CALF_News_June_July_2020

37 CALF News • June | July 2020 • www.calfnews.net CALF’s Featured Lady By Patti Wilson Contributing Editor  CALF CAMEO Calendar Ad Index The face of the cattle industry www.calfnews.net National Account Manager Jessica Ebert | (785) 477-1941 For information on advertising in CALF News Magazine, contact: ADM Alliance Nutrition.. 11 AllFlex USA Inc............. 13 Brute Cattle Equipment/ Dodge Mfg................. 21 FCS Manufacturing Inc.. ........................... 31 Grandin Livestock Handling Systems..... 21 Kemin.......................14-15 Kunafin.......................... 25 Lallemand Animal Nutrition..................... 19 Micronutrients. ................ 7 Midcontinent Livestock Supplements............. 31 Multimin USA Inc. ......... 40 Rawhide Portable Corral........................ 29 Rotomix........................... 3 Servi-Tech..................... 27 Texas Feed Fat.............. 25 Turnkey Computer Systems.................... 17 Becky Sawyer is a lifelong Angus breeder. A Cresco, Iowa, farm girl, she traveled to South Dakota State Uni- versity in 1972, earning a degree in ag journalism. She met Arlen there and they married in 1975. Each armed with a newly minted college degree, they traveled to Bassett, Neb., after working with Cottonwood Angus for a year. Times became financially turbulent for agriculture; the Sawyers worked for two breeders along the way, remaining rooted near Bassett through each job, developing and marketing Angus. The couple was eventually able to start their own operation, A&B Cattle. Becky explains they were well prepared for their new venture. Her experience in adver- tising and publishing sale catalogs, along with Arlen’s marketing skills, gave them the ability to start their own production sales. Their good fortune of living in a heavily populated Hereford area became evident in 1978 when black baldies first topped the calf auction at Bassett Livestock Market. There was a surge in demand for Angus bulls that the Sawyers were quick to appreciate. Sadly, Arlen passed away the fall of 2019. Becky’s activi- ties have grown to include a hands-on approach to the cattle, working chuteside while weighing, breeding or testing stock. She continues to handle the cattle records and manage ranch finances. May 29-June 7 Beef Empire Days Garden City, Kan. www.beefempiredays.com June 25-27 International Feedlot Cowboys Assn. Finals Roping Sterling, Colo. www.feedlotcowboys.com July 27-30 2020 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting Denver, Colo. www.ncba.org July 29-30 Cattle U & Trade Show Dodge City, Kan. www.cattleu.net CANCE LED Son Adam, his wife, Jenessa, and grandson, Augustus, live full time on the ranch. Augustus is the fifth generation Sawyer to raise registered Angus cattle. The Sawyers’ daughter, Jessica, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and heavily invested in the cattle operation. Becky loves to work graphic design on their sale catalogs and advertising. She wants to travel within the U.S. in the future. “You can’t be afraid to learn and adapt and move forward,” she says.“It’s important to accept that each one of us has a lot of hurdles to overcome.” 