The Angus Conversation

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 Address member feedback on everything from amplifying the Pathfinder® program to a rule change for donor dams Adopt an updated tissue sample archival policy Get updates on the following research projects: $B validation, cow efficiency, bovi...

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, creating a community of people they can now call on when they need outside expertise. From encouraging the next generation in agriculture to advocating for the Angus business to those on the outside, this episode covers what they’ve done and might even ins...

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. During that time they grew the Lindskov-Thiel Ranch to become a household name in western South Dakota, with Angus and Charolais genetics that traveled around the globe. In recent years, they’ve amicably split the ranch, providing a model of how to make ...

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 cow herd of his childhood into a premier show cattle operation near Gridley, Ill. At the same time, Miller was helping beef producers across the state in a position with the University of Illinois. The duality of his experience — both commercial a...

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 episode of The Angus Conversation dives into the “why.” Cattle feeder Steve Sunderman and stocker-operator Gene Copenhaver join Peel to discuss tight supplies, margin pressures and how producers are adapting. From heavier finishing weights to rising capital requ...

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 and the beef industry. In this episode of The Angus Conversation, they discuss everything from the ways they find bulls to trends in traits of importance. Technology changes like AI protocols and sorted semen will continue to influence the breed. H...

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 raising their family, and he knew he needed a job that kept him at home more often. Worthington Angus was born and quickly grew to include two production sales a year. Today, he’s focused on helping his customers market their calves, whether that’s by providi...

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...

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: 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...

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 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...

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 ...