Wilks Ranch Purchases 2021 Angus Foundation Heifer Package

The Angus Foundation Heifer Package continues to fund Angus youth, education and research.

Wilks Ranch purchased the 2021 Angus Foundation Heifer Package sold prior to the National Angus Bull Sale on Jan. 8, 2021 in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Benoit family, Benoit Angus of Esbon, KS, donated the package. Those pictured from the back row from left to right are Aaron Kiser, Wilks Ranch; Doug Benoit, Benoit Angus; Josh Jasper, National Junior Angus Board (NJAB) director; Walker McDermott, NJAB director; Garrett Schuering, NJAB director; Nicholas Pohlman, NJAB chairman; Dr. Barry Pollard, chairman of the Angus Foundation; Mark McCully, CEO of the American Angus Association; and Thomas Marten, executive director of Angus Foundation. Pictured in the front row from left to right is Alexandria Cozzitorto, NJAB director; Ellie Kidwell, Miss American Angus; Megan Pelan, NJAB director; and Kevin Reed, Wilks Ranch.

Trying times often reveal what truly is important. The sale of the 2021 Angus Foundation Heifer Package revealed that Angus breeders, like Wilks Ranch, remain dedicated to supporting the future of the Angus breed, even in years of uncertainty.

Since 1980, the Angus Foundation Heifer Package has been sold to generate funds to support the Angus Foundation’s mission of youth, education and research. This year, Wilks Ranch of Eastland, Texas, bought the elite opportunity to choose a heifer from the 2020 heifer crop of Benoit Angus of Esbon, Kansas. The Foundation Heifer Package raised $35,000 to support educational programs and scholarships.                                        

The package sold on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, prior to the start of the National Angus Bull Sale at the Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The package also includes 30 days of complimentary insurance from American Live Stock Insurance Co., Batavia, Illinois; free transportation to the buyer’s ranch provided by Lathrop Livestock Transportation, Dundee, Illinois; and an advanced reproductive technology package from Trans Ova Genetics, Sioux Center, Iowa.

The 2021 Angus Foundation Heifer offering was generously donated by Everett and Bonnie Benoit, their sons Doug and Chad; and their families. The reputation of the Benoit family program is proven through the success of their commercial customers with Benoit females and bulls. The Benoits have extensively reported data on their entire herd, making performance a top priority. Using sires like their GAR Discovery son EMAW, SydGen Enhance, BUBS Southern Charm AA31, GAR Inertia, GAR Ashland, SAV Rainfall 6846, Connealy Confidence Plus and E&B Plus One, combined with their powerful cow families like E&B 6807, Traveler 61 and E&B Erica 174, has positioned their program on a powerful and consistent foundation.

“The most generous and thoughtful donors, like Wilks Ranch and the Benoit Family, are found right here in the Angus breed,” said Thomas Marten, Angus Foundation executive director. “Year after year, buyers and contributors continue to step up to help further the future of the breed, and again this year, we are so grateful for those individuals.”

The Angus Foundation Heifer Package has raised more than $2.6 million since the inception of the program. For more information about the Angus Foundation or the annual Angus Foundation Heifer Package Sale, visit AngusFoundation.org.

— Written by Karen Hiltbrand, Angus Communications