WELCOME TO RHODES RED ANGUS

We started our Red Angus cattle operation in 2010 shortly before I retired after 40 years with the Farm Credit System. My last job was President and CEO of U S AG BANK in Wichita, Kansas. AG BANK had approximately $25 Billion in assets and at my retirement the Board of Directors merged the Bank with COBANK, ACB IN Denver, Colorado. I thoroughly enjoyed my career in Ag Lending and always knew I wanted to get back into production agriculture. I was raised on a cattle and wheat farm in Eastern Colorado near Deer Trail. As the saying goes “you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy”.

In 2010 we bought our first commercial Red Angus cows and in November of 2010 we were the volume buyer in the Mont-Vue Farm dispersal in Tennessee as we began our registered Red Angus herd. We added to the herd with numerous purchased from Bieber’s, Leland’s, DAMAR, Koester’s, Brown, Pelton, and numerus other top breeders. Since 2018 our registered herd has been closed. We run 220 fall cows/bred heifers with about 140 of those being registered Red Angus and the other 80 cows being commercial. Our spring herd has 50 registered cows and 30 commercial cows. We artificially inseminate all registered cows and in our bull selection process we have always used a few Angus bulls to add genetic diversity to our herd. We use our commercial cows in our Embryo program, and we flush our Donor cows conventionally and through IVF.

Females are sold Private treaty on the ranch. Bulls are sold through R A Brown Ranch sales at 18 months of age with a few sold private treaty. Our cows run on our ranches near Florence, Kansas and Burns, Kansas, and on leased land in the area. Our headquarters ranch is 2 miles west of Florence on the south side of US Hwy 50. Our cattle are tended to by Adam Cope and Leroy Parks. They are both exceptionally talented cattlemen and without them we could never sustain our operation.

Susie and I live in Maize, Kansas which is around 50 miles from the Florence ranch. We enjoy our times at the ranch, particularly when our children and grand-children can be there. Our daughter Amy and her husband Jeff Walenta live in Wichita along with daughters Natalie and Julia. Our son Jared and his wife Michele live in Salt Lake City.

Visitors are always welcome as we are proud of our place and our cattle.

BREED: Red Aberdeen Angus

COLOR: Red, however, the RAAA has a colorblind registration process so that Black Angus genetics may be utilized and registered as well.

ANCESTRY: The Red Angus descends from the Aberdeen Angus of England and Scotland when black native Celtic cattle of inland Scotland bred with dun-colored polled cattle brought by raiding Norsemen during the eighth century. The red coat likely began when genetics from the predominately red English longhorns were introduced in order to provide draught oxen. These genetics combined ultimately became the original Angus that was first recorded in the Aberdeen Angus Handbook. Some were Red and some were Black.

HISTORY: The first 1862 Aberdeen Angus Herdbook, in Scotland, didn't distinguish Angus cattle color, and neither did the first American herdbook in 1886. The Angus was first introduced to America in the 1870s and soon became very popular. In 1917, the reds and all other colors were barred from registration. Seven members formed the Red Angus Association of America, the beef industry's first performance registry, in 1954.

BREED CHARACTERISTICS: Red Angus are known for carcass quality, calving ease, maternal characteristics, stayability, moderate size, uniformity, good disposition, and feed efficiency.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION: Red Angus Association of America (RAAA), located in Commerce City, Colorado.

MORE INFORMATION: Contact the RAAA by email at info@redangus.org, visit their website at redangus.org or call 940-387-3502.