Mohnen Angus Family operation shares passion for a breed that goes above and beyond
Published on Jan. 18, 2020
In 1980, Steve Mohnen got a job working for Howard Hillman of Bon View Angus Farms in Canova, S.D when he was 25 years old. During this time, Steve’s father started purchasing bulls and growing his own registered Angus herd, which proudly became known as Mohnen Angus.
After five years at the Bon View Farms, Steve returned home to join his father. Over the next 10 years, Steve built his own cowherd and moved four miles down the road from the original homestead with his wife, Kathy.
There the couple raised their four children, Joshua, John, Jennifer and Jared.
Joshua, his wife, Katie and their four boys, Koye, Kade, Kase and Kole, live on the ranch alongside Steve and Kathy as well as John, his wife, Tory and their two children, Gage and Laynie.
Jared runs cattle on the family operation as well, while simultaneously owning and operating Dakota Ag Insurance in Mitchell, S.D.
Jennifer, her husband, Ty Krell and their two children, Jake and Hadlee, live on a ranch in Sundance. Jennifer works for Wyoming Farm Bureau and Ty serves as the vice president of the Sundance State Bank.
A breed that goes above and beyond
Mohnen Angus has grown from the six cows Steve bought in 1986, to a herd that raises nearly 500 calves born in the spring and 150 born in the fall, according to Joshua.
He points out one of the highlights for the operation was winning the 2014 National Western Stock Show Grand Champion Angus Carload Show in Denver with a set of 10 Angus bulls, all with a pedigree going back to Mohnen’s very successful foundation cow, Mohnen’s Jilt 910.
“Angus cattle do so many things at a higher level than any other breed of cattle,” states Joshua. “Angus cows breed back on time. They are functional, easy-fleshing and wean calves that grow well, sell well at market and produce a premium beef product.”
“The Angus breed really goes above and beyond all other breeds and in my opinion it is in the lead,” Joshua adds.
When it comes to their mission, Joshua notes Mohnen Angus is all about raising animals of consistent quality. He also notes they place an emphasis on raising cattle with sound foot and leg structure.
“Our motto is ‘raising quality is not our job, it’s our life,’” he says.
Passing down the passion
The older generation continues to pass down their passion for the Angus breed to the next generation of Mohnens.
“The kids have the opportunity to gain a little more experience about the business each year,” says Joshua. “Each kid gets to keep one cow every year and they get to make their own decisions. It is a great learning tool for them and a good way to keep them involved and interested in the operation.”
He continues, “I hope our kids love Angus cattle as much as we do so they can continue running Mohnen Angus for years to come. We are very excited for the future of our business and look forward to watching the kids take it over.”
Sharing their leading genetics
The success of Mohnen Angus is evident by the strong demand for their leading genetics.
Josh notes the operation shares these genetics by hosting an annual bull production sale every second Thursday in February. February 2020 marks the family’s 26th annual sale and will be held Feb. 13.
“We also have a annual female sale in September,” Joshua adds. “We are able to accomplish this by flushing over 300 embryos a year. We feel our cowherd and our genetics stay really strong because of this technology as well.”
“The industry today has changed so much, but the bottom line is we still need great producing females to make any herd a success,” Joshua says.
The operation also recently began hosting their “Open the Gate” sale in May at their ranch in White Lake, S.D.
According to Joshua, Mohnen Angus has added a fourth sale to the lineup this year.
“This year we are doing something new to expand our operation,” Joshua states. “We are going to raise and develop 30 of our younger February bulls here at White Lake. Then we are going to send them out to Sundance and sell them private treaty.”
“We are very excited to work with ranchers in Wyoming,” Joshua adds.
Visit mohnenangus.com for more information.
Hannah Bugas is the assistant editor for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.