Rod Reynolds, Colorado
Rod Reynolds has dedicated his life to three things: God, family, and Limousin cattle.
Raised in the Colorado mountains in the San Luis Valley, his passion for cattle began as a boy working side by side with his dad, Phil Reynolds. Along with his dad and brother Ric, they developed a different kind of cattle. They began breeding Hereford to Brown Swiss to up milk production and growth. Eventually, in the early 80’s with the introduction of Limousin cattle to the United States, they began crossing the Brown Swiss with Limousin. The cattle they developed needed to be able to handle the rugged conditions and high altitude of their summer pastures in New Mexico. They did just that and their cattle continue to excel at high altitude and rugged terrain while never sacrificing milk or growth, which led their cattle to be called ” A Breed Apart.”
In present day, Rod works alongside his son, Troy, still breeding his Limousin cattle to be “A Breed Apart.” Through the years Rod and Troy have also been breeding show cattle, Angus, and Lim-Flex cattle. Rod has also served in various church callings, including Bishop from 2005-2011. Rod has always had a strong belief in God and in the Savior Jesus Christ.
Rod has been married to his wife Annette, a local sheep ranchers’ daughter, for 42 years. Together they have three children, all who have continued to stay in agriculture. Hannah is a local schoolteacher who, with her husband and kids, run a small herd of Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle. Troy works with his dad and continues to carry on the Reynolds legacy with his wife and five daughters. Kylan lives in Nebraska running cattle and farming with her husband and children. Rod has twelve grandchildren, seven of them are involved in 4-H and continue to carry on the tradition of loving agriculture, God, family, and good cattle.
William Long, Iowa
William Long is from Afton, Iowa and currently runs Long and Sons Limousin. Rolling hills, pasture, timber, and fertile crop ground surround our farm in southwest Iowa. Long and Sons Limousin was established in 1970. William purchased the registered purebred Limousin cattle herd from his father in 1996. He was one of the original “Sons” in Long and Sons Limousin and is proud that his three sons (and daughter) are the third generation of promoters and believers in Limousin genetics!
William and his family maintain a herd of approximately 125 registered Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle. In addition to their calf-cow operation, they sell seedstock bulls annually and feed out approximately 200 head of cattle in their feedlot operation. Although they purchase some cattle to fill the feedlot, it is certainly a rewarding moment to watch their own home-raised Limousin cattle load onto the truck – those fat cattle display muscle and feed efficiency and are the best advertisement for the muscle, heterosis and growth of Limousin genetics. The Long’s are truly a “pasture to plate operation” and continually see that Limousin genetics fit in every aspect. In addition to cattle, they grow corn, raise seedstock soybeans and make hay.
William is currently serving as secretary for the Iowa Limousin Association and has served on the board for at least twenty years. He is also a board member for the Heartland Limousin Association. In the late 1980s, William served on the NALJA board of directors and still value the friendships of those that served on the board with him. His kids have shown Limousin and Lim-Flex cattle at the local, state and national level, and they promote cattle and agriculture through their 4-H and FFA activities.
William and his wife, Sarah, have triplet sons, Riley, Peyton and Emmet, who are current college students studying Ag Business, John Deere Tech and Animal Science, and a daughter, Maria, who is in high school with aspirations to become a large-animal veterinarian. Each family member has an area of expertise/interest related to the farm, and they enjoy working together and continuing the agricultural heritage of their families.
William is honored to have been asked to be a candidate for the NALF Board of Directors. Limousin cattle have been and are his livelihood. He would welcome the opportunity to serve on the board to learn the workings of the association and help the Limousin breed progress into the future.
Casey Fanta, Minnesota
Casey Fanta was born and raised on a farm and ranch in Tappen, North Dakota, that his parents, Donald and Marcia Fanta, still operate today. After graduating from Tappen High School, he studied at North Dakota State University before venturing into a career in Ranch and Seedstock Management.
His first experience with Limousin was managing the show and sale cattle for Yackley – CMC, Onida, South Dakota. He learned a lot about the breed and the cattle business while working for Bob and Steve Yackley. He then moved on to manage Little Mondeaux Limousin, Genoa, Nevada, until their historic dispersal sale. Casey was then at Express Ranches when they held their first Limousin production sale and started campaigning a show string across the country. The next chapter was managing Dunford Royal Cattle Company, Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. It became a successful Limousin operation that later added Angus. Twelve years ago, he was sought out by Jerry Wulf to fill a void in their operation and made the move back to the United States to accept the position as Seedstock Manager for Wulf Cattle in Morris, Minnesota. The Angus herd from Dunford Royal came along and became part of Wulf Cattle, where it has been utilized to enhance their Lim-Flex® program. The company’s seedstock breeding plan is greatly influenced by the profitability drivers which are realized by the approximately 150,000 head of Wulf Cattle sired progeny which they feed out annually.
Casey and his wife, Kelly, reside in Starbuck, Minnesota with their son Wiley, who is a part of the MC Marketing Management team. Their daughter, Ashley, still lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband Micheal and sons MJ and Clark.
Casey is involved with breeding, promoting and marketing Limousin cattle and genetics everyday, whether at the headquarters in Morris, at Sandy Ridge Ranch, Atkinson, Nebraska or on the road working with customers. He has been a long-time director of the Minnesota Limousin Association and a director of the Heartland Limousin Association. He is honored and excited to serve the North American Limousin Foundation and the breed that has been such a big part of his life.
Kim Getz, West Virginia
Kim Getz of Scherr, West Virginia, along with his wife, Becky, own and operate Rolling Acres Farms. Rolling Acres is a 100-cow registered seedstock operation producing registered Angus, Limousin, and Lim-Flex cattle. Kim and Becky own 250 acres and lease an additional 400 acres of hay and pasture ground.
Kim is a 4th generation cattleman, and his hope is that his son, Stephen, and his three grandchildren will continue the operation to the 5th and 6th generations. Stephen was a two term NALJA board member having served as treasurer two years and vice-president for one year. He is now a practicing veterinarian and recently purchased his own farm 1.5 miles down the road from the home farm.
Kim’s first experience with Limousin cattle was during a beef production class trip while in college. He was impressed enough that he purchased a purebred bull and one purebred cow the following year. He was so pleased with the impact the bull had on their predominantly Angus commercial herd that he began retaining and registering percentage females and purchasing registered females when funds permitted. With the use of performance testing, AI, and embryo transfer, the herd has grown to what it is today.
Rolling Acres participates in the Wardensville-WVU bull test and the Potomac State college heifer test. Most of Rolling Acres cattle are marketed through private treaty sales, as well as consignment and online sales.
Kim attended West Virginia University majoring in Animal Science. He is a member of the Locust Grove Church serving on the Deacon board and as a trustee. He also serves on the West Virginia Cattlemen’s Association Board of Directors, the West Virginia Beef Expo Board of Directors, the West Virginia Limousin Breeders Association Board of Directors where he is currently the treasurer, and the Grand County Farmland Protection Board.
Kim sees a bright future for the Limousin breed and looks forward to serving on the North American Limousin Foundation board if elected.
Limousin cattle deliver to your bottom line. With superior genetics, a simple crossbreeding plan and state-of-the-art selection tools, the Limousin breed will serve profit-minded cow/calf producers. In today’s competitive markets, taking advantage of all available opportunities is key. The Limousin breed offers a variety of options from Fullblood to Purebred to the Lim-Flex® hybrid (Limousin x Angus cross) to match your program’s needs and market goals. Crossbreeding for the right blend of muscle, maternal ability and profit is easy with Limousin seedstock.