More than 1,000 miles separates Lodi, Wis., and Billings, Mont., but once or twice a year, a grade-school-aged Cody Quam looked forward to that long drive. He and his Grandpa David would climb into the cab-over Freightliner and head west to sell a potload of bulls at PAYS (Public Auction Yards).  

Maybe that initially sparked Quam’s dreams of returning to his family farm, an Angus seedstock operation tucked amongst the rolling hills of farm ground just 20 miles outside of the outskirts of Madison, Wis. Perhaps the plans cemented in the everyday chores that ranged from baling hay to feeding cattle. Or was it when he showed cattle and competed in National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) events or served as co-chair of the national show?

There were signs all along that pointed to a full-time career as a cattleman, but economics dictated a delay in getting there. Quam never really left the farm, but his part-time progress got a boost when he was able to devote all of his time and energy to the operation. 

For his commitment to genetic improvement and his dedication to the Angus breed, Quam received the 2024 Young Breeder of the Year award during the Angus Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, in November. 

Cody’s focus on the betterment of the Angus breed, lifelong partnerships and friendships, and relentless work ethic represent the best attributes of a modern cattleman. There is no better business partner or friend than
Cody Quam.”
– Brad Johnson, Genex, and Don Trimmer, Alta Genetics, in the joint nomination. 

‘We jumped.’ 

The Angus journey started long before Quam was born, when his great-grandfather purchased a set of Angus heifers and a set of Hereford heifers for Quam’s grandpa and great-aunt. 

“Shortly thereafter, the Hereford heifers didn’t stick around, and the Angus business was born in Lodi, Wisconsin,” Quam says. 

Around the farm, Quam shadowed his dad and grandparents until he got old enough to work on his own. 

“Like any farm or ranch kid in the country when you’re around, you’re helping do something and you get that itch to be there every day and do more,” Quam says. 

In high school FFA, Quam earned the Wisconsin State Star Farmer award and a national proficiency in beef production in the same year. His herd already numbered more than 30 when he graduated, but the operation wouldn’t support another full-time employee just yet. 

“My siblings and I, we’ve all left the farm for brief periods. We all felt we needed to go out and do something to experience working for other people,” he says. 

Quam spent time as a truck driver, at other seedstock operations, and in the sale barn. 

“I was still doing the recordkeeping. I was still doing the registrations, doing all the breeding records. I was there nights and weekends, whenever it was needed or could be there,” Quam says. “Then it just kind of came a transition. It was now or never, and we jumped.”

Twelve years ago, Quam came back to Marda Farm full-time, and today he leads the genetic selection, with a strong emphasis on embryo transfer (ET). Only around 20% of their 280 matings come via natural service.  

“For us, it was just if we’re going to do this, we had to get a little bit bigger,” he says. “We had to secure a little more pasture. It was just doubling down on what we were already doing, and I was fortunate enough we had an established herd.” 

Same direction, faster progress

Quam says his intention was never to shift directions completely, but instead to keep getting better at what they were already doing right: growth and carcass. 

“I still want them to look good. The rest of it can come and go as trends, but if you don’t like the cattle you’re raising, it’s no fun out there. It really isn’t,” he says. 

A home-raised heifer earned reserve champion in the 2024 Phenotype and Genotype Show (PGS) in Madison, Wis.

That’s part a reflection of the way he approaches his genetic decisions, part data, part phenotype.  

“It’s hard to deny the quality of the Angus cow. If we let the cow be the cow, she’ll work for us,” Quam emphasizes. 

Today, there are more data points to collect, but that means more data to make selections on, too. 

Marda has been a part of the Midland Bull Test for almost 15 years, earning top honors on multiple occasions. Quam credits that to good partnerships and remaining a student of the breed. 

“You have to find your niche and your people you want to be around,” he says. “We’re in the cow business, but this is a people business, whether it’s your customers or the people you’re sourcing stuff from or the people you work with.”

Quam had several mentors along the way, from his own family to those he served with on the Wisconsin Angus Association board to Tom Burke, American Angus Hall of Fame, helping him manage the state’s futurity sale.  

“That was probably the most educational thing that I’ve done that’s benefited this farm: learning how to prep for a sale and the paperwork side of it,” Quam says. 

He also caught some of that signature Burke enthusiasm for the Angus breed while road-tripping around the state to look at those sale cattle. 

“There wasn’t a negative idea in his head,” Quam adds.

Quam and friends host two joint sales a year, bulls and females, and that teamwork is part of what makes their operations tick. 

Having a network of cattle people has always been a two-way street for Quam. He participated in the Beef Leader’s Institute, has long served as a voting delegate at the Association’s annual meeting and was an instrumental force on the World Beef Expo board of directors. 

He learns and gives back at the same time. 

“We’re an open book most of the time. There’s no secret to this. It’s just hard work and making choices and to hope you’re right,” Quam says. “I’ve made it a point to try and help anybody that will take the time and ask and are willing to put the work in.”

The award caught him off guard, and he says he’s grateful, but the real reward for him is in the long game, especially as he looks at his son, Levi, and daughter, Paisley. 

“It’s important for me and our family to keep the legacy going of the Angus herd here,” he says. “I want this herd to be here for my kids and grandkids.”