After a brief hiatus, David Brown and Producer Seana return with a wide-ranging, passionate episode covering the current state of the beef industry, Angus genetics, market volatility, ranch life, Angus Association politics, and the future direction of commercial cattle production.

This episode blends personal ranch updates, industry commentary, economic concerns, and David’s candid thoughts on Angus genetics, breed associations, genomics, and profitability in today’s cattle market.

🐂 Main Topics Covered

Ranch Life & Spring Workload Updates

David shares what has been happening behind the scenes at Montana Ranch during the podcast break.

Beef Industry Market Concerns

David dives deeply into concerns surrounding the current cattle market and explains why he believes the industry is at a major crossroads despite record-high prices.

Angus Genetics & EPD Concerns

One of the strongest portions of the episode centers around David’s concerns about:

• Extreme numbers
• Terminal traits
• Functional cows
• Longevity
• Maternal value
• Commercial ranch profitability

David specifically challenges whether genomics and certain modern Angus metrics truly reflect real-world cattle performance.

American Angus Association Discussion

David discusses financial concerns regarding the American Angus Association. He encourages breeders to become more active in delegate nominations and leadership decisions within the organization.

📌 Key Takeaways

• The cattle industry is experiencing historic prices alongside historic uncertainty.
• Efficient, durable cows may become increasingly valuable during the next rebuilding phase.
• David believes the industry is moving away from extreme growth-focused genetics.
• Angus breeders should focus more on commercial profitability and less on inflated numbers.
• Young cattle producers face major challenges entering the business due to land and input costs.
• Market volatility and packer concentration remain major concerns.

🎧 Sponsor & Ad Mentions

Got Any Cows Podcast

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Topics include:

• AI breeding
• Embryo transfer
• IVF
• Production practices
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• Akaushi genetics

Available on:

• YouTube
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify

🌐 Website:
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Learn more about our sponsor, Montana Ranch, by visiting MontanaRanchAngus.com.

In Part 2 of this deep-dive series, David Brown and Dallas Woltemath return to complete their countdown of the top 20 most influential Angus sires of all time, bringing the conversation into its most impactful and opinionated territory.

Where Part 1 laid the groundwork, this episode sharpens the focus—moving into the bulls that didn’t just contribute to the breed, but fundamentally shaped what modern Angus cattle look like today. The discussion blends personal experience, historical perspective, and practical application, reinforcing that true influence goes far beyond registration numbers or EPD profiles.

A central theme throughout this episode is maternal strength and longevity. As David highlights bulls like Emulation N Bar 5522, the conversation emphasizes traits that stand the test of time—udder quality, fertility, structural integrity, and the ability to produce daughters that remain productive for years. These sires are remembered not just for what they produced in one generation, but for the consistency and reliability they passed down through entire cow families.

As the countdown progresses, the discussion naturally evolves into a broader reflection on balance in cattle breeding. Dallas frequently points out that the most influential sires weren’t necessarily extreme in one trait—they were complete. Bulls like Rito 707 emerge as foundational figures, acting as a “common denominator” in performance genetics and demonstrating how early advancements in growth, carcass merit, and efficiency helped define the direction of the breed.

The episode also highlights how timing plays a critical role in influence. Many of these sires rose to prominence because they met the needs of the industry at exactly the right moment—whether that meant increasing frame size, improving carcass quality, or strengthening maternal lines. Yet despite changing trends, both David and Dallas repeatedly emphasize that many of these bulls could still be relevant today, reinforcing the idea that good cattle never go out of style.

As they approach the top of the list, the conversation becomes even more personal. Stories of seeing these bulls in person, working with their progeny, and observing their long-term impact give the episode a sense of legacy.

By the end of the episode, it’s clear that this project is more than a ranking—it’s a reflection of decades of experience, observation, and respect for the cattle that built the Angus breed. The discussion leaves listeners with a deeper understanding of what true influence looks like: cattle that work, last, and leave something meaningful behind.

Sponsor & Ad Mentions

Creek Insurance - InsureMyBull.com

🎧 Got Any Cows Podcast

hosted by Seth Christensen:

• Focuses on real-world ranching insights
• Covers topics like AI, embryo transfer, IVF, finance, and marketing
• Shares firsthand experiences integrating Akaushi genetics into Angus programs
• Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and GotAnyCows.com

Closing Notes

David wraps up the series by emphasizing that every sire discussed—regardless of ranking—has a place in the conversation and, in many cases, could still be relevant in today’s breeding programs.

Listeners are encouraged to:

• Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast
• Join the Angus Underground Facebook community
• Reach out with questions (or strong opinions!)

This episode concludes a multi-year “labor of love” project that captures not just rankings—but the history, philosophy, and future of Angus genetics.

Learn more about our sponsor, Montana Ranch, by visiting MontanaRanchAngus.com.

In this “labor of love” episode, host David Brown welcomes back Dallas Woltemath for a deep and highly intentional conversation centered on one of the most important questions in Angus genetics: which sires have truly shaped the breed—and why?

Building on the success of their earlier episode on influential dams, David and Dallas take on a much bigger challenge—identifying and ranking their favorite and most impactful Angus sires across roughly the last 50 years. Rather than relying on association-generated rankings or purely statistical definitions of “influence,” they intentionally frame this project through lived experience, practical observation, and long-term industry perspective.

Each of them independently compiled a list of approximately 30 sires, focusing on bulls born between the 1970s and 2016. They then merged those lists into a composite ranking, which not only highlights shared selections but also exposes differences in opinion—creating a richer, more layered discussion about what influence actually looks like in the real world.

Throughout the episode, the conversation moves beyond simple rankings and into storytelling. David and Dallas reflect on cattle they’ve seen, pedigrees they’ve studied, and moments in time when certain sires shifted the trajectory of the breed. They explore how different eras prioritized different traits—frame size, muscle, maternal strength, carcass merit—and how key bulls helped push those transitions forward.

What becomes clear is that “influential” isn’t just about widespread use or registration numbers. It’s about lasting impact—bulls that left daughters that worked, sons that propagated consistency, and genetics that held up across environments and management styles. There is a recurring appreciation for cattle that brought balance and functionality, rather than extremes, reinforcing a core theme of practicality over trend-driven breeding.

The episode also captures the evolution of data and record-keeping in the Angus industry. Earlier generations of cattle often lacked the depth of recorded data that modern breeders rely on, yet many of those sires still rise to the top of these discussions because of what they actually did in production settings. That contrast adds another layer of depth, reminding listeners that numbers alone don’t tell the full story.

Ultimately, this conversation feels less like a definitive ranking and more like an oral history of the Angus breed—shared between two cattlemen who have spent decades observing what works, what lasts, and what truly matters. Part 1 sets the foundation, walking through the early portion of their list and preparing listeners for a continued countdown in the next installment. Part 2 coming next week!

Sponsor & Ad Mentions

Sherman Angus

Plan to attend the Sherman Angus Open House Bull Sale, April 11, 2026 at the ranch in Polson, MT. Visit ShermanAngus.com for more information.

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Closing Notes

David wraps the episode by noting that this is just the beginning—covering the first portion of their sire rankings—and invites listeners back for Part 2, where they will continue the countdown toward their top selections.

Listeners are also encouraged to:

Subscribe, rate, and review the podcast

Learn more about our sponsor, Montana Ranch, by visiting MontanaRanchAngus.com.