The practice of neurosurgery leaves no room for error. Movements and placements are submillimeter in accuracy. One must prepare and surround themselves with people they trust. Everything must be perfect. 

“The placement of screws in your spine must be dead-on perfect,” explains Barry Pollard. “Operating in structures in and around the brain must be prfect. The crew that is helping you must be perfect. They are like a glove, you fit together perfectly.”

A man of many titles — neurosurgeon, cattlemen, American Angus Association board of directors president, farmer, John Deere dealer, philanthropist, spouse, father and grandfather — he owned his own neurosurgery practice for 46 years, retiring in 2022. 

Precision and attention to detail proved just as necessary in the cattle pasture as they did in the operating room. 

“Why should it be any different out here?” Pollard asks. “I think that everything from keeping the trucks clean to the ditches mowed, should be as close to perfect as it can be.”

At Pollard Farms of Waukomis, Okla., there’s no decision left to chance.

“Matings are important. Sale selection is important. Everything is important,” Pollard adds. “I cannot keep everything as tight out here as I could in the operating room; but I have a great crew, and we try and do things as close to perfection as we can.” 

Pollard also has a passion for supporting the youth of the breed, and with the precision of his operation’s management to back him, he decided to add to his list of titles. Pollard Farms is the 2025 Angus Foundation Heifer Package Donor, offering Pollard Rita 4012 (AAA* 20875621) for sale this upcoming January during Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City. 

Rural roots 

Pollard’s love for agriculture began near Hennessey, Okla., where he grew up working alongside his father and family. 

“Growing up, I always envisioned spending more time in agriculture,” he said. “All of my family are farmers and ranchers. I grew up showing animals and in agriculture. My upbringing was an important part of my life, and I loved that part of my life.” 

Originally Pollard attended school to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine at Oklahoma State University, but a weekend spent on the farm left him with a change of heart. 

As he headed back home to help his dad castrate a group of hogs, he noticed two semitrailers loaded with steers headed to be vaccinated and castrated at the local veterinary clinic. 

“I thought, ‘You know, I have done that for the last five to six years of my life without a veterinary license. Is this really what I want to do?’” Pollard recalls. 

Plans pivoted, and Pollard went to medical school at the University of Oklahoma. During his third and fourth years of medical school, he worked through rotations trying to find the best fit for his career. 

“Orthopedics appealed to me, cardiology and internal medicine appealed to me, but what stuck with me was neurosurgery,” he says. “It was partly because so many of my classmates were actually frightened of it — the commitment to study that much and work that hard. But I guess I have never been afraid of studying and hard work, so it made me feel like this is where I needed to be.”  

In 1982, he opened his own medical practice as a board-certified neurosurgeon. 

“Moving to Enid for my practice allowed me to get back to an agriculture community and allowed me to raise my children in rural America,” Pollard says. “It was important to me as we started to think about raising a family that we raised them in agriculture.” 

He says it was obvious that raising his three sons and grandchildren in agriculture would be of great benefit to them. There was value in harvesting a crop, taking care of animals, reaping the of a job well done. Several bred heifers and yearling females joined the family in 1992, and the kids took to opportunities available in the show circuit. 

“When my kids began showing, we bought a few Herefords and Shorthorns, but it became obvious to me that the breed of cattle to be in was Angus,” Pollard says.

From there the business grew, from a small herd to a sizable operation. Today Pollard Farms has an extensive donor battery consisting of 30 elite donor cows and 400 performance females. They calve 400 performance cows, run a productive recipient herd and calve 700 spring and fall calving cows yearly. 

When Pollard retired from neurosurgery two years ago, he devoted more time to his cattle, farm and John Deere dealership.

“Agriculture is so deep in my blood that I do not want to quit. I enjoy all the things I do out here and it keeps me active. I just cannot imagine turning it all over to someone,” he says. “As far as retirement, I have never learned to play golf, and never really enjoyed fishing or hunting,” he says. “My enjoyment comes from going to an OSU football game, work or Angus cattle, and I will continue to do it as long as my health allows.” 

Shaping future generations

Pollard’s sons and granddaughter, Jelani, grew up involved in agriculture and participated in showing livestock, learning the fundamentals of hard work, dedication, responsibility and how to treat others. Pollard looks forward to seeing his younger grandchildren grow up in agriculture and become a part of the family heritage of farming and raising cattle. 

“It has just been so important to me to raise my children this way,” Pollard says. “I am very proud of my children and the way they grew up into mature adults with great families. While there are many contributors to that agriculture is a key.” 

For Angus juniors, that rings especially true. Pollard says the Angus Foundation has played a special role in helping the next generation find their voice in the beef industry.

“The support of the Foundation is so key, and I hope people can see that and support its mission, both inside and outside the Angus world. It is not only laying the foundation in the showring, but also for their future,” Pollard says. “Anybody who witnesses the kids in the showing, the care they take in the animals and the involvement of the family will realize the value of this business and the value of the Foundation.”

Pollard says he, Roxanne, family and crew at Pollard Farms are excited to be donors of the of the 2025 Angus Foundation Heifer Package. 

The heifer, Pollard Rita 4012 (AAA* 20875621), is a daughter of EXAR Cover the Bases 0819B and out of a productive, young two-year-old that is on her way to the donor pen. She stems from PF W34 Rita 4139, a long-time donor in the Pollard program.

“It is a huge honor to have Pollard Farms donating the 2025 Heifer Package,” says Jaclyn Boester, Angus Foundation executive director. “Dr. Pollard and Roxanne have been huge supporters of the Angus Foundation and advancing its mission. Whether they are watching their grandchildren show cattle through junior activities or helping advance the Angus breed through research projects, they are always willing to support in any way they can. When Dr. Pollard mentioned he would be interested in donating the heifer package, it was a true testament of his unwavering commitment to the Angus breed and sustaining its future legacy.”

The heifer will be sold at the National Angus Bull Sale Jan. 10, 2025, during Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City. 

 “I think it is an excellent opportunity for me to offer a fine animal for sale to help raise money for the Angus Foundation and the junior program,” Pollard explains.  “The Angus Foundation plays an important role in our industry as it is our gateway to the youth. The foundation is the vehicle to better themselves, to grow and to excel in our world. That is what it is all about, so I am happy to support it.”