The Angus Journal® is a monthly magazine known for in-depth coverage of American Angus Association® programs and services; the Angus business; herd management; and advertising reflecting genetics and herd philosophies.
Issue link: http://angusjournal.epubxp.com/i/789531
Just because the past president of the American Angus Association Board of Directors sometimes had other engagements, it doesn't mean his heart wasn't deeply rooted in that Kentucky soil. "My father started me out in the Angus business at an early age," he explains. Beginning with 4-H, like many farmers in the area, Neely started out raising tobacco for the club. In 1945, he transitioned to feeding steers. After a few years of that, Neely remembers his father saying, "Son, we need to buy you an Angus cow and let you raise your own steers." The pair consulted a neighbor and bought an Angus cow with a heifer calf, from which three more Angus heifer calves were born. Neely and his father became members of the American Angus Association in 1951, and a legacy began to unfold. Until 1961, Neely and Brother Ben partnered with their father. When he "got tired," the brothers operated as Neely Bros. The duo farmed about 3,000 acres of corn, wheat and soybeans along with operating their Angus business. Neely admits he and his brother were always more interested in the cattle enterprise than they were cropping, but grain offered a welcome income boost. "We just sort of went with the flow," he recalls. "We had to make a living some way. We had five families that all made their livelihood here on the farm." Neely and his brother dispersed their share of the cattle operation in 2007, and called it quits in farming in 2009. Dave and his cousin, Chuck, each keep just what they can with their off-farm jobs and maintain about 50 head between them. Private practice During their years of operation, Neely and his brother sold all their cattle by private treaty. "We never had a cattle sale," he explains. "Unless we were going a couple hundred miles or so, we usually delivered all of our stock for free. We pretty much covered Kentucky and Tennessee." Neely says he, his father and his brother never followed the "fads" Angus cattle went through as the breed developed. "We've always been sort of in the middle of the road," he says, noting that he likes to keep cow size on the large side at about 1,400-1,500 pounds. "Some people might think that's a little big, but it affords us more flexibility in the bulls we use." March 2017 ■ ANGUSJournal ■ 279 @ Above: Neely admits he and his brother were always more interested in the cattle enterprise than they were cropping, but grain offered a wel- come income boost. @ Dave, Joe's oldest son and his cousin Chuck still keep about 50 cows between them near the home place. Angus Across America A n A n A gus gus gus A cross A cross cross A America KENTUCKY CONTINUED ON PAGE 280