If someone were to ask me, “What are some of your traditions?” I would immediately start sharing about some of my favorite things to do each year to mark the changing seasons or honor a holiday

Some are more “traditional” like visiting my uncle and aunt’s pumpkin patch, Buckeye Acres (which is actually in Missouri) in the fall with my daughters to pick out our pumpkins and enjoy apple cider floats; filling my plate up at Thanksgiving lunch with my grandma’s bread dressing and her frozen pumpkin dessert she’s been making for more than 50 years; and reading aloud the story of Jesus’ birth by Christmas tree light the first night the house is decorated for the holiday — my mom does this, and now I’ve carried it on with my own family.

Some are less traditional like full-contact wiffle ball on Easter afternoon with the cousins, or fishing for our supper on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.

Digging a little deeper, traditions are more than what we do. They can define who we are, and the values we live by and share with others. Traditions hold power, bringing people together and forming a sense of belonging.

Angus values

This month we highlight some of the Angus family’s traditions of leadership, advancing the breed and supporting the next generation. 

In the pages that follow, you’ll learn more about retiring leaders of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef (CAB). We bring you some of the latest work of the Certified Angus Beef brand to ensure growing demand for CAB product and working alongside cattlemen to continue the tradition of offering consumers high-quality beef. 

Generous donors are securing the future of the Angus breed to offer scholarships — and we introduce you to the bright young people who earned them to help advance their agricultural careers. Be sure to check out the American Angus Association’s numerous internship opportunities for college students looking for experience in genetics, communications, marketing, event planning and on the ranch. 

One of America’s proudest traditions comes in the form of farm and ranch families who knit together tenacity, innovation and a deep care for land, livestock and people. And the Angus family is leading the way.