November 2025: Nebraska Angus Tour Highlights

From a hard year to hard country, the November issue follows a much-needed meet-up in Valentine that became a lifeline. Derek and Val have been fighting on two fronts, Stage 3 breast cancer and the toxic wildfire aftermath that left their house unlivable, with insurance pushback at every turn. Their story, including Willow and Finn in tow and months in hotels, set the stakes for a week that reminded us what good people, good cattle, and good country can do. (You can read more at www.ToxicEatonFire.com.)

We rolled into the Sandhills for a welcome that felt personal. Monowi’s neon flickered on, and there was Elsie at 96, still flipping burgers and running the whole town (Population: 1) with that same grin. A quick swing through Frederick Peak shook off the road dust, then the cattle work began. Babcock Angus reminded us how a family turns a “maybe” into a sale day. Larsen Vet put science to work in the heart of beef country. Calamus Cattle Company laid out a clean path for heifer development. The Simmons crew brought structure-first cattle and beef sticks the kids actually beg for. And out past Cody, the Bowlins work where the road thins to sand, setting AI and ET against Sandhills horizons to reach cows miles out when the wind stacks drifts.

Day two hit even harder. The O’Hares showed how data gets real when you’re breeding thousands of heifers and checking pregnancies at 20 days. The Halls stood tall at the close of a six-decade run. Smith Angus kept it simple and honest; cows that last, bulls that work. Ben and Sherry Andrews carried a father’s WR Bar legacy forward with old-school sense and modern genomics. Sawyer A&B pulled the week into focus with deep records, sharper pastures, and cattle that hit the mark where it counts: in the sale ring and on the ranch.