LIMOUSIN TODAY LimToday-April 2018-WEB | Page 16

Total Commitment: Magness Land & Cattle A feature article on the 2018 International Limousin Congress host ranches. Looking past the bright lights of the show ring and the commotion generated by the droves of interested buyers at their annual bull and female sales, you’ll learn Magness Land & Cattle is as entrenched in the beef cattle industry as any operation you’ll find. Period. Given the many headlines the Magness operation generates, it’s easy to forget the Platteville, Colorado, enterprise is working year-round selling hundreds of commercial bulls and working 14 | APRIL 2018 to identify the kind of cattle that best suit the commercial and purebred industry. Some would be surprised to know, the Magness family has a long-lived tradition in ranching. As a matter of fact, it was cattle that helped pave the way for patriarch, Bob Magness, to start up what would become a hugely successful business. Back in the ‘50s, Bob Magness sold 50 Hereford cows for $2,500, borrowed another $2,500, and started TCI, which became one of the nation’s largest cable television companies. At the time, Bob was selling cottonseed cake from Texas to Montana. During that time, Bob instilled in his family to never forget that cows are what paved the way for the many successes that followed. In fact, Gary Magness, Owner and President of Operations, is a cowman at heart, just like his dad was. And, much like Bob, Gary