shit. That's what he said. Now that's a quote. He said, you got to forget all this shit and stand there and just describe the cattle like you'd describe if you had a customer in your lot. And I think that's good advice in that I hear and see some really, really talented young people that want to impress their compadres and want to make it sound way more sophisticated than it is. And I think place 'em on the big things and describe 'em and keep it simple where everybody understands it and people like that.
Mark McCully (40:45):
Amen. Amen. It's one of my, Randy, when I get done saying this, you may want to edit me too, but it's one of my big pet peeves right now, and I always try to check myself, am I just becoming an old crotchety guy? But some of the terminology that I think young folks are using, and I know some of it, but the era of social media to get some of these things out and repeated in social media and shared, I get all of that, but it's not terminology. It's not the way you'd sit on a tailgate and describe a set of bred heifers walking in front of you. It's something different, that really bothers me. And so I guess I just put an emphasis or an exclamation point behind that. I think we got to get back to just describing the cattle and not getting, or the livestock and not making a performance about it. But okay, I'll get down off my soapbox. I didn't think I was going to go there today.
Randy Daniel (41:44):
You're not the only crotchety old guy on this conversation. When Mark McCully and Randy Daniel don't know what you're talking about, something's wrong. And I hear terminology that I don't know what that means. So just a crotchety old guy.
Miranda Reiman (42:06):
It's funny that you say that though, Mark, because I would be way more on the writing side, and as I coach young writers, it's the same thing. I hear an old editor in my back of my head that says, don't use a 50 cent piece when a nickel will do, or something like that. And it was always like, why use the big fancy words? So just be across the board. We're all in the same category today. Over the course of that judging career, talk about how you saw the cattle change, and if there was a type you gravitate toward. You've seen a lot in your entire judging career.
Randy Daniel (42:47):
Yeah. Yeah. I didn't start when the cattle were minute when I started judging. The cattle were way too big. And we probably described what they were there, what was there, but oh, our priorities were probably way out of whack. And those changes weren't going to come overnight. But I think some things never changed, whether they were big or little, soundness and structure and foot quality and the ability to move and femininity and broodiness, those things really have never changed. Just the fundamentals, the type of cattle have changed. But Mark McCully is incredibly good. I always enjoy that. But judging's a gut instinct, and you see quality and you see balance, and you see soundness no matter, no matter the rest of it. Now the cattle are so incredibly fitted and cared for and fed. We have to study harder, but the things I just said, they don't change. That's what we still need to prioritize. Just harder to see it now.
Mark McCully (44:19):
Yeah. Randy, the show industry has changed. Obviously we're now more probably junior focused than where back in the day it was more about the open shows. Are there some, again, there's been good change and there's maybe some things that you might look at and want to see differently. Are there some things in the show industry you hope are different or better in the next five to 10 years? Maybe some things we need to be thinking about as either a breed association or just show enthusiasts that are a part of this? Are there some things we need to be paying attention to that maybe concern you or hope are different in the next five to 10 years?
Randy Daniel (44:59):
Yeah, this is that crotchety old guy coming out again, Mark that,
Mark McCully (45:05):
I'm going to call it wisdom.
Randy Daniel (45:06):
I mean, I love a junior program. That's what my dad based his career on right now. Golly. It's so competitive and it's so expensive. And with that, I think sometimes I question a little bit if we've let just integrity slip in some ways, I'll go judge still too much for a guy my age. But sometimes when we bring cattle in class, and my first thought is just how stupid do you think I am? Because I think if we're willing to sacrifice our integrity and move an age 10 days, then we'll move at 30 and then we'll move it 60. And some of them, I think Lord knows how far they're moved. That really, really bothers me. I don't know how you police that. I don't, but it's kind of like we hired a photographer here. I really liked the guy. And I said, but before we start, I said, we'll do everything we can to make 'em look good, to get 'em presented right.
(46:28):
And you clean 'em up, you do whatever you want to, but to never alter a picture. And if you're willing to alter a picture, you're willing to move a birth date, your will. I just think, and I don't know how you roll that back. I don't know how you get back to where it should be. Now you go even, I'll go to our state show and it's really competitive, and God, every fitter in the barn, is there anything that can be done to one is being done and they look magnificent? But that bothers me. That really bothers me.
Mark McCully (47:14):
Well, I couldn't agree more. And it is a topic of discussion. We have a lot. I also always say that you can't regulate integrity or you can't regulate morality. And so it's kind of probably on everybody that's involved to check themselves. And then I truly hope we can always, I was pretty sure I knew your answer before I asked that question, and I was pretty sure I was going to agree with it a hundred percent. But I think we all, for those of us that were products of these junior programs that we get pretty passionate about protecting them, and it starts with integrity. So I appreciate all you have to say about that and the example that you set.
Miranda Reiman (47:57):
Randy, as we think about wrapping up this podcast, I said at the beginning when we were just chitchatting that I didn't know you very well before this, but one thing that stood out to me in those last hour is that a lot of times when I ask you things, your answer back is like, I was just lucky, or I was just in the right place, or that kind of thing. How do you make your own luck though, at some point? I mean, it is your efforts that led you to this place. So as young people listen to this podcast, how do you make your own luck?
Randy Daniel (48:28):
Well, probably our conversation on the last topic is part of that people have to believe in. People have to believe that you give 'em a fair shake and that you're honest with 'em. And I think that's most of it. You just have to, well, Papa'd tell me. He said, you do exactly what you believe, and if people believe in you, they'll buy it. That's kind of what we live by.
Miranda Reiman (49:06):
That's great advice.
Mark McCully (49:08):
And it's obvious as somebody that's been around you and Beth and your family for, didn't know your dad nearly as well as I would've liked to, but did have a chance to get to know your dad, and just everything you said is exactly how you've lived. And so that's been just, again, fun, fun and inspiring. And so I hope young folks or old folks, whoever listening I know they will really, really enjoy that and be inspired by that, Randy.
Miranda Reiman (49:42):
Randy, we always end this podcast on a random question of the week. Before I get to that, is there any topic we didn't cover or anything that you were hoping you'd get to say on the Angus Conversation podcast now that we gave you the mic?
Randy Daniel (49:56):
No, you made me get all sappy and sentimental. I didn't mean to do, I didn't mean do that.
Mark McCully (50:00):
Miranda will do that. I tell you, she ask you
Miranda Reiman (50:04):
Question if you know Jeanette that used to work in our office, I did make her cry once. So if you can do that, that's probably Well, and I'm apologize in advance because my random question of the week may do that too. But my random question of the week is, if you could go back to any period of your life and live it a day or relive that day, what would it be when you were a little kid, a teenager, young adult?
Randy Daniel (50:33):
Oh gosh. See, you should have given me this question on my cheat sheet, so I could think about this a little bit before we got to this point.
Miranda Reiman (50:44):
Maybe it could be more than one. How about that? Yeah,
Randy Daniel (50:49):
I really enjoyed, and I don't know that my kids would say that they enjoyed it as much as I did, but I really enjoyed the era when our kids were the age where they were showing. And we had, oh gosh. We started out, we had those Angus and Gelbvieh heifers at that time, and they were good. I mean, I say that humbly, they were good, and the kids did really good with them. And then, oh, the last few years we decided we'd kind of venture out and we had, well, shoot, Jonathan Perry was a friend of ours. My wife used to babysit that ornery rascal when he was a kid. They were from the same town. And my daughter thought if JP didn't help her, there just wasn't any reason to show. And so he would send her a Limousin heifer, and that was fun. And then we had Shorthorns, we had Simmentals.
(52:03):
We had a little bit of everything. That was a really funny era that people said, you guys, you don't want to get into this steer thing. And Mark knows I'm competitive, just like most of us that like this business. And so I was determined we were going to do it, and we did, and have good friends that help you. But that was a fun era, and I think they looked back and think that I was cruel and expected too much of them. But I told 'em, if you'll learn to work and you'll tell the truth, you'll get along. And they have. That was rewarding. Yeah,
Miranda Reiman (52:53):
I probably selfishly asked that question a little bit. I've got a lot going on with all the ages. My kids are, but that's a good reminder for any of us who are in this busy, chaotic stage that it's worth it. And it's a fun one. So appreciate that perspective for sure.
Mark McCully (53:10):
Absolutely. Absolutely.
Randy Daniel (53:12):
I think because those memories are so fond, and that program means so much to me and my family. That's why you don't like to see things slip.
Miranda Reiman (53:25):
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to share all your perspective today. It's been really fun for me to get to know you and get to hear some of that. And I know Mark appreciates it.
Mark McCully (53:37):
Absolutely. No,
Randy Daniel (53:39):
When I start crying, you just edit some of that out, would you?
Mark McCully (53:45):
No. My goodness. No, this was special. And again, I think, Randy, you're someone that, again, I've just truly had the privilege of knowing for some time and always looked up to, and there's, there was days where a text message back and forth would just make my day. And so getting to sit down here and talk for almost a whole hour is truly a treat. So we appreciate it and can't wait for our paths to cross soon here, soon down the road.
Randy Daniel (54:18):
Well, I hope members appreciate Mark McCully and Miranda as much as I do. We're at a good point. Very good point.
Miranda Reiman (54:29):
And with that, we're marching through season seven. If you've been enjoying these episodes, I have a tiny favorite to ask. Go into your favorite podcast platform and leave us a rating or a comment that will help other Angus members to be able to find conversations just like this. Thanks for listening. This has been The Angus Conversation, an Angus Journal podcast.
