The American Angus Association® honors Leroy Baldwin of Baldwin Angus Ranch, posthumously, with a Historic Angus Herd Award. The Association’s Historic Angus Herd Award recognizes breeders and immediate families who have been in continuous production of registered-Angus cattle for 50 years or more. 

Baldwin established Baldwin Angus Ranch in Ocala, Florida, in 1955. By 1963, he was showing his cattle at major shows throughout Florida, earning numerous awards by 1972 including premier Angus breeder, premier Angus bull, and premier Angus female among others.

Baldwin chose the Angus breed after losing money on his first FFA Hereford steer project. He purchased an Angus steer from Walter Williams of Lakeland, Florida, whom he worked for for two summers.

“I learned a lesson or two about the beef business,” Baldwin said, prior to his passing in 2016. “I knew that the Angus breed was better, and it was then I decided that Angus was going to be my breed.”

Some of Baldwin’s original sires were Dor Mac Bardoliemere 65 purchased from JC McLean of Quincy, Illinois, and Bardoliermere 60 PP3 purchased from Noles Hill Farm of Lakeville, Kentucky. Later he purchased one third interest in the bull Emulous Pride 135 from Murray Corbin of Connerville, Oklahoma. That bull was a Certified Meat Sire and Baldwin banked 4.500 ampules of semen from the bull before its death.
After receiving encouragement from University of Florida genetist Marvin Koger, Baldwin began performance and production testing in 1960 and progeny testing in 1971. 

His family said because of Baldwin’s reputation for producing quality cattle, all their cattle are sold by private treaty. During his lifetime, he traveled to over 27 countries promoting and educating people about the cattle industry. This resulted in many of his cattle – as many as half of his bulls at times - being exported to foreign countries.

Since Baldwin’s passing, sons Tony and Alan Baldwin and daughter Joy Baldwin Papy manage the herd of 200 cows. Their involvement currently includes mentoring the third generation of the Baldwin family on the ranch and preparing them for a chance to manage the herd in the future.

Visit www.angus.org for more information about the Historic Angus Herd Award or to view a list of awarded members since the program began in 1988.