The 52nd Montana Angus Tour brought cattle producers from 18 US states and about a dozen countries to Montana's Hi-Line for three days, including more than 65 international visitors, Northern Ag Network reports. American Angus Association regional manager Kurt Kangas said the turnout exceeded his expectations.

The stops showed how differently ranchers breed. Jim Bob Hould of Hould Angus, south of Havre, said he puts no emphasis on expected progeny differences (EPDs), the genetic predictions most breeders use, and selects on the cow and her pedigree, using proven sires to make functional range cows. Casey Peterson Solomon of Peterson Grain and Cattle said Montana genetics make up much of this year's calf crop there because "Montana cattle are durable and fertile".

Prices remain strong. "On average, we sold a 600-pound steer for $2,700 throughout the cycle, which is roughly $300 higher than last year," Kangas said, despite a late-summer dip in video sales. He expects a good autumn bull sale season, with more bulls on offer, and said the number of heifers ranchers keep will show whether the national herd is growing.

American Angus Association chief executive Mark McCully said packers and retailers are asking whether there will be enough cattle to meet demand, and that he expects beef demand at home and abroad to "stay good for a while".

Drought is still forcing hard choices. Odessa Mathias of Webo Angus near Lusk, Wyoming, said her operation "never got any moisture" and sold many yearling heifers it would normally have kept. Recent rain came after much of the growing season had passed.

Longtime Montana Angus auctioneer Roger Jacobs was recognised on the tour ahead of his induction into the association's Heritage Foundation in Louisville, Kentucky, in November. The 53rd tour will be based in Missoula on 21 to 23 September 2027. The report is by Andy Schwab.

Photo: Preston Keres, U.S. Department of Agriculture / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Source: Northern Ag Network