who make their livelihood from the animals
they raise and the crops they cultivate.
They run on both deeded and leased land. In
addition to managing the cow herd, they put
up all of their own feed including their own
hay as well as custom baling for area farmers.
They run both papered and commercial cattle
in both a spring and fall calving season, and of
course utilize the latest technologies including
Al and Embryo Transfer. While they have
exhibited cattle in the National Western Yards
for years and raised their fair share of breeder
bulls who have become popular semen sellers,
the Hagers bread and butter continues to be
raising bulls for the commercial cattlemen.
Therefore, mating decisions are designed to
produce cattle with above breed average EPDs,
modest birth weights, explosive growth, calm
dispositions, spring of rib and the inherent
carcass characterÂistics to produce calves that
will hang a quality carcass. The bulls that
make the cut end up in their annual bull sale,
but only after they have been semen tested,
ultrasound scanned, and documented with
a complete set of performance records.
Commercial Producer of the Year
Brothers, Trevor and Aaron Gress own and
operate Gress Farms located in west central
Iowa and in north central Missouri.
This past year their father David decided
to retire from the cattle operation and it
was taken over by sons Trevor and Aaron.
They have operated as a partnership in
their Iowa location for over 20 years.
In 2020 the expanded into Missouri for
pasture. Gress farms runs a 310-brood cow
herd that is primarily red angus females using
Limousin bulls to naturally breed their herd.
Trevor and Aaron utilize spring calving for
their herd in two segments. The first starting
March 1st and the other on March 22nd.
Colt Schrader, right, NALJA director, presented the
Commercial Producer of the Year award to Trevor Gress.
Due to lack of available pasture in during the
summer, a portion of their cows are kept in
a dry lot to utilize low-cost feed stuffs they
have access to. To avoid potential health
concerns, Gress Farms’ cows and calves are
placed on an intensive vaccination program
all while working closely with a nutritionist to
maximize the genetic potential of their herd.
NALF Promoter of the Year
With more than 6,000 talented team members
worldwide, this family-owned company is able to
adapt quickly to emerging customer needs and
focus on advanced innovation. Headquartered
just outside of Lexington, Kentucky, Alltech has
a strong presence in all regions of the world.
Among the Alltech family of companies,
Hubbard Feeds has a long history of providing
research-based nutrition products and
innovative support services. The company is
driven to provide its customers with products
and answers that will improve their profitability,
increase their competitive advantage,
reduce their risk and simplify their lives.
CRYSTALYX is another Alltech company
recognized as an industry leader in self-
fed supplements, with several patented
technologies, including the CRYSTALYX
BioBarrel® degradable container and
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