Delaney/Atkins Annual Sale Lake Benton, MN

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They also take advantage of the fact that their ranch is only 20 miles from their alma mater: Montana State University. They “rely on young people” who come out and work part-time, and they’ve hit the jackpot with some great help over the years.

Colby Atchinson is studying engineering at MSU and has been helping on the ranch for three years now.

“He’s everything you could possibly ask for in an employee,” Dale said.

Megan Leep has done a lot of sale prep for the ranch, and they even had an intern from Iowa who wanted to gain some experience and fulfill a dream of living in Montana.

“That went really well,” he said. “Internships don’t always work well, but sometimes it works out for both of you.

Outside of the physical labor that goes into making a ranch run smoothly, Dale and Nancy have committed wholeheartedly to the marketing of their operation. They like to incorporate a mix of traditional print advertising while also branching out into the virtual space.

In order to achieve their goal of producing and marketing “the very best quality Hereford genetics for the local, national, and international beef industry,” the Venhuizens have been working with Morgan Meisenheimer to take their photos, build ads, and put together their sale catalog.

They’re proud of the work Meisenheimer does, because the pictures she takes “aren’t photoshopped,” Dale said. “They are what they are.”

The sleek design of their website and their

Sensation 028X helped get the Churchill name on the map and push the breed forward, Dale said. Photo credit to Morgan Meisenheimer. social media presence, which is a different approach than they’ve had in the past, is thanks to the help of Katie Songer.

“The social media deal is pretty incredible,” he explained. “It’s today’s news, on demand.”

However, for any of this, the photos, the Fall female and

HEREFORD AMERICA • January 2022 Spring bull sales, the website, and social media, to be effective, it comes down entirely to the quality of the cattle. Dale and Nancy believe that intricate genetic planning is necessary because, in order “to be viable two years from now, we have to make smart decisions today,” he said. “Are genomics and EPDs perfect? I don’t know. But, they help,” Dale mentioned.

Churchill cattle are evaluated objectively from a young age by blending together the right recipe of birthweight, weaning weight, and yearling weight and putting it all “in an eye-appealing package,” he said.

“They have to look good – there’s a sense of pride in ownership,” Dale stated.

The Churchill program is also young in terms of the cattle they use. While some operations are leery of using genetics before the individual has really proven themselves, Dale has the utmost confidence because he’s done extensive genetic research and has been planning for these cattle for years prior to when they were born.

“We have a high level of confidence in our cattle from a young age,” Dale said. “There’s a cowboy sense on the ranch with EPD’s and genomics along with how we see cattle put together.”

Aside from raising elite, home-raised cattle such as Churchill Sensation 028X, who Dale believes “did a lot of good for the breed,” the Venhuizens aren’t shy about investing in quality genetics from other producers; However, being the planners that they are, Dale and Nancy have a select group of herds from other operations that they have trust and confidence in.

One investment that they’re particularly excit-

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$60 Canadian $50 USD

no certificate

Fresh genetics, outcross to most

Hereford programs.

Natural full brother to

Hills-Galore 44Z Resolute 128D.

Homozygous Polled.

Powerful EPDs.

Proven, predictable and powerful.

Owned by Hills Galore Stock Farms, Bookcliff Herefords and Frank Hug & Sons.

***NEWS FLASH***

National Junior Hereford Assn Fed Steer Shootout results: Rewind sired steers won the average daily gain contest in both the purebred and crossbred divisions.

KCF BENNETT REVOLUTION X51 SIRE | RST X51 REVOLUTION 4102 RST MS 1030 TOP SECRET 5128 JB 531 BRAXTON CAL 605U DAM | HILLS-GALORE 52R CALLI 44Z HILLS-GALORE 32G MAY 52R

CED BW WW YW DMI SC SCF MILK M&G CEM MCW US TS CW FAT REA MARB BMI BII CHB 6.8 0.9 61 111 1.0 1.5 22.3 29 60 6.6 101 1.10 1.30 67 .032 .55 .29 $433 $526 $120

FRANK HUG & SONS

Bob & Tish, Ed & Gretta Scranton, Kansas Bob: 785-230-0434 Ed: 785-230-7597 rdhug@msn.com fhug.sons@gmail.com

BOOKCLIFF HEREFORDS

Tom & Andrea Krauss Russell, Kansas Tel: 785-483-3004 Cell: 785-445-2529 thomas.krauss@rwisp.com

HILLS GALORE STOCK FARMS

Alvin & Mary Kate Pawlitza, Julia, Alex & Georgia Hazlet, Saskatchewan Tel: 306-689-2597 Cell: 306-587-7399 hillsgalore@xplornet.com Follow us on facebook for updates