Cattlemen’s Congress 2022 Open Show- Show Honoree

Ed and Jamie Kruse - Kruse Ranch

OKLAHOMA CITY 2022

Ed and Jamie Kruse own Kruse Ranch located in the panhandle of western Nebraska. Their current herd of Shorthorn Plus cattle is composed of mostly black-hided Shorthorn Angus composites. Their breeding program emphasizes look, reproductive performance, and balanced breedleading EPD’s. Both Ed and Jamie have been involved with Shorthorn cattle for 60 years starting with registered heifer 4-H projects. Ed showed in Nebraska and Jamie showed breeding stock in California. Ed was on the first board of directors and served as the third president of the National Junior Shorthorn Association and recently served on the Board of the American Shorthorn Association. Ed and Jamie met at the second National Junior Shorthorn Conference in Kansas City in 1969 and continued their acquaintance when Ed did an internship at A/E Ranch in Lincoln, California as part of his Don Longley scholarship. During college, they showed cattle for Joe Huckfeldt, Gordon, Nebraska (1970 Builder of the Breed).

Both are graduates of University of Nebraska, with distinction. Professionally Ed was a loan officer and vice-president in the banking industry in Nebraska and then went on to the National Western Stock Show as manager of the pen show and sales. He has held other positions including Manager, Southern Arizona International Livestock Association; Operations Manager, National Western Stock Show; General Manager, Colorado State Fair. Jamie received her MS from Colorado State University and PhD from University of Arizona in Economics. She has been on faculty at University of Colorado-Boulder, Texas Tech University, Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, and East Carolina University in North Carolina. She also held the position of Chief Economist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She just finished a fifteen-year stint as founding Director of the Center for Natural Hazards Research at East Carolina University and is currently Co-Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Risk-based Community Resilience Planning at Colorado State University.

The Kruse Ranch operation has been headquartered in the panhandle of Nebraska for the past fifteen years. Prior to that their ranch operation was in southern Colorado. They have had the opportunity to raise cattle in many different environments and have learned that with proper selection pressure Shorthorns and Shorthorn crosses adapt to a wide range of management systems. Their current operation uses visual and performance record evaluation with strict reproductive requirements. They have found that their blackhided shorthorn plus cattle have several options in terms of marketing endpoints. Current herd sires include Kruse Odie 187D sired by Jake’s Wizard 246W (Ohlde), Kruse Black Legacy 187F sired by RGLC Legacy 525 ET, Kruse 292G (homozygous black) sired by Kruse 231B and Ash Valley Bronc 9006 sired by Baldridge Bronc, purchased from Loving Polled Shorthorns, Pawnee Rock, Kansas.

Through the years, Ed and Jamie have enjoyed coaching their two daughters, Casey Sidwell and Dr. Gina Kruse in livestock judging and showing livestock. Gina exhibited the Grand Champion bred-and-owned purebred shorthorn female at the 1999 Shorthorn Junior Nationals and served as President of the Junior Shorthorn Association. Ed and Gina were the first father/daughter team to have both been elected national president. Ed and Jamie now enjoy watching grandsons Jed and Cal Sidwell and Ellis and Marshall Kruse-Jackson carry on a five-generation legacy of producing high quality livestock. =

ASA President, Joe Bales, Presenting Jamie & Ed their Show Honoree Award.

Kruse Family (L to R) Front: Cal Sidwell, Ellis Jackson, Jed Sidwell Back: Clint Sidwell, Casey Kruse Sidwell, Ed Kruse, Jamie Kruse, Gina Kruse Jackson, Marshall Jackson, Jonathan Jackson.

Ed and his father, Dr. N.W. Kruse with Champion Shorthorn Heifer at the 1968 Ak-Sar-Ben Livestock Show, Omaha, Nebraska.