“I'm hoping that we get back to where the cow is top priority for all of us, really.” 

For Tennessee Angus breeder Kent Brown, that’s not a wish — it’s a goal he’s working toward in his own herd, and he hopes other breeders will join him.  

 “I think that she brought us to the dance, and I think we need to dance with her,” he says. 

Brown and neighbor David Holt recently joined The Angus Conversation and shared their formula for success on everything from herd management to marketing their bulls together.  

“The people I listen to the most are my commercial bull customers,” Brown said. “You can learn a bunch from those guys if you will listen to them.” 

Those cattlemen, many who have 40-head or less in their herds, place a priority on maternal function, good udders, good feet, longevity — all traits on Brown’s list, too. That’s why he and Holt both decided to enroll in whole herd inventory reporting this year. 

“We all know that that cow that breeds back every year and she stays in the herd, those are the ones that really make the money,” said the Livingston, Tenn., producer, who farms just down the road from Brown.  “We’ve got to pay close attention to that, guys.” 

For more than a decade the men have partnered to host a production sale, offering more options for their customers and pooling resources to pull it off.  

“I think the challenges for small breeders like me, in the future, are just to stay relevant,” Brown said. “I don't have the big numbers or a lot of land. I operate on a lot of leased ground, and I don’t have the resources to do a lot of things the bigger guys do, but there are some things that I can do that they don’t have the time to do.” 

To hear the entire episode, search for The Angus Conversation anywhere you get your podcasts, or click here.