One of our main selection criteria for herd bulls here, is that his dam has to raise a calf every year to 10 years of age. There are not any traits that are as important as fertility. 

Of the 40 Medalen Bulls in the 2024 sale, 20 of them have a granddam that has raised 10 calves or more; 28 of them have a granddam that has raised 8 calves or more. Of the 12 that haven't raised 8 calves, 8 of them are younger than 9 years old, are still in the herd and are on their way to getting there. 

I refuse to use the popular AI sires in the Angus breed because the breed has become way too focused on growth and carcass. The dams of most of the heaviest used bulls have raised less than 4 calves. We are not a spin-the-generations outfit.

The paint by numbers breeding program continues to be a contest that I want no part of. Kris Ringwall of NDSU Extension Service did a study of ND beef herds on the CHAPS program. Weaning weights increased by only 3 pounds from 2000 to 2014. In this same time period growth EPD's have more than doubled. Too many registered breeders are trying to outfeed each other. The best example of this is the registered yearling heifers in sale catalogs with 1000 to 1100-pound yearling weights. Those aren't created by honest hard-working cowherds; they are created by stuffer feedlots.

I am very proud of the genetics represented in these bulls, and confident in their ability to consistently produce productive females for you. I have never had a membership in the Angus bull of the month club. I prefer to know the people behind the genetics we use, because it is just as important.

My favorite thing to look at is an Angus pedigree full of old cows. Old cows represent great things to me: fertility, soundness and just the right amounts of size, performance, and milk. Building a great cowherd is not a sprint. It is a marathon. 

You are welcome to come spend a day with us. But you should know...it is illegal to clip cattle here.

~Keith