The Angus Conversation
Episodes
108 episodes
What a Selection Index Is and What It Isn’t with Crowley and Spangler
The effectiveness of any tool depends on whether you’re using it for the right purpose. That’s the story of selection indexes. In this episode, geneticists John Crowley of AbacusBio and Matt Spangler of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln take a...
Board Recap: A Look Back on a Strong Year, and a Preview of Challenges and Opportunities
As the books close from one fiscal year to the next, it’s a good time to both reflect on progress and set goals for more of it. This week the American Angus Association Board of Directors met to: Detail a strong fiscal year, wi...
Herring and Allan on Real-World Feedback Informing Tools of Today, Tomorrow
Whether you’re excited about the possibility of change or are cautious about the pace, this episode will give you a lot of perspective on the way the genetic landscape is shifting in the beef industry. Bringing together two great minds with dec...
More Than Meets the Menu: Inside the Foodservice Beef Business
When trying to get beef out to the masses, there’s a step in the supply chain that has a lot of influence on what beef goes where: foodservice distributors. Hear from BJ Johnson and Pat Shepherd, who represent both the buy and the sell side of ...
Junior Takeover — The Making of a Champion: Cates and Curtin on Showing Cattle
The secret to success isn’t a secret so much as it is hard work. National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members Piper Cates and Sloane Curtin both say that there’s a lot of practice put in before they ever step in the show ring. On this episo...
Junior Takeover — The Wood Family on Where Growing Up Angus Got Them
Some of the most formative years of an Angus junior’s life are spent in the barns. That’s how it was for the Wood Family of Willow Spring, N.C. When it comes to the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA), all three of the siblings — Justin, M...
Junior Takeover — Sibling Support on the Farm and In the Ring
Nearly all of Kolton and Kinleigh Grim’s Angus memories include each other. The siblings started showing Angus cattle at a young age, and their partnership began. Today, they approach their cattle operation with a similar mindset — how you work...
Board Recap: A Changing Landscape — From Industry Shifts to Market Challenges, Strategic Planning Sets Angus Up for the Future
Keeping the breed moving forward, guided by the membership — that's the role of the American Angus Association Board of Directors. The group met this week to: Review fiscal year trends in fiscal numbers and program enrollments ...
Raising Calves, Mentoring Kids and Coordinating Logistics — Randall Grimmius on Raising Beef and Entering the Angus Business
What happens when the beef and dairy worlds intersect? Randall Grimimus, California cattle feeder and Angus breeder, joins the podcast to talk about the ever-evolving beef-on-dairy sector and how Angus fits into it. From raising day-old calves ...
Angus Women Connected — Focusing on the Future, Creating Ambassadors and Relationships That Last
The Angus Women Connected Conference intends to do just that: foster relationships among breeders from across the country. Three cattlewomen share their experience of getting off the ranch to learn from both invited speakers and each other, cre...
Keeping the Family AND the Ranch: Donnell and Tucker Brown Talk Genetics, Generational Transfer and Going Viral
The Brown family has always been growth-minded and goal-oriented, but each generation has left their own mark on the historic R.A. Brown Ranch. This episode covers a lot of ground, including how they think about cattle and horse breeding, ways ...
On a Handshake — Brent Thiel on Partnerships, Progress and Problem-Free Cattle
Brent Thiel was early in his career with the American International Charolais Association when he got a nudge that changed the trajectory for him and his family. He bought a ranch and started a partnership that would span nearly four decades. D...
From Blue Crabs to Baling: Wye Angus Intern Has a Summer of Firsts
When ag education student Molly Lusk went looking for a hands-on experience to make her a more well-rounded ag teacher in the future, the Talon Internship Program through the Angus Foundation piqued her interest. The North Carolina native immer...
The Next Best Thing vs. the Long Game — Alan Miller on Making Good Genetics, Building a Brand
Alan Miller has a long list of Angus champions associated with his Prairie View Farms prefix, but the roster shouldn’t be mistaken for a simple overnight success. He’s a third-generation Angus breeder who, along with his family, grew the small ...
Patterson, Barnard: Wrestling With the Balance of New Technology, Practical Application and Tradition
The beef industry is a beautiful blend of long-standing traditions and forward-thinking innovation. How much technology to embrace, when to use it and for what purpose — those are questions that often challenge producers, no matter the size of ...
The Crystal Ball is Broken: Why We Haven’t Built Back, Capital Concerns and the Demand-Driven Future
If the last U.S. herd rebuild can be described as a “jackrabbit” rebuild, this current period is completely the opposite, says Oklahoma State University economist Darrell Peel.The beef industry is on pace for a slow rebuild, and this epi...
Board Recap: From the Commercial Pathway and DNA Sample Storage to Member Feedback and Research Updates
There’s strong demand for Angus genetics, and the American Angus Association Board of Directors met this week in Saint Joseph, Mo., to discuss ways to keep providing its members with the tools and services to help keep them in the lead. Some of...
The Influence of AI — Genetic Trends, Industry Changes and Progress From the Bull Studs
Finding Angus outliers is both easier than it used to be and more competitive than ever. Aaron Arnett, Dick Beck and Doug Frank share decades of experience in the artificial insemination (AI) business, describing the changes in both the breed a...
Heritage Meets the Future: Lind and Vieselmeyer on the New Look of the National Western Stock Show
Blending history with a completely reimagined footprint, the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) is steadily transforming into an updated space for commerce, connection and consumer outreach. Both guests have family roots that run deep at the De...
From One Dream Job to the Next — Worthington on Serving Customers, Building Demand
When Josh Worthington was driving up and down the highway, working with Angus breeders across the state, he couldn’t imagine a better job than executive director of the Missouri Angus Association. But then he and his wife, Corry, started raisin...
Safe to Fail vs. Jumping in with Both Feet — Barb Downey Shares Approach to Business, Breeding and Life
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 l...
Those Who Gave Them a Chance — McCaleb, Williams on Starting Out in the Angus Business
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 McCale...
‘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 b...
The Angus Advantage: Discussing the Market, Research and What's Important to Breeders
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 C...
Transforming the Beef Industry: Gary Smith on Asking the Right Questions and Solving Problems
HOSTS: Mark McCully and John StikaGUEST: Gary SmithGary 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 hel...