Registration

Register by Nov. 1, 2024.

Convention Site Hotel

Crowne Plaza Kansas City Downtown

Room block will expire Nov. 8, 2024.

Board of Director Candidates

The American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) nominating committee recommends the following seven candidates for consideration in filling open positions on the AGA Board of Directors. Additional nominations may be accepted from the floor during the annual meeting.

The election for the AGA board of directors will take place during the AGA Annual Meeting at 10:00 a.m. CST on Friday, December 6, 2024, during the 2024 AGA National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.

Any member who is unable to attend the AGA annual meeting may request an absentee ballot by phone, email, or fax.

Gregg Hartman

Thank you, the membership, for allowing me to serve the breed over the last three years. As a board, we have made strides to further the breed and put in place new leadership to carry us forward. I believe there is tremendous opportunity to build demand and drive profitability for all Gelbvieh breeders.

This spring, bull sales brought in record highs that can be attributed to more than the position of the overall cattle market. It is a testament to Gelbvieh breeders’ commitment to pursuing excellence and communicating the value of the breed to commercial customers. As a board, it is our job to look for ways to elevate the profile of the breed in the industry – expanding market opportunities and I hope to have the chance to be a part of that work in a second term.

For those who don’t know me, I am a third-generation farmer-rancher from Pueblo, Colorado. Our cattle operation, ProHart Seed Stock, and sod farm, Lawn Ranger, lies in the Arkansas River Basin surrounded by vegetable farms. And until I returned from Colorado State University, vegetable farming was a part of the family’s mainstay.

I convinced my folks we needed to diversify – transitioning our sugar-beat fields to a sod farm. Our feedlot and Registered Angus herd eventually followed suit. An AGR Fraternity brother and I partnered on some cows in the years following college – introducing me to the power of the Gelbvieh female. I’ve never looked back.

Today, we run around 100 purebred Gelbvieh females and sell our bulls as part of the Pot of Gold Bull Sale in Montrose, Colorado, the last Friday of February. My girls, Jessica and Danielle, and I enjoy spending family “vacations” showing cattle at NILE, Cattlemen’s Congress, and NWSS each year. In 2021, we were fortunate to have our genetics selected as the Breeder’s Choice Gelbvieh Bull Futurity winner. A highlight of my career in the breed and an honor coming from fellow breeders. Over the years, we’ve also received National Reserve Champion Bull and Female.

As a board member, I bring more than 45 years of experience in the cattle industry to the table. During that time, I have been an active member on the local, state, and national level for both NCBA and the American Gelbvieh Association. I helped co-host the Junior Classic when it was held in Pueblo and served on the AGA Board from 1992-1998.

It has been a privilege to serve my fellow breeders, and I hope to continue to do so. Thank you for your consideration.

John Shearer

I am humbled and honored to be a candidate for the American Gelbvieh Association Board of Directors.  Since 1989, my family and I have been building on a foundation herd of 12 crossbred, Gelbvieh-influenced cows to our present herd of 400+ cows. The annual Circle S Ranch production sale includes purebred Gelbvieh and Gelford™ bulls and heifers, and Gelbvieh-influenced cows and pairs. My wife, Carla, and I have two children, Kaycie and John, who were very active in the Gelbvieh Junior Association.  We are excited about the next generation to join the AGJA – our bonus granddaughters have exhibited and participated in the last two Junior Classics. Three more grandsons and one granddaughter to go…we are looking forward to the next 15-20 summer traditions of junior nationals! I have been passionately dedicated to promoting the Gelbvieh breed for most of my adult life. I have traveled to many states, participating in state fairs and junior shows, to champion Circle S genetics and the Gelbvieh breed. As a family, Circle S Ranch has also participated in the National Gelbvieh Show for over 25 years. I am grateful and very blessed to have so many Gelbvieh friends, who have become dear family over the years.

If entrusted with the responsibility of the AGA Board, I am committed to focusing on programs that will enhance revenues and establish sound business practices for the Association. I am also committed to revitalizing the membership and fostering positive engagement with members. As a breed, we have a wealth of potential to contribute to the cattle industry. I would love to visit with anyone regarding my vision for the Gelbvieh Association and breed.

The best way to contact me is by phone, 620-654-6507.  I look forward to the opportunity of representing my fellow cattle producers on the AGA Board of Directors and would appreciate your vote.

Mark Crane

I am excited to announce my candidacy for the 2025 Board of Directors. My journey in the cattle industry began in 1989 when I purchased my first purebred Gelbvieh bull while still in high school. Since then, I have dedicated my life to breeding and promoting Gelbvieh cattle through my operation, Black Gold Genetics.

As a lifelong resident of southeast Colorado, my family has deep roots in this community, having homesteaded in the area. I became involved in the American Gelbvieh Junior Association (AGJA) in 1992, serving as an officer in the Colorado Junior Association, which solidified my commitment to the breed.

Over the years, I have expanded my operation to include Angus and Red Angus cattle alongside my registered Gelbvieh herd. My focus has always been on the qualities that initially drew me to Gelbvieh: their excellent temperament and strong maternal traits. I believe it is crucial to balance the industry’s focus on carcass traits with improving maternal characteristics and fertility.

In addition to my breeding operation, I have served on various boards, including the Pritchett Colorado School Board for over 12 years. I understand the importance of integrity and high moral values in leadership, which will guide my contributions to the AGA Board.

I am passionate about promoting Gelbvieh genetics and ensuring that the breed remains strong for future generations. Thank you for considering my candidacy. I look forward to the opportunity to serve and contribute to the continued success of the American Gelbvieh Association.

Mark Stock

Hello, my name is Mark Stock, and it was humbling to be asked by several Gelbvieh breeders to run for an AGA board of directors seat. If elected, I plan to work within our breed to prove that Gelbvieh is the best choice of the continental breeds for commercial cattlemen to use in their crossbreeding programs to affect their operation’s bottom line.

My wife, Stacy, and I live in the scenic, driftless region of northeast Iowa, only 20 miles from Minnesota and Wisconsin. We have been members of the American Gelbvieh Association since 2005. Our children, Duel, Danielle (Dani), and Drew, grew up showing in many AGJA Classic shows and even served on the AGJA board of directors. Our family operates Crooked Creek Cattle Company, which consists of approximately 180 Gelbvieh and Balancer females. We market yearling bulls and open and bred females annually, with the focus of our breeding program being maternal traits and functionality. and Vice President. As you can see, I am willing to serve and work for groups to benefit agriculture and the cattle industry. I served six years on the Gelbvieh Breeders of Iowa board of directors, with the last three years of my term serving as President and Vice President. I also served numerous years on our county’s Farm Bureau board and held the titles of President I would appreciate your consideration and vote to serve you and all Gelbvieh breeds on the AGA board of directors. I’m certain you and I can agree: Gelbvieh cattle have what it takes to make the cattle industry great! Yet the word hasn’t seemed to get to the people who need to hear it the most, the commercial cattlemen who seem to believe they can only get carcass quality, muscle and calving ease from Angus or SimAngus influence. This myth must be dealt with positively, so Gelbvieh and Balancer are their first consideration, not an afterthought. Again, I would greatly appreciate your vote and hope to see many familiar faces and meet new ones in Omaha!

Stuart Jarvis

I am running for a 2025 Board of Directors seat because I want my kids, grandkids and great-grandkids to be able to enjoy raising Gelbvieh and Gelbvieh-cross cattle for as long as we’re here in Phillips County, Kansas. Our family has farmed and ranched in this area for more than 150 years, something I’m very proud of.

Our family operation, Bar Arrow Cattle Company, has been dedicated to the Gelbvieh breed for 40 years, we’ve consistently made the personal and financial investments that have helped to improve and promote what we feel is an exceptional breed. This spring we will hold our 35th annual production sale.

I have been a member of the Gelbvieh Association for more than 40 years and served on the board from 2002-2008. I’ve also been active in the Kansas Gelbvieh Association. I’ve witnessed firsthand the tremendous maternal power of Gelbvieh cows in my time and look forward to lending the experience I’ve gained to moving the breed and association forward.

We have the carcass data. Carcass quality isn’t an issue for the Gelbvieh breed, perception is, and one of my primary goals is to address the perception issues facing our breed. Our cattle are as good as they’ve ever been, but we need to work harder to showcase their qualities to cattlemen across the country. I’m committed to promoting the Gelbvieh and Balancer breeds, ensuring they maintain their relevance in the cattle industry.

I would appreciate your vote in Kansas City this coming December.

Tanner Aherin

It is an honor to be nominated as a candidate for the American Gelbvieh Association board of directors. Originally from Phillipsburg, Kansas, I now reside in Valley Center, Kansas, with my wife, Darby, and our daughter, Hallie. I’ve been involved in the Gelbvieh breed since 2005 and was an active member in the junior program where I served on the American Gelbvieh Junior Association board for three years. Throughout the years, I have worked with different breeders, LeDoux Ranch and currently Bar Arrow Cattle Company, to maintain a small herd of Gelbvieh and Balancer cows. Each March, I market a few bulls in their annual production sale held in Phillipsburg.

Over the last four years I have been active on the American Gelbvieh Foundation board, currently serving as secretary and the Steer Challenge committee chair. This past year, the Steer Challenge had a record number of participants put Gelbvieh and Balancer influenced cattle on feed. I also helped organize the first-ever Gelbvieh and Balancer Cattle Feeding Forum in conjunction with the Steer Challenge at Kinsley Feeders where the cattle are fed.

It is my current role with Cargill Protein that has led my family to live near Wichita, Kansas, where the protein headquarters are located. I’ve been with Cargill for two years with much of that time spent on the boxed beef pricing team where I traded fed and cow muscle cuts to customers in the retail, food service, distribution, and further processing segments. I recently transitioned to a Protein Risk Manager role, primarily working with the Value-Added Businesses to develop risk management processes and strategies.

Prior to Cargill I spent four years at CattleFax as a market analyst. I was the lead analyst for the Nebraska fed cattle market where I was responsible for reporting and analyzing price and supply trends. I also serviced cow-calf and stocker/backgrounding customers in the southeast region and developed risk management and hedging strategies for feedyard consulting clients.

I believe there are a lot of opportunities for the Gelbvieh breed to grow and gain market share in the beef industry. Being able help to position the breed to capitalize on those opportunities is my motivation to run for the board. Having been exposed to nearly every segment of the beef supply chain throughout my personal and professional career, I can bring value and a unique perspective to the board. I would greatly appreciate your vote.

Zach Butler

I would like to start off by saying thank you to the nominating committee for asking me to run for re-election to the Board of Directors. It is truly an honor to be considered for the board of directors for the American Gelbvieh Association. My wife Autumn, two girls: Henley and Emery, along with my father Michael and mother Barbi own and operate Butler Creek Farm. We currently run 100 Gelbvieh, Balancer®, and Angus cows. We have a high focus on producing top seed stock for both the commercial and registered cattlemen alike through extensive AI and ET work.

Our operation began over 30 years ago with dad’s purchase of a red purebred Gelbvieh bull to put on a mostly commercial Santa Gertrudis based cow herd. After the immediate impression of docility, uniformity, and growth within the first calf crop the decision was easily made to start purchasing young females to rebuild the herd. The first females came out of Montana from Fred Colver. Many of these same pedigrees and blood lines are what you will find in our cows today. I have to give my dad all the credit for the decisions that were made during this time, and for that I am forever grateful.

The opportunities and doors opened by the Gelbvieh breed have meant a lot in my life. My involvement started at a young age by attending my first junior national in 1995 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. After that first junior show experience my love for the Gelbvieh breed has grown year in and year out. I served for six years as a junior board member serving as director, Vice President, and ex officio. As my college career began my involvement as a junior board member lead me to attend Blackhawk East Junior College and to transfer to Oklahoma State University. While I attended both colleges, I was a member of the livestock judging teams and active in many agricultural student activities. I received my bachelor’s in animal science and a minor in business at OSU. After graduation, I returned home to help dad with the cattle operation and expand my landscaping business, Butler’s Lawn Care and Landscaping, that I started at the age of 15.

The question often gets asked to board member candidates as to why they are considering running for the board? For me the answer is simple: To better the Gelbvieh breed for the members and to provide the youth of this breed with as many opportunities as possible to help them succeed not only in the livestock industry that we all love but in whatever endeavor they choose in life. I feel like our biggest challenge as cattlemen in the last decade is the ability for a moderately sized operation to show a respectable profit on the bottom-line. I hope to be able to work with the membership to make decisions that can benefit all sizes of operations to become profitable. As a small business owner, I know the importance of when to save and cut overhead and when it is a good time to make an investment. In my mind breed associations are put in place to represent the membership and producers in which they are elected to serve. My goal if elected to the American Gelbvieh Association would be to build on the good decisions made by previous members and to make changes that benefit the individuals working day in and day out to provide a living for their families. I am a huge supporter of our junior program and want to continue to see growth in that area. I believe that our junior program should be supported by all members and staff alike. There is no future without youth involvement within our breed.

In closing I would like to thank the previous board members for setting an example of leadership.  If you were to ask me 10 years ago if I would be running for the board, I would have thought you were crazy. The men and women who serve currently and those in years past I thank you for the time you have put in and the work you have done to continue to progress this breed. I would appreciate your vote come December in Kansas City! Thank you!

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, December 4, 2024
8:00 AM – 7:00 PM Registration Open
8:00 AM – 11:30 AM Board of Directors Meeting

  • AGA board meeting: 8:00-10:00 a.m.
  • AGA/AGF board meeting: 10:00-11:30 a.m.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Opening General Session

  • Guest Speaker – Donnie Schiefelbein, President of Schiefelbein Farms & Former AGA Executive Director

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Breed Improvement Committee Meeting
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Break
3:30 PM – 4:15 PM National Sale Committee Meeting, Finance Committee Meeting
4:25 PM – 5:30 PM National Show Committee Meeting, Rules and Bylaws Committee Meeting
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Bull Pen Session – Social and Reception

Thursday, December 5, 2024
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Breed Promotion Committee
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Cattlemen’s Profit Roundup

  • Theme: Promoting the Gelbvieh Breed from Conception to Consumer
    • Moderator: Callahan Grund, Executive Director of U.S. CattleTrace
    • 3-Person Panel
      • Larry Gran, Manages Ideal Beef Genetics at Jorgensen Land & Cattle in South Dakota
      • Ryan McAlexander, VP of Sales & Technology at Adams Land & Cattle in Nebraska
      • Brian Bertelsen, VP of Field Operations at U.S. Premium Beef

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EPD Update – A Look at the Updated Gelbvieh Indexes

  • Dr. Bob Weaber, Professor/Extension Specialist at Kansas State University

12:00 PM Lunch

12:30 PM Meet at hotel lobby to depart for Valley Oaks Farms
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Hands-On Cattle Evaluation Workshop

  • Topics to include – foot/leg scoring, skeletal build basics, body condition scoring, muscle/frame scoring, etc.

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Happy Hour
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Awards Banquet

Friday, December 6, 2024
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Gelbvieh State/Regional Officers Roundtable Breakfast

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM American Gelbvieh Foundation Session
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM Educational Sessions – Neogen Presentation
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM AGA Annual Meeting
12:00 PM- 1:00 PM AGA Board of Directors Meeting

Speaker Information

Keynote Speaker:  Don Schiefelbein

Don has been a prominent figure in the American Gelbvieh Association for many years, serving as a former executive director. His extensive experience in the cattle industry spans more than three decades, during which time he has contributed to the beef industry through his breed association leadership, his service on numerous industry-focused boards and as a featured educator and presenter at beef industry meetings and events across the U.S., Canada, Brazil and South Africa.

Today, Don and his wife, Jennifer, reside on the same Kimball, Minnesota diversified farming and seedstock operation Don grew up on, continuing their boots-on-the-ground contribution to the livestock industry. The couple have three grown daughters; Shelby, Abbey and Bailee.

Cattlemen’s Profit Round Up

Moderator: Callahan Grund

Prior to his leadership at CattleTrace, Grund developed a diverse background working in policy engagement, business development, and animal disease traceability preparedness at the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Grund remains deeply involved in his family’s operation, where they sell Balancer, Gelbvieh, Sim-Angus, and Red Angus bulls to commercial cattlemen, focusing on key traits such as fertility, calving ease, performance, and carcass quality.

Grund, his wife, Emily, along with their two sons, Coy and Cash also run a Gelbvieh and Balancer seedstock herd, along with a Hereford show heifer herd of their own near Wamego, Kan.

Panelist: Larry Gran

Born and raised on a commercial cow/calf yearling operation in Western Neb., Larry’s family transitioned to a Red Angus Seedstock operation in 1988. The Gran Red Angus herd is currently located in Veteran, Wyo. under the watchful eye of Larry’s grandson and granddaughter.

A graduate of the University of Wyoming, Larry has held several positions including Senior Genetics Manager for Zoetis Genetics and is currently the Vice President of Genetic Services for Jorgensen Land and Cattle at Ideal, S.D.

Today, Larry’s primary responsibilities include managing the Ideal Beef Genetics portion of Jorgensen Land and Cattle.

Panelist: Brian Bertelson

Brian is Vice President of Field Operations with U.S. Premium Beef, a producer-owned beef processing company that is an owner of National Beef Packing Company, the nation’s fourth largest beef processor. Brian provides technical service and education to producers regarding genetics, management, nutrition and carcass data, on the cattle they deliver on USPB’s value-based grids.

He holds degrees in animal science and ruminant nutrition from the University of Illinois. Previously, he has worked as a cattle nutritionist in the feed industry and as a beef specialist with cooperative extension.

Panelist: Ryan McAlexander

Ryan started his career with Adams Land and Cattle in the spring of 2007 as a Six Sigma Blackbelt where he led multiple process improvement initiatives utilizing data to improve efficiency and lower costs. In addition to process improvement, Ryan also led the research and development, information technology, sales and marketing teams where he gained overall cattle feeding work experience as well as a passion for the beef industry. Currently, as Vice President of Sales and Technology Services, Ryan continues to focus on utilizing data to make impactful business decisions that drive bottom-line profitability for Adams. Prior to Adams Land and Cattle, Ryan worked for TD Ameritrade and is a graduate of Doane University.

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