The 52nd annual Montana Angus Tour brought cattle producers, Angus breeders and international visitors to Montana’s Hi-Line. The three-day tour highlighted the diversity of cattle operations across the region and continued interest in Montana Angus genetics. Producers from 18 states and a dozen countries attended this year’s tour. American Angus Association Regional Manager Kurt Kangas said the turnout exceeded his expectations, including more than 65 international visitors.
“Phenomenal turnout this year,” Kangas said. “This tour really exceeded my expectations for headcount and number of people that were here.”
American Angus Association CEO Mark McCully, who attended the Montana tour after participating in North Dakota’s annual Angus tour just days before, said the event demonstrates the value of bringing cattle producers together in person.
“We have all this technology. We have all incredible ways to stay connected through different sorts of media, but nothing beats getting together with fellow cattle producers and going out, looking at cattle, talking about cattle, eating great beef,” McCully said.
The tour also included a special recognition for longtime Montana Angus auctioneer Roger Jacobs. Jacobs is scheduled to be inducted into the American Angus Association Heritage Foundation during the association’s annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky, November 13-16. McCully said Jacobs has had a significant impact on the Angus industry.
“Roger clearly fits that bill. He’s just been iconic in our business in so many different ways,” McCully said.
Diversity of Cattle and Breeding Programs
The tour gave visitors an opportunity to see a variety of cattle and breeding programs across the Hi-Line. Kangas said the tour included cattle ranging from moderate to larger-frame animals and received positive feedback from visitors.
“We’ve seen all kinds of cattle, whether moderate or larger frame. I mean, we’ve kind of seen them all,” Kangas said. “The tour stops have been outstanding, a lot of quality, lots of compliments from people here from abroad.”
Jim Bob Hould of Hould Angus south of Havre said his operation takes a different approach to cattle selection, focusing primarily on the cow rather than expected progeny differences, or EPDs.
“I don’t put any emphasis on EPDs. My emphasis is strictly on a cow,” Hould said. “I’m a self-proclaimed pedigree junkie. I kind of like a good clean pedigreed cow.”
Hould said his operation uses proven sires to develop cattle he believes can function effectively as range cows. Casey Peterson Solomon of Peterson Grain and Cattle south of Havre also said Montana genetics also make up a large portion of this year’s calf crop at their operation. She said the goal is to produce functional cattle, with durability and fertility being important traits.
“One of the things we found that really breeds true is Montana cattle are durable and fertile,” Peterson Solomon said.
Strong Cattle Market Provides Opportunity
The Montana Angus Tour also came as producers prepared for the fall and spring bull and female sale seasons following another strong year in the cattle market. Kangas said commercial cattle producers continued to see strong prices even with the downturn late in the summer video sale season.
“On average, we sold a 600-pound steer for $2,700 throughout the cycle, which is roughly $300 higher than last year,” Kangas said.
He also pointed to strong bull prices in other western markets and said he expects a good bull sale season in Montana.
“We’ll just sell more bulls, so volume will drop the price. But I do think that it’ll be a really good bull sales season that we’ll have in the fall here,” Kangas said.
Kangas said the number of heifers retained will be something to watch as producers make decisions about rebuilding the national cattle herd.
“It’ll be interesting to see in the fall auction market sales, how many of those cows are coming to town and how many heifers are retained,” he said. “It’ll be a balance act of whether we’re growing or not.”
In addition, Mark McCully said conversations with meat packers and beef retailers are also focused on cattle supplies and continued consumer demand.
“Their discussion was about supply. Are we going to make enough for them?” McCully said.
McCully added he remains encouraged by beef demand and said producers can take confidence from the continued interest in beef from consumers around the world.
“I just think this thing’s going to stay good for a while,” McCully said. “I hope cattlemen stay encouraged that we’ve got a product that consumers around the world want.”
Drought Continues to Shape Herd Decisions
While strong cattle prices have provided significant returns for producers, drought and forage conditions have continued to affect herd-management decisions. Odessa Mathias of Webo Angus near Lusk, Wyoming, said dry conditions forced her operation to make difficult decisions involving replacement heifers and cows.
“We never got any moisture,” Mathias said. “We sorted pretty hard on our yearling heifers. We would usually have kept some of those and sorted them later. And we got rid of a lot of the yearling heifers right off the bat.”
Recent rains have provided some relief, although Mathias said much of the growing season has already passed.
Looking Ahead
From international visitors to Montana and Wyoming cattle producers, this year’s Montana Angus Tour highlighted the diversity of cattle operations, breeding philosophies and production conditions across the region. The tour also provided producers with an opportunity to view cattle, exchange ideas and build relationships with other members of the beef industry. Kangas said the tour provides an opportunity for visitors to experience Montana beyond the cattle industry.
“This tour from a tourism standpoint is a great doorway for people to come see Montana and the cattle that we have here,” he said.
The 53rd annual Montana Angus Tour is scheduled for September 21-23, 2027, and will be based in Missoula. More information is available at MT Angus dot org.
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Northern Ag Network – 2026
