What motivated you to run for the Board?
I’d always thought about it, but I didn’t have a partner in my neurosurgery practice for a big part of the time, so it would’ve been impossible then. Seeing all the important things that the Board does and reading the Angus Journal and seeing everything ... that is going on in the American Angus Association, it looked really interesting to be involved in, not only to learn, but hopefully to be able to contribute in some way. When I finally got a partner in my practice, it became an opportunity that I wanted to take advantage of. Actually, Jarold Callahan and Gary Dameron approached me about it, and got me thinking about it, and it all worked out fine.

What was your experience like working with fellow Angus breeders from all different backgrounds?
It’s been very enjoyable. We’ve had some really great Board members during my tenure. It’s important everybody has an opportunity to express their opinion, and I try to see to it that everybody does get that opportunity. Everybody’s opinion is not the same, but we’ve been able to manage through that without any hard feelings. The camaraderie has always been good, and I know in past Boards it hadn’t maybe been that way at times. But this period that I’ve been on the Board, it’s been really enjoyable and everybody expresses themselves, everybody gets an opportunity to discuss, and we all leave the meeting with a good feeling.

What lessons learned growing up in an ag family, and your background, helped to prepare you for your time on the Board? 
My dad and my mother were really good parents, and we were encouraged to get a good education, participate in FFA and parliamentary procedure and other things that you learn in vocational and agriculture classes. My dad would urge me to make presentations. All those things are very meaningful. I see how [my granddaughter] Jelani has been able to develop in speaking to people. She does a wonderful job getting up in front of a crowd and giving an address. Things we get an opportunity to do, and things we maybe get pushed into doing, are useful in later life. 

Looking back on your time on the Board, what are some things you’re most proud of?
I’m probably the most proud of how well we all get along and how we reach good decisions.
[One of the] other things we’ve discussed on my tenure on the Board has been AngusLinkSM, which was a fairly contested issue. The Board was really split on whether or not AngusLink was a right move to make. Through the years, we have changed it somewhat and developed it. Then, Mark’s suggestion, we got IMI involved with that, and now we see the fruits of all of that coming forth. Now, it looks like a program that’s going to fulfill the dreams that many of us hoped it would seven years ago, whenever that was the topic of discussion. 

It’s going to be a great opportunity for people to sell cattle. I think it’s going to help Angus bull sales. Eventually, it’s going to help CAB (Certified Angus Beef). It’s going to help promote better product out there in the field because people see the value now of having an animal that has a great grid score ... and people are being rewarded for that value. That value is derived from crossbred Angus cows mostly and registered Angus bulls as the sires. I think it’s going to really feed the Angus industry very well. 

The other thing … I go to these shows and I see the kids go look [at] the class breaks and they say, “Well, I probably can’t finish any better than fourth or third,” because they know the other kids in that class. Some of those animals are extremely high-value. It was always disappointing to me that a young person who studied, who worked so hard at preparing an animal for the show and [be discouraged].

I thought about that a lot. “What can we do for that group of kids, which is the majority?” A lot of the show cattle ... look pretty, and they’re very valuable, but they don’t have the carcass traits that I see in a production animal that are important. So, what we came up with in the Board is the PGS (phenotype and genotype show) concept, which an animal is rewarded 50% based on its phenotypic appearance and 50% based on its genetic evaluation or its EPDs (expected progeny differences). It’s up to the judge to value those. This gives the kids an opportunity to keep an animal in their herd that has a performance pedigree … that has production quality.

It’s an opportunity to help young people stay in the business, stay in the American Angus Association, develop a herd of productive cattle, and maybe help with our membership base from the very beginning with their young programs. 

What were some of your goals coming into this year as president?
I want to see AngusLink grow, and I want to see the PGS grow. I want to see our genetic team develop and expand. We’ve seen that develop now into a full-fledged program with very capable AGI (Angus Genetics Inc.) people in that department. Keeping an open line of communication with all the Board members at the meetings and building on those programs that are already in existence and building AGI back up. Kelli Retallick-Riley has done a nice job of hiring some really good people [in AGI]. That’s always going to be an important part of our Association because genetics is fast-moving, and we really need to keep focused on it.

Angus Foundation has been important to me. I have quite a bit of experience on foundation boards, and Jaclyn Boester has taken that responsibility well. Our Angus community knows her from her previous role in the events committees and all the people she’s developed relationships with — the Angus Foundation is about relationships. She’s got a lot of energy too, and that’s important.

Angus Productions Inc. is also a fast-changing field with all the digital things that have come about in the last 10 years. With Benjie Lemon now on board with his broad background leading that organization ...  we’ve got a bunch of very qualified and very good people in the Angus Media division. 

What do you see as some of the challenges for the Association in the future?
It’s important we keep new members coming in. Other challenges that we’ve got is, it seems like every semen organization wants to establish their own EPDs. The Association database has a huge set of valuable EPDs and all kinds of data that really nobody else can compete with in terms of volume … So, I think that’s a challenge — trying to keep the EPD confusion out of the marketplace. These other companies have the right and privilege to [establish EPDs], but we’ve got a large, very reliable database. I don’t know why anybody would stray away from it, and I think it’s important we maintain that database and use it to help people predict the animals that they want to select.

We have a very strong Association, financially strong, and when I say challenges, I’m also looking at opportunities. With the foundational structure that we have financially, we will have the ability to capitalize on any developments in research that might take somewhat of an investment. That is a challenge — to find those new things that are coming about. 

But there are challenges that kind of pop up, too. We just need to be ready as having good Board members and having the financial resources to do what we need to do.

What do you see as some of the Angus breed’s opportunities?
Around 70% of the cattle in the feedyard now are Angus genetics. I think that’s going to continue to grow. A great opportunity that lies in front of us is the rebuilding of the commercial herd in the United States. In the past, when there’s been big events like a drought ... that affected a large number of the commercial cow herd, the rebuilding process has usually been done with better animals. 

As we see this rebuilding of the herd over the next three to five years, what a great opportunity for programs like gene GeneMax®, where the commercial cattleman can look at his herd, part Angus integrity, I call it.

[Cattlemen can use] the GeneMax program to help select which animals are the most productive; which ones will offer the best opportunity for profit; which ones will grade better on the grid. It’s going to drive even further the need for Angus bulls. 

CAB will eventually be the beneficiary of all the good things that happen with AngusLink and with AGI and the rebuilding of the herd to provide more product that’s CAB quality, so we can increase the volume of our sales. It all ties together ... CAB will benefit in the end as well as all of our breeders who sell registered Angus bulls to all those people that are going to need those kind of genetics.

What do you see as some of the Angus breed’s challenges?
We don’t want to lose the identity of the Angus cow. The maternal makeup is still very important. Through the years, we’ve seen the strive for more terminal-type animals, which is important, but we also have to remember that we’ve got to keep a good cow as the base in your herd. 

There’s a number of other breeds out there, but they’ll probably never all go away. I think Angus will continue to dominate, and even increase our share of the cattle in the feedlot, because of the genetic makeup of the cow and the ability to put more quality meat out in the marketplace. 

What would you like to share with the membership? 
We value their thoughts and how much they play a role in every Angus meeting. I mean, the Board’s there for the membership, and I think a lot of people would say, “What do you do for three and a half days or four days up there?” I can promise you we start early, we take short breaks and we finish late sometimes. It’s all so everybody can get their opinion in and reach the decisions for the betterment of the breed and for the betterment of our membership. That’s what it’s all about. 

How do you hope to be remembered as president?
I guess I hope to be remembered as president for providing some leadership in the boardroom that allowed everybody the opportunity to voice their opinion and help reach a decision on issues that face us in a comfortable fashion. In my term of the Board, everybody has gotten along well, and even though our opinions differ time to time, we’ve had very productive meetings. 

Another big part of my term on the Board has been developing the PGS. It’s been one of my favorite topics. 

I’m also proud of the Beef Academy that’s providing an opportunity for young cattlemen in 4-H and FFA and outside of those organizations, to learn from the information we provide. 

What will you miss most about being on the Board?
The people. Even though those meetings are full of busy work, it’s really been enjoyable. We try to socialize in the evenings, and we all get to know each other really well. It’s been a great group of people I’ve dealt with through my whole term on this Board. I’ll miss most that close camaraderie you develop with the other Board members.

The other thing is working with the staff. We’ve got just a fantastic group of people working in the Association office that deal with all the issues that come about day to day. From keeping track of registrations to tracking down which bull was the sire, it all gets done by the people working at the office. We’re the envy of every other breed because of the people that work in back rooms.

What part of raising Angus cattle do you enjoy most?
I enjoy seeing the product of your labors, of selecting mating selections and building your herd. I’m involved in any animal that we purchase. I actually purchased most of them. Jeremy that works with me does that, as well. But making right selections, making the right matings, and seeing that product develop, to me that is the most meaningful part.

What advice would you give a member to be involved with the Association who maybe won’t ever be a Board member? What kind of role can they have?
Well, they need to maintain their knowledge and keep up with the changes that are coming about. Whether you’re a person that deals in social media or whether you’re a reader of the Angus Journal, I’d encourage everybody to stay informed. You have an opportunity to voice your opinion. You have regional managers in your area, and you have Board members in your area. So, I’d say to members: Stay informed, and don’t hesitate to reach out to any Board member, regional managers or staff to get a broader understanding of any issues you want to voice an opinion about because we want to hear from everybody.

One other thing about the membership. I’d encourage everybody to contribute not only their ideas, but any way they can, financially, to help raise money for the kids and things we sponsor. There’s an opportunity to contribute in some way. Every member is benefiting from the years of work that the Association has done to put the programs in place that we have and to build the EPDs that we have and to develop all the things that we have available that they have at their fingertips to use. Everybody should contribute back in some way, if they can, to that. Because monies and ideas all get used appropriately. So, help out everywhere you can.