American Cattlemen Podcast

Heim Cattle Company 12th Annual Production Sale

Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he chats with Nate Heim, Owner of Heim Cattle Company. In this episode, Nate and Gale will dive into the Heim Cattle Co. 12th Annual Production Sale, held on March 14th, 2026, at 1PM CT, at Heim Cattle Co. St Charles, Minnesota. 
Over the years, Heim Cattle Co. has remained focused on identifying and developing genetics that work for their customers across the country. Every animal in their sale has been carefully selected for genetic merit, structural integrity, and real-world performance.
Nate's grandparents ran a dairy until the early 1990s, while his father focused on crop farming and seed sales. When Nate returned from college, he was encouraged to bring his own enterprise to the table, which led him to registered Black Angus cattle. Inspired by an early experience at a Pine View Angus sale and guided by industry mentors like Chris Earl and partner Mike Brummel, Nate built a seedstock operation emphasizing functional, carcass‑driven genetics.
Heim Cattle Company’s philosophy centers on cattle that grade prime while remaining structurally sound and practical for commercial producers. Nate stresses the importance of good feet, bone, and adaptability across environments, along with fertility, unassisted calving, vigorous calf growth, and end‑product value. The 2026 sale offering includes a large group of Angus bulls, both yearlings and older, plus registered heifers, genetic opportunities, and a significant set of commercial spring‑bred heifers.
Nate walks through key sire groups such as Red State, Dutton, Clarities, Rock Creek Whitewater descendants, and Pappies, explaining how each contributes frame, performance, marbling, and structural quality. He highlights particularly influential donor cows like H2 42 from Green Valley and C113 from Pine View, whose progeny have shown exceptional consistency and strong EPD profiles. Open and bred heifers were selected from the top of the herd, with some carrying embryos from elite matings to give buyers added genetic upside.The program also discusses how bulls were developed on corn stalks rather than concrete to improve structure and let genetics express differences more naturally.
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Falling Timber Farm 17th Bull & Female Sale

Welcome to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Aaron McKinney, he's the Field Editor for American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with John and Heidi Ridder, Owners of Falling Timber Farm. In this episode, they will dive into the Falling Timber Farm 17th Annual Bull & Female Sale, held on March 21st, 2026, at 5:30PM CST, at Falling Timber Farm, Marthasville, Missouri. 
Faling Timber Farm's Focus has always been on balanced trait selection, and they have not chased the fads of the show ring, although they have bred many show winners over the years. The main focus is on being a seedstock supplier for the beef industry.
ohn explains that the land has been in his family since the mid-1800s, with Hereford cattle on the place since the early 1900s. The registered herd was started 50 years ago by his parents, combining his mother’s strong background in the shorthorn business and his father’s experience on the judging team at the University of Missouri. They built the foundation herd by purchasing open heifers from several established performance-tested herds across the Midwest and then steadily improving genetics over time.
John describes how artificial insemination became central to their program. For roughly three decades, they have AI’d most of their cows, then retained and used home-raised bulls from their best cow families. This approach, focusing on knowing both sides of the pedigree, helped them move quickly past historical Hereford problems and build a highly functional, reliable herd.
Heidi shares that she did not grow up on a farm but joined this lifestyle through her relationship with John and has been a core part of raising both cattle and children. Their two college-age children remain closely connected: their daughter is in veterinary school, and their son is studying agricultural systems technology with plans to return to the farm. The family aspect extends across generations, with John’s parents still actively involved in daily work.
The Falling Timber Farm Philosophy focuses on producing Hereford cattle that excel as maternal, problem-free cows, recognizing that many commercial producers use Herefords to add heterosis and create high-quality Baldy females. They emphasize moderate birth weight, strong calving ease, teat and udder quality, sustained fertility, and sound structure over chasing extreme carcass traits.
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Kenny Angus Annual Production Sale

Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Dru Kenny, Owner of Kenny Angus. In this episode, Dru and Gale will dive into the Kenny Angus Annual Production Sale, held on March 13th, 2026, at 1PM CST, at the farm in Odebolt Iowa. 
Kenny Angus is dedicated to breeding cattle that maintain profitability for both their operation and their customers. The core of their program focuses on economically important traits, aiming to add value to their customers' subsequent calf crop. This involves breeding for strong performance, moderate birth weights, sound maternal characteristics, and highly desirable carcass quality.
The Kenny Angus breeding philosophy focuses on a balanced, economically driven approach. Their program emphasizes calving ease, strong growth performance, carcass quality, maternal strength, and visual appeal, aiming to create versatile cattle that can be profitable in every segment of the beef business—from retaining replacements to selling at weaning to feeding cattle out.
Dru explains that roughly 60% of this year’s offering is calving-ease bulls, noting that their cattle are designed not to sacrifice growth for lighter birth weights. He highlights examples of bulls with low birth weights that still wean off at impressive weights, illustrating the program’s commitment to vigor at birth and explosive growth. The offering of 67 yearling Angus bulls is described as the deepest, most balanced and muscular set they have ever presented, with genetics from sires such as Kenny Institution, Kenny Rogers, Gluttons Reliable, Boyd Thunderstruck, Beyond Discipline, Defy, Ezekiel, Kingston, Hustler, and Bear Mountain North Star.
Dru then outlines a select group of ten elite open heifers, pulled directly from the top of their replacement pen. He describes several standout females with powerful pedigrees, strong EPD profiles, and phenotype suitable for both production and show, emphasizing cow families like Isabel, Primrose Lady, and Royal Queen. The sale also includes bred cows and a couple of young pairs with heifer calves at side, offering strong maternal lines and appealing spring-calving options.
Finally, Dru details a series of genetic opportunities, including flushes and embryos from their most proven and high-potential donor females, with matings to leading sires.
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Laverdure Livestock 2026 Bull Sale

Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the Owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Riche & Andee Laverdure, Co-Owners of Laverdure Livestock. In this episode, they will dive into the Laverdure Livestock 2026 Bull Sale, held on March 13th, 2026, at 1PM MST, Cut Bank Montana.
Laverdure Livestock is a family owned and operated ranch that raises crossbred cattle as well as pure bred Angus & Simmental cattle, commercial sheep and registered Polypay sheep. They sell rams, ewe lambs, registered and commercial bulls and commercial replacement female heifers. 
Richie and Andee describe the origins of their herd, combining Andee’s background in registered Angus seedstock with Richie’s commercial cattle experience. Richie explains his program of starting with Hereford cattle, crossing them with Angus, and then using purebred Simmental bulls on the resulting F1 females to maximize heterosis. The pair stress that their breeding philosophy centers on longevity, low input costs, and functional cattle that can thrive under commercial conditions. Cows are expected to graze as long as possible, maintain body condition, breed back on time, and raise a high-quality calf without being pampered.
They explain that bulls are developed on a moderate ration with homegrown hay and pellets, targeting sensible gains so that the bulls remain sound and durable for buyers. Their own herd sires run with the commercial cows through the winter, traveling for water and feed like the rest of the herd, reflecting their belief that bulls should perform under real-world range conditions.
Andee walks through the offering in detail, including 11 Angus yearling bulls, three SimAngus yearling bulls, and three yearling heifers, two Angus and one purebred Simmental. She highlights calving ease prospects, strong maternal lines, high-performing dams, docility, and standout growth and structure across the catalog.
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
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Henke Angus Farms 9th Annual Spring Sale

Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Charles Henke, Owner of Henke Angus Farms. In this episode, Charles and Gale will dive into the Henke Angus Farms 9th Annual Spring Bull Sale, held on March 12th, 2026, 5PM CST, at Henke Angus Farms, Salisbury, Missouri. 
Henke Angus Farms is a multi-generational row-crop and premium livestock operation. They believe in cattle that can do it all. Researching expected progeny difference (EPD) results in high docility and maternal stay ability. In short, their philosophy is to breed cattle that are as complete as they can possibly make them.
The Henke breeding philosophy includes producing complete, problem-free cattle rather than chasing extreme single traits. Charles emphasizes fertility, docility, structural soundness, foot quality, and maternal strength. Cows are managed like commercial cows, thriving on grass and mineral with rotational grazing and limited supplementation, and are expected to breed first-service AI and wean big calves with good udders and sound feet. He highlights strong AI conception results and stresses that if cows do not breed, nothing else matters.
Charles then walks through the sale offering of 110 Angus bulls, both yearlings and 18‑month‑olds, organized by sire groups. He describes leading sire lines such as Victory, Winchester, Remington, Grindstone, Bold Ruler, Jameson, Network, Historic, Top Gun, Foundation, Craftsman, Pacific, Symmetry, Rise Above, Black Bandolier, Armstrong, and others. For each group, he explains what commercial and seedstock buyers can expect in terms of calving ease, growth, carcass merit (especially marbling and ribeye), frame size, thickness, depth of body, structural correctness, and docility. He repeatedly returns to foot scoring and the effort to ensure long‑lasting, sound bulls and productive daughters, often referencing specific cow families that have proven themselves over many years.
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
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Bradshaw Ranch 2026 Bull Sale

Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Riley Bradshaw, Owner of Bradshaw Ranch. In this episode, Riley and Gale will dive into the Bradshaw Ranch Bull Sale held on March 13th, 2026, at the F&T Livestock Market in Palmyra, Missouri.
Riley and his wife, Hannah, operate Bradshaw Ranch, continuing a generational legacy in agriculture that spans both row crops and livestock. Raised in Illinois working with hogs and cattle, Riley later attended Oklahoma State University. After college, he and his father committed to expanding their purebred cattle and seedstock operation, purchasing a group of cows from Hoffmans and steadily building a high-quality cow herd over the past six years. 
Riley explains that the core philosophy at Bradshaw Ranch centers on functional, efficient cows that hold up in real-world commercial conditions. The program aims to raise cattle that grow, perform, and add value at every stage—whether at weaning, in the feedyard, or on the rail—without sacrificing soundness, maternal strength, disposition, or structural correctness. Emphasis is placed on good feet, udders, muscle, balance, and overall longevity rather than chasing extreme EPDs.
The sale offering is broad and diverse, designed to fit many commercial herds and genetic goals. Riley and Gale walk through the lineup, which includes yearling and fall Angus bulls representing several prominent sire groups, including standout individuals noted for length, stoutness, structural soundness, and strong EPD profiles. The program also features pulled and horned Hereford bulls, including age-advantaged bulls ideal for producing F1 black baldy calves, as well as a select but powerful set of Simmental bulls known for performance and high weaning weights.
Bulls sell with a breeding-season guarantee through September 1, are semen tested, and are represented as ready to work. The ranch offers free delivery within a set radius, options for broader delivery on qualifying purchases, and volume discounts for buyers of multiple bulls.
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
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Hornung Livestock 6th Annual Production Sale

Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Gaston Hornung, Owner of Hornung Livestock. In this episode, Gaston and Gale will dive into the Hornung Livestock 6th Annual "Conception to Carcass" Production Sale, held on March 11th, 2026, at 1PM MST, in Stratton, Colorado. 
More now than ever, Hornung Livestock believes cattlemen are getting rewarded for their investment in high-quality genetics. As they continue to build their program, feeling like this is the most consistent set of bulls they have offered to date, and they are bred to improve your bottom line and perform for you from conception to carcass!
Gaston explains that he is a third-generation farmer-rancher whose grandparents homesteaded the family place, which now includes a feedlot and expanded cow herd. After earning an animal science degree at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he returned home with a strong interest in seedstock and carcass-focused genetics, aiming to capture premiums on cattle that perform on the rail while keeping other traits in balance.
Gaston outlines the Hornung Livestock breeding philosophy, emphasizing balanced traits over extremes. He targets practical calving ease rather than ultra-light calves, along with solid growth, structural soundness, fertility, and strong carcass merit, especially for marbling, ribeye area, and carcass weight. Phenotype remains critical: cattle must be functional and attractive, as buyers and sale barn markets still judge what they see. He has built much of his program around two key donor cows and extensive IVF work, creating a very consistent maternal base and groups of full and half siblings that help commercial customers market uniform calf crops.
The sale offering includes a deep set of yearling Angus bulls that form the core of the program, age-advantaged and mature Angus herd sires, and a significant group of SimAngus and purebred Simmental bulls designed to add hybrid vigor and terminal performance. Gaston highlights several sire groups and standout individuals, explaining how he uses his own bulls back in the herd to prove their value before offering similar genetics to customers.
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Badgerland Bull Sale March 8th

Welcome to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Brad Johnson, Owner of Johnson Family Cattle. In this episode, Brad and Gale will dive into the Badgerland Bull Sale held on March 8th, 2026, at 1PM CDT at Marda Angus Farms, in Lodi, Wisconsin.
The 4th Annual Badgerland Bul sale, where top-quality Angus and Red Angus Producers come together for an elite offering at Marda Farms. This year's sale features outstanding genetics from Marda Angus, Johnson family Cattle, Hornung Red Angus, and Miller Farms Shorthorns, showcasing a powerful set of herd sire prospects from their 2025 calf crops. These bulls are built to be sound, functional, and ready to go to work - bred with today's cattlemen in mind and designed to add value to any program.
These producers came together several years ago after realizing their similar philosophies and the complementary nature of their programs, shifting from selling bulls private treaty to the joint Badgerland sale designed to better serve a broader commercial and purebred customer base.
Brad explains that the foundation of their breeding programs is a commercial mindset. Each outfit is directly involved in the commercial cattle business, whether through feeding cattle, freezer beef programs, or running commercial cow herds. This practical experience shapes their focus on cattle that perform in the pasture, feedlot, and ultimately on the plate, emphasizing soundness, longevity, and a high-quality eating experience for consumers.
The offering consists of approximately 40 Angus and Red Angus bulls, along with one Shorthorn bull and two standout fall heifer prospects. On the black Angus side, Brad highlights the BA Seven Oaks Bold Ruler sons for their impressive phenotype, muscle, body capacity, and structural correctness, followed by Gettysburg sons known for calving ease and strong maternal potential, and Great Lakes sons with a proven, high-value pedigree. On the Red Angus side, Brad describes this year’s group as their best to date, including three full brothers by Resonate out of a key donor cow, praised for calving ease, eye appeal, and overall balance. Horning Red Angus contributes bulls backed by a powerful cow herd, focused on growth and consistent maternal strength.
Miller Farms adds a well-made Shorthorn bull, and the two fall heifers—one a Blackcap Maiden daughter and the other a Ruby female—are described as donor-quality, with strong EPDs, elite pedigrees, and the flexibility to excel as both show prospects and breeding females.
Brad also stresses that the bulls are developed with longevity in mind, grown on forage-based diets in large traps to promote sound feet, good semen quality, and long-term functionality.
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TyCo Industries Cattle Con 2026

Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we kick off our series at Cattle Con 2026 with Kaid Panek, and he chats with Tyler and Cody with TyCo Industries.
Tyler explains that their roots are in construction, beginning around 2011 with projects such as building feedlots and dairies. That background in designing and constructing cattle facilities gave them a deep understanding of cattle flow, safety, and what ranchers need in both permanent and portable systems. An important turning point came when they had the opportunity to buy out R.L. Wilson, recognized as the original portable panel maker. Although they were based in Clovis, New Mexico and Wilson was in Cherokee, Oklahoma, a local dealer helped connect them, leading to the acquisition and an expansion of their product line into portable corrals. 
From there, Tyco began developing equipment such as the Ranch Boss and the Load Boss. The Load Boss bolts under a standard set of portable corrals, allowing cattle to be loaded into a semi on one side while simultaneously backing up and loading a stock trailer on the other. The system is modular and designed to integrate with existing corrals, making it flexible and highly efficient in real working conditions.
The Ranch Boss XL builds on that concept, combining a portable corral system, the load-out capability of the Load Boss, and a full-featured chute setup in the front, including palpation gates and a bud box configuration in the rear. This design allows cattle to be worked out the front and loaded out the back, enabling ranchers to pull into an open pasture and handle tasks like sorting, working calves, or weaning in one compact system.
Tyler emphasizes that all of this came through trial, error, and constant refinement. They regularly take equipment to local ranchers, invite feedback, and tweak designs based on real-world use. Flowability of cattle is a central concern; systems must encourage cattle to move naturally, avoiding the frustration and danger of poorly designed setups. Drawing on experience from older, unsafe facilities and more advanced feedyard designs, they aim to build equipment that is safer, more efficient, and mindful of budget constraints. Even though some systems are expensive, they argue that combining multiple pieces into one integrated unit can save labor, setup time, and equipment costs in the long run, positioning Tyco as a one-stop solution for modern cattle operations.
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GG Genetics & Mars Angus Production Sale

Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Aaron McKinney, he's the field editor for American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Mason Fleenor, Owner of GG Genetics. In this episode, Mason and Aaron will dive into the GG Genetics & Mars Angus Performance with Superior Taste Bull & Female Sale , held on March 5th, 2026, at Ida Grove, Iowa. 
Mason Fleenor, the owner of GG Genetics, traces the operation’s origins back to the purchase of red heifers in Montana in 1986 and describes how the business has evolved into a performance-driven Angus program. He highlights his family’s involvement and stresses the importance of bringing younger generations into the cattle business. A recurring theme is stewardship: teaching youth to manage cattle, land, and resources while maintaining profitability in a demanding industry.
The core of the conversation focuses on genetic selection for efficiency and carcass traits. Mason explains his emphasis on high marbling, low dry matter intake, and overall growth, describing how the program uses tools like Grow Safe units and partnerships in Mexico to measure intake and validate performance of cleanup bulls. He goes into detail on the sire group, especially an ABS bull, Dave Sue Ever Clear, praised for low intake, moderate frame, and consistency. Mason notes his satisfaction with the uniformity, EPD profiles, and real-world functionality of the bulls in this year’s offering.
The sale itself will feature 52 yearling Angus bulls, one two-year-old bull, 13 bred heifers, and 10 open heifers, including females sourced from the Broken Chain Ranch in Montana. Mason discusses calving ease, birth weight, maternal quality, and how weather and management influence cattle performance. He also describes logistics such as shipping, the importance of experienced auctioneers, and the availability of online bidding through Superior Livestock Auction. The conversation closes by inviting listeners to learn more about the program and consider the offering as a resource for improving efficiency, carcass quality, and long-term herd direction. 
For previous episodes of the American Cattlemen Podcast, please visit:  www.americancattlemen.com.
American Cattlemen Podcast is Sponsored By:
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