I’m constantly reminded of how much I love the Angus business not because of the cattle but because of the people. As you may recall, earlier this year my grandfather James Bennett passed away at the age of 90. He farmed his entire life in Red House, VA on our family’s operation of Knoll Crest Farm. One of his closest friends in and outside of the business and a mentor of mine, was Dr. Ike Eller, former Extension Specialist at Virginia Tech. I spent my childhood surrounded by Dr. Eller, particularly when we operated the Red House Bull Test station until 1997, which ran through the Extension service. Earlier this summer after my grandfather had passed, I found myself in Blacksburg for the Beef Cattle University put on by the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association. While that event was extremely successful and I learned a lot about the cattle business in Virginia, to ensure I left smarter than I came, I took an afternoon and visited Dr. Eller at his home in Blacksburg. During our conversation, we discussed how much has changed in the cattle industry, particularly the technology and data available today versus the performance testing of the past. I asked Dr. Eller what was most impactful to
him over his lifetime in the businesswhat he told me is regardless of all the data available today, never forget that being in the cattle business is being in the people business. This sounds so cliché as I type this, but it does give me pause to think about that statement for a moment. As my wife and I have now had our first son earlier this spring, I’m most excited to keep him involved in the Angus business not because of the great cattle but because of the great people. I use this letter as a time to reflect and thank all the great members of Virginia Angus for being there for me not only during my grandfather’s passing but the birth of my son.
That said, I’m excited for all we have done since the last Angus Connection newsletter! In this newsletter you will read about the BIG news of our successful grant submission to the Virginia Cattle Industry Board where we secured almost $15,000 to assist in the expenses to take 10 Virginia cattle producers and 5 Virginia chefs to the Certified Angus Beef Culinary Center in Wooster, OH. In addition, I’m already excited for this year’s Breeder’s Show – the date is set for December 14th and 15th in Harrisonburg!
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Meet Your Directors!
Andy DeHaven
Andy DeHaven was born, raised, and still resides in SWVA in the town of Hillsville. Andy’s Grandfather Elmo started raising Angus cattle on the family farm and now Andy along with his father Mike and uncle Mark continue to do so on a larger scale. The DeHavens focus on raising quality seed stock and are very involved in the Southwest BCIA.
Kenny Payne
Kenny Payne is the owner/operator of Ancient Oak Angus Farm in Warrenton. Kenny has been in agriculture since he became involved in showing cattle in 4-H at the age of 12. Kenny graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Animal Science where he was a member of the Livestock Judging Team and active member of the Block and Bridle Club. Kenny is serving his second term as a Director of the Virginia Angus Association. I am also a director on the Beef Cattle Improvement Association and serve as chairman of the Culpeper BCIA bull test. Kenny worked for the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service for over 30 years and most recently with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Kenny and his wife Elaine have two grown children Bennett (Blake) and Miranda. Kenny and his dog, Caine, handle the day-to-day operations of the farm.
Patti Knight
Patti was born and raised in Keswick, VA on a horse farm. She was introduced to cattle when she married her husband Michael in 1992. She along with their 3 children operate Knight Cattle Corp in Orange. The family was primarily a cow/calf operation, but expanded to crops and stockers since purchasing Orange Livestock Market in 2021. Patti is a former Special Education teacher for 15 years after graduation from The University of Virginia.
Ethan Tanner
Ethan Tanner owns and operates Tanner Angus Farm, along with his dad and two brothers, in the small town of Big Island in Bedford County. Their farm has been the recipient of multiple awards with the Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District for their grazing and nutrient management practices. Also, the farm is designated a Virginia Century Farm, having been in their family for over 100 years. Ethan and his wife Christa have three young sons with a fourth child expected later this year.
Aaron Thaler
Aaron and her husband Casey started their Registered Angus herd in 2019 at Hazy Hollow Farm in Head Waters,VA. She has a passion for overseeing the genetic matings and reproduction part of the operation. She graduated from James Madison University and currently works with UVA Medical Center. She enjoys taking photos on the farm and spending time with their 8 dogs while checking cattle.
RECIPE COURTESY OF: KANSAS BEEF COUNCIL
Ingredients
• 3 to 3-1/2 pounds beef Stew Meat, cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces
• 2 medium sweet onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 2 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into 1-inch wide strips
• 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup added tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 8 to 10 French bread rolls, split, warmed
• Cheese
Preparation Instructions
1. Place onions in 5-1/2 quart slow cooker; top with beef, then pepper slices. Combine beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce and garlic; add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 6 to 7 hours or LOW 8 to 10 hours or until beef is fork-tender. (No stirring is necessary during cooking.)
Skim fat from cooking liquid, if necessary.
2. Place beef mixture on French bread roll and top with cheese. Toast in oven.
VJAA Takes On Lead!
Virginia Junior Angus Members
Attend National LEAD Conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
On July 7th, Virginia Junior Angus Association (VJAA) members Mandy Bramhall, Ella Jane Michael, Aubrey Herbers, Kadyn Harris, Rylee Stratton, and Carrter Eavers attended the National Junior Angus LEAD Conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The conference kicked off with team-building sessions, followed by
a series of exciting tours. Attendees explored the LSU Rural Life Museum, enjoyed an interactive swamp tour with Mr. McGee, which included a close encounter with alligators, and toured the historic Tabasco Factory.
Day two of the conference featured a morning of leadership sessions, followed by visits to the Kentwood Co-op, 12 Star Angus, and Greeneline Angus. The day concluded with a memorable evening hosted by K Bar Farms, a third-
generation Brahman operation. Day three wrapped up with additional leadership activities, roundtable discussions, and a final departure.
The event was a fantastic leadership experience for all juniors who are already looking forward to the 2025 LEAD Conference!
Join Us in Fort Worth
By Holly Martin, Communications director and Shauna Hermel, Angus Beef Bulletin director
It’s not just for members of the American Angus Association! The 2024 Angus Convention, to be hosted Nov. 1-4 in Fort Worth, Texas, offers educational, networking and entertainment venues for the commercial cattleman, as well.
“This is a great opportunity for both registered and commercial producers in Texas to learn more about innovations in our industry,” says Radale Tiner, Association regional manager for Texas and New Mexico. Tiner especially encourages local producers to take advantage of the resources coming to their backyard.
A full schedule of events is available online, but highlights of special interest to commercial cattlemen include: Capturing Value session. A favorite of past attendees, this session is geared to commercial cattlemen using registered Angus bulls. It will take an in-depth
look at the rapidly evolving marketplace and how AngusLinkSM may provide the missing link to capturing added value for your calves.
Educational sessions. Angus University educational sessions will drive conversation around marketing, herd rebuilding, diversification and succession planning.
Trade show. Explore new industry innovations and network with seedstock and commercial cattlemen in the trade show.
Bad day? Think again after listening to keynoter Hunter Pinke. A paraplegic after a skiing accident, Pinke shares the real source of joy and the truths that can get you through any tough day. Join the Angus family as we celebrate tradition and explore innovation.
Go on tour. The event kicks off in a “Welcome to Texas” fashion with the
National Angus Tour and Beef Blitz Tour giving participants a view of the local industry.
Big giveaways. Convention attendees will have a chance to take home a big giveaway, including:
• a Preifert + Datamars complete cattle-handling system;
• a John Deere XUV835M Gator; or
• a TransOva service voucher.
Join the Angus family in Fort Worth in November as we celebrate tradition and explore innovation. Cowtown will serve as a fitting backdrop to explore and shape the future of the Angus breed, and engage in education and conversation. Register online at www.angusconvention.com
Angus Supports Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison
By Megan Clark, Angus Journal intern
National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members rallied behind the mission of supporting families and took part in the 2024 Angus Impact project, where pop tabs, meals and gift cards were donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison, Wisconsin. Eighteen states collected 652 pounds of pop tabs, totaling $326, the singlelargest donation to ever be made by one organization at the Madison Ronald McDonald House.
National Junior Angus Board (NJAB) vice chairman, Lauren Gilbert led the Angus Impact project this year and said she was in awe of the amount of pop tabs collected by the NJAA.
“It was incredible to see how many people had turned up with so many pop tabs,” Gilbert said.
Prior to the start of the 2024 National
Junior Angus Show (NJAS), NJAB members served 35 meals, donated by Certified Angus Beef, to residents on June 28.
“Food brings people together and that’s huge, especially during times of need,” Gilbert said. “It was really awesome to be able to help prepare and serve a nice, healthy, nutritious and tasteful meal during a time that they really need it.”
July 2, during the NJAS, the Illinois Angus Auxiliary coordinated a 5K “Glow Run” raising another $500for the Ronald McDonald House. Additionally, 35 $10 Subway gift cards were donated.
“We really can’t keep our house doors open without people doing generous acts like the NJAA did,” said Sophia Melgar, volunteer and operations manager at Ronald McDonald House Charities of
Madison. “Really, we can’t say thank you enough.”
The goal of the Angus Impact project is to help better the lives of others through acts of kindness to families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
Melgar said within her time as a staff member at the House, she could not think of another organization that has gone above and beyond quite like the NJAA did.
Angus Impact is the official community service program of the NJAA. The goal of the project is to help state junior associations be the change through acts of service. To view results of the 2024 NJAS, including shows, contests, awards and scholarships, visit www.njas.info.
VCIB Grant Update
By Scott Bennett, VAA president
In the constant effort to drive value for Virginia Angus members, I’m excited to share that the Association secured a grant through the Virginia Cattle Industry Board for $14,970 to take 10 Virginia cattle producers and 5 Virginia chefs for an educational experience at the Certified Angus Beef Culinary Center in Wooster, OH entitled “The Science Behind the Sizzle!”. We worked with Bruce Cobb at Certified Angus Beef to secure us an opportunity at the Culinary Center, which can be difficult to obtain. While the details and dates of the event remain fluid as we work with CAB, we will soon be taking applications for both cattle producers and chefs to
attend. We are hoping to have producers from all areas of the state with varying backgrounds and ages to attend. This will be a great opportunity to not only learn more about Certified Angus Beef, but to meet and mingle with some amazing chefs in our state that are taking the beef-eating experience to the end consumer, further driving demand.
I would like to think Stefanie Manbeck in her role with Virginia Angus for supporting the logistics of submitting the proposal, as well as the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association who wrote a letter of support to our proposal, and certainly would like to thank the Virginia Cattle Industry Board for their
support in making this a reality. While this opportunity is open to ALL cattle producers across the Commonwealth, we as an Association are excited to showcase our breed and brand to all attendees!
Sorting Gate- Understanding and utilizing the diversity of the breed.
BY KELLI RETALLICK-RILEY,
In the 2023 Industry Insights survey, 81.6% of cow-calf respondents reported Angus was part of the primary genetic makeup of their cow herd. And 70% mentioned Angus was their top bull breed of choice.
While the No. 1 reason for bull breed choice was still calving ease (see Fig. 1), the diversity of the Angus breed continues to make it one of the top, most versatile breeds of choice because it also checks the box for those other traits of importance.
Angus cattle have always had many characteristics that have made them a top choice for progressive Angus cattlemen. While the breed’s dependable calving ease is one that maintains the top spot, Angus cattle also provide ample value from maternal traits to carcass merit. Historically, maternal and terminal traits have been advantages sought by using across-breed complementarity — finding one breed to bring the maternal package and complementing that maternal package with a highly terminal breed.
Today, one can find Angus bulls that can meet a producer’s growing list of demands regardless of the need. Diversity reigns.
ANGUS GENETICS INC. PRESIDENT
The diversity of the Angus breed has made it the easy choice for commercial cattlemen. It stems from and builds upon the commitment Angus seedstock producers have to work together to build a strong performance database that is routinely deployed to drive genetic progress. Couple that with the use of genomic tools like GeneMax® AdvantageTM for commercial heifer replacement selection and marketing tools like the AngusLinkSM Genetic Merit ScorecardSM. Angus offers a game plan to make genetic decisions and to get paid for those decisions, as well.
Power tools.
Today, when producers shop for their next herd sire, they utilize tools predicted from the largest singlebeef-breed database in the world. This database is used to formulate selection tools dealing with production, maternal, management and carcass characteristics.
Altogether, commercial producers have access to 22 industry-leading expected progeny difference (EPD) values and seven different profitability indexes ($Values) to help target decisions being made on the beef
operation. Whether you are looking to increase fertility in your herd, maximize feed efficiency or target CAB Prime, commercial producers have access to all of it with the use of Angus genetics.
In the top 200 sires for registered progeny alone, seedstock producers are taking advantage of the genetic diversity of the breed. Fig. 2 shows the top 200 bulls ranking in the top 10% of current sires for maternal weaned calf value ($M), the Association’s most maternally focused index available, compared to where those same sires rank for beef value ($B), the Association’s terminal index.
The diversity that exists is of great benefit for breeders working in different environments with different feed resources. You can find high maternal sires that can continue to put out a high level of growth and carcass traits, while others add profitability to the cowcalf operation due to their maternal efficiency of low mature cow size and breed-average growth.
Figure 1 Figure 2
Everything you need to keep you and your herd happy.
CFC Farm & Home carries a variety of feeds, minerals, veterinary supplies, general cattle equipment, calving supplies and a selection of pharmaceuticals. We also offer agronomic, nutrition and management consulting from our highly qualified field representatives. Contact us to see how we can serve you and your operation.
Culpeper 15172 Brandy Rd Culpeper, VA 22701 540-825-2200
Marshall 8222 E Main St Marshall, VA 20115 540-364-1533
Morrisville 12375 Harper’s Run Rd Bealeton, VA 22712 540-439-3254
Rappahannock 12645 Lee Hwy Washington, VA 22747 540-987-8555
Warrenton 143 Washington St Warrenton, VA 20186 540-347-7100
Carroll County Cooperative, Inc.
As the days grow cooler, seize the opportunity to enhance your breeding program with our BEEF FALL SPECIAL! Maximize the potential of next year’s calf crop with the industry’s best genetics, technology, and expert support!
We’ve paired the best sires and deals you’ll find all year which means big savings await YOU. Mix and match bulls listed here to get volume pricing on some of the most elite genetics in the industry. Act now, this special is only available from October 1November 29, 2024 or while supplies last.
Virginia Angus Association
644 Greenville Ave #220
Staunton, VA 24401
vaangus1933@gmail.com
Upcoming Events
October 5 Point Pleasant Angus Production Sale
October 19 Whitestone Brand of Quality Angus Sale
October 25 Virginia Tech Hokie Harvest Sale
November 2 Mystic Hill Production Sale
November 2 MC Livestock Fall Bull Sale
November 11 Locust Level Bull Sale
November 16
Shelton Angus & Dogwood Farm Bull Sale
November 23 Lorson Angus Sale
November 29 Pratt Cattle Co. Black Friday Bull and Female Sale
December 6
Knoll Crest Farm Total Performance Bull Sale
December 13-15 VA Angus Breeders Show & Rising Star Jackpot Show
