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The 55th Western National Angus
Futurity is dedicated to long time WNAF and Angus supporters in
Jim and Sue Coleman, Modesto, CA. For years, the Colemans have
been enthusiastic supporters of the Angus breed, youth activities,
state and local associations, the WNAF, the Western States Angus
Auxiliary and the Western States Angus Association. The Coveys
will be honored on April 29th during the WNAF Female Show for
their many years of assistance and support.
Jim Coleman’s interest in cattle was
sparked by his uncle, Herb Coleman, on his many visits as a boy to
his uncle’s Jersey dairy. He was a leading dairyman in Oregon and
was president of the Oregon Jersey Association. There was
something noble and special about his work, and that instilled a
set of values Jim keeps today.
In later years of Jim’s business
career, an opportunity arose for him to have his own herd of
cattle and to rediscover that farming was in his blood.
Two of Jim’s four sons, Greg and
Brad, worked one summer on a commercial Angus ranch where his
family’s company conducted feed experiments. They came home to
return to high school and said to their dad, “We should have some
Angus cattle around our home ranch.” Jim said, “If you build the
fence, I will buy the Angus cows.” So he thanks his two oldest
sons for getting him started in the Angus business.
The boys then persuaded him to go
to Ankony Angus in Loyalton, CA, to buy some cows. This was an
important milestone because it led to the friendship of Mac
Cropsey and Armand Hammer and the purchase of four females from
their first sale in 1976 and the real beginning of Vintage Angus.
During the following years, Jim
learned the importance of cow families and all the important
aspects of breeding Angus cattle from these men, along with Bob
Long and Chuck Graff. Two of the most important cow families from
the Ankony herd are still represented in Vintage’s exceptional
list of donor cows. As Jim’s
sons grew past the junior projects, his next two sons, Ted and
Tim, took up the helm and spurred the program along into the
1980s. The boys attended many local and national shows with
numerous champions to their credit, thanks to people like Wendy
Hall and Mark Richardson. During these years, the Vintage herd
increased in size and quality and started their annual female
production sale in the fall of 1987. It wasn’t until Jim decided
to expand from a regional to a national program and to reach out
for a nationally known manager that the next major milestone was
achieved. Jim hired Doug
Worthington as manager of Vintage Angus in 1989. Doug’s beef
cattle experience, particularly Angus cattle, spans over a
lifetime of involvement, as he was raised in a family heavily
committed to the business. His dad Roger managed Angus operations,
and Doug learned the ropes over the years helping out with all
phases of running a purebred operation. Impressively, in 1985 he
won the American Angus Association’s 1985 National Herdsman Award.
Vintage has benefited greatly from teaming up Doug’s Angus mind
with the best business mind of Jim’s to make an unbeatable
combination. The results speak for themselves.
During the 1990s, the cow herd
increased to 400 cows with constant gains in quality, proven
donors and superior cow families with predictable bloodlines. In
the early 1990s, the ET program was expanded, and its breeding
program was one of the first in the country to demand improved
carcass quality by selecting only sires that had positive marbling
and ribeye EPDs. As a result, the herd average shows five
generations of carcass-tested cattle in their pedigrees. This
achievement and proven ability to produce superior bulls set the
stage for their first bull sale in 1994 at their new 5,000-acre
Sierra foothill ranch in La Grange. Those commercial cattlemen who
got behind a premium quality beef program or an alliance found the
Vintage range bulls a perfect fit to meet the high carcass
specifications. The demand for range bulls with high carcass
traits has made their September Carcass Maker Bull Sale one of the
best in the West.
Jim’s sales rank in the top each
year across the country because purebred breeders and commercial
cattlemen like the improvement they get and the profitable gains
they make. This is a result of knowing the genetics of the herd
and the ability to use the latest technology. Customers like the
fact that each female and bull lot have been DNA tested for all
the latest markers since 2003 when they were the first sale in the
country to report it. Jim’s
breeding program is the pursuit of “Ultimate Angus Genetics.” Its
target is to create Angus animals with powerful and predictable
genetics that are complete and have total performance. It’s been
based on building a herd of great females from top cow families
that produce range bulls that can deliver the highest quality at
the meat counter. Jim believes that the quality of his cowherd is
among the top in the breed.
Getting to where VAR is today would not have been possible without
the help of a lot of good people. First, Jim’s special thanks go
out to his top notch team, Doug, Doug’s family Roger and Brad,
Jason Judge, and Matt Myers. They have been the backbone of the
program. Jim says he can’t find enough words of praise for the
excellent work they do and all their accomplishments. In the early
years, he was pleased to discover the outstanding friendship
qualities of Angus people and their willingness to lend a hand and
offer good advice. Over the 30 years, the list has grown long of
those who helped and cooperated even in the smallest ways to
contribute to their success. Jim wants to thank every one of them
formally here because their kind and thoughtful support is greatly
appreciated and will always be remembered. Last but not least he
thanks everyone in his family for all their support and
cooperation through the years, especially his wife Sue.
Having the outstanding help of a lot
of good people, a strong commitment, and being persistent year in
and year out despite continual change has been the cornerstone to
the success of VAR.
Jim has always been a big supporter of Angus activities. Serving
on the Western States Board in the 90’s, Jim has also donated
females to be sold in the benefit of the Angus Auxiliary and the
National Junior Angus Show. In 2006, Jim hosted over 300 Angus
breeders at his Modesto home for “The Magic of the Vine” event, a
fund raising event for the Angus Foundation and is now honorary
co-chairman of the national campaign. Jim believes in the future
of the Angus breed and that investing in the foundation’s
education, youth and research programs will make the Angus future
a bright one.
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