Who We Are
Emma Brown
Cow-calf operator in Northwestern Colorado
I guess you could say I’ve been a producer all of my life. I grew up on my family’s cow-calf operation in Northwestern Colorado. When I was about nine or 10, I took out a FSA loan to purchase my first bundle of cows.
Leo Vermedahl
Feedlot operator in the Texas Panhandle
I arrive at the feedlot while it is still dark each morning. At sunrise we ship the finished cattle that have been sold, to a packer for harvest. I get excited because this is the culmination of my job of providing the most nutritious, best tasting and safe food item for the consumer.
Lucinda Williams
Dairy operator in Hatfield, Mass.
I have been in the dairy industry for 22 years. Along with my husband and seven children, we mark the 13th generation on a farm that has been in the family since 1661 (before Hatfield was even a town!).
Jim Warren
Livestock market operator in Aromas, Calif.
Being a producer in the beef industry today is a lot like I remember it as a 10 year-old kid with my first 4-H project in Atlantic, Iowa. That was in 1951 and 55 years later I am still in the industry and I still own the very same farm in Atlantic, Iowa that my grandpa raised his family on.
Fran and Bill Blight
Run Blight Family Farms in Albion, Mich.
Our farm was one of the first in Michigan to develop a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan and to utilize soil nitrate testing to better manage our use of manure and chemical fertilizers. We have used no-till farming since 1990 and we’ve partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to implement a variety of other conservation practices.
Gabe and Shelly Brown
Purebred cow/calf operation in central N.D.
Our ranch is a purebred cow/calf operation located in central North Dakota. We place a strong emphasis on conservation practices and persistent commitment to both agriculture and quality wildlife habitat. That’s why we’re such strong advocates for no-till farming, which we’ve practiced since 1994.
Prosser and Metzger families
Diablo Trust Ranches in Coconino County, Ariz.
As neighbors, our families have shared resources and ideas for managing our respective ranches since the 1950s. Urban influences, public recreation pressures, anti-grazing activists and pressure from developers threatened both our ranches in the early 1990s. We came together to form the Diablo Trust in 1993 Effectively combining Bar T Bar Ranch and Flying M Ranch.
Joseph Fitzsimons
Manages registered Beefmaster cattle in Carrizo Springs, Texas
Making good use of what nature provides has been a founding principle for us. My sister Pamela and I were raised on the San Pedro Ranch in southern Texas. Because of the arid, drought-prone climate, we grew up very conscious of the fact that conservation and stewardship of natural resources were essential to the survival of the ranch.
Fred Greer
Cow/calf operator in Mansfield, Ga.
I’m a sixth-generation farmer and my knowledge of conservation practices and love for the land was influenced by my father, who grew cotton on the farm in the 1940s. My family’s operation consists of 90 Brangus spring and fall calving cows. We keep low stocking rates to limit erosion and use rotational grazing to ensure our cattle have continuous access to high-quality grass.
Nick Hunt
Cow/calf operator and cattle feeder in Atlantic, Iowa
My wife Sue and I are the fourth generation to feed cattle and farm the East Nishnabotna River Valley in southwest Iowa. With help from four employees, we manage 2,400 acres, including 1,100 acres of corn, 800 acres of soybeans and 200 acres of alfalfa. Our family knows that good environmental stewardship protects important natural resources for future generations of farmers.
Dennis Thaler
Cow/calf, yearling and feedlot operator in LaGrange, Wyo.
In 1903, my great-great uncle left Hungary to put down roots on a 320-acre homestead in Wyoming, which has turned into a 20,000 acre ranch and farm. That homestead is now called Thaler Land & Livestock Company. By staying true to the conservation goals of our operation, we have proven that a carefully managed cattle operation can be profitable, environmentally sustainable and also beneficial!
Julie Ellingson
Cow/calf operator in St. Anthony, N.D.
Julie Ellingson and her husband, Chad, own and manage a cattle ranch outside of Bismarck, North Dakota where they raise a registered Angus cattle herd. Both Julie and Chad grew up in North Dakota beef-producing families and met at the FFA state convention while still in high school.
Gary Teague
Diversified cattle operation in Fort Morgan, Colo.
Gary and Laura Teague started Teague Diversified, Inc. in 1994 when they leased and operated a small 2,000 head feedlot while attending graduate school at Colorado State University. Today, Teague Diversified, Inc., has grown to include a 25,000 head feedlot, 2,500 cows and several ranches in Nebraska and Colorado.
Rob Brown
Cattle ranch operator in Throckmorton, Texas
The Brown family has been ranching in Texas since 1895 after being displaced from the South during the Civil War. Today, Rob Brown, his wife Peggy and their children carry on the R.A. Brown ranching tradition and are proud to use technology and genetic markers to breed top quality cows and bulls to provide tender beef for consumers.
