2026 Angus Foundation Heifer Package sells for $150,000
With the final bid cast and the last gavel dropped, Express Angus Ranches, Nowatzke Cattle/Maple Lane Farm and Pollard Farms were announced as the winning bidders for Wilks Rita 4728, the centerpiece of the Angus Foundation Heifer Package and a symbol of commitment to the foundation’s pillars.
Express Angus Ranches, Nowatzke Cattle/Maple Lane Farm and Pollard Farms purchased the 2026 Angus Foundation Heifer Package on Jan. 9 for $150,000 to continue the legacy of the Angus breed.
The package, donated by Wilks Ranch of Eastland, Texas, led off the National Angus Bull Sale during Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City.
“We are very grateful for our generous donors who continue to give unwavering support towards the foundation’s mission,” said Angus Foundation Executive Director Jaclyn Boester. “They want the very best for the Angus breed and its legacy. We cannot thank Wilks and the buyers enough for their continued support and dedication towards this mission.”
Standout female
The leading lady in 2026’s sale, Wilks Rita 4728, is a standout female from a proven maternal line. Her maternal sister, Wilks Rita 4067, commanded $100,000 as lot six in the 2024 Wilks Ranch Sale.
The consistency of this cow family is a testament to the quality of females Wilks Ranch offered up as this year’s foundation female.
Rita 4728 ranks in the top one percent for both $Beef and $Combined indexes, offering a powerful growth spread, elite structural correctness and eye-catching phenotype.
“She’s cowy. That’s what her mom is – she’s just a good female,” said Aaron Kaiser, seedstock manager at Wilks Ranch. “I think this female’s going to be the same way, but she does it in a really neat number package and a neat pedigree.”
The heifer package also includes an advanced reproductive technology package from Trans Ova Genetics, trucking to the buyer donated by Lathrop Livestock Transportation and 30 days of mortality insurance donated by Conover Auction Service Livestock Insurance Agent Jeanne Conover.
Longtime supporter
As a longtime supporter of the Angus Foundation, Wilks Ranch recognizes the value of contributing to initiatives promoting education, youth and research within the breed.
Their donation of the 2026 Foundation Heifer highlights a continued commitment to supporting programs which strengthen the foundation’s mission.
“It’s quite an honor and we’re proud to contribute to what the Angus Foundation does for youth to give them opportunities, tools and finances to grow; to do what they love and to build a foundation for their future,” said Kevin Reed, asset manager for Wilks Ranches.
Since 1980, the heifer package has been sold to generate unrestricted funds to further the foundation’s mission of supporting education, youth and research, and this tradition continues in 2026.
Academic scholarships, leadership conferences and cutting-edge research are among the many programs sustained by the Angus Fund.
The Angus Foundation Heifer Package has raised more than $3 million since the inception of the program.
Molly Biggs is a communications specialist for the American Angus Association. This article was originally published by the association on Jan. 9.
