“Son, it’s time to choose.”

When the coach backed Cash Langford into a corner, the Texas high school freshman didn’t have a doubt about what he wanted to do with his life. When he had to pick between football or showing cattle, there was a clear winner. 

“I was mad about it because he was making me choose, and I loved both,” Langford remembers. “I went home that night, and I told my mom and dad I was done playing football because [I wanted to] show cattle — that’s what I was going to do.” 

While he admits on a laugh his coach backpedaled when Langford gave him the news, the now cattleman says that was the moment he knew the beef industry was home. 

In the years that followed, Langford worked at prestigious operations across the nation, further developed his opinions on cattle in the seedstock arena and mentored youth with the same passion. But above it all, he said one of his biggest accomplishments came to fruition this January at the Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City, Okla., when he was named the 2025 Angus Herdsman of the Year. 

“I thought that there’s no way. I mean, I was really not expecting to win this,” Langford says of the moment his name was announced. “It’s always been, not necessarily a goal, but a dream. There are some people that mean so much to me and taught me so much that have passed away here in the last few years that have won that award.” 

Living in the moments

Langford grew up on a cow-calf operation. His earliest memories trace back to the Houston Livestock Show, when he was just 4 or 5 years old. 

“Just a normal West Texas kid,” he says. 

Langford jumped headfirst into the beef industry in 2001, working at several operations from South Dakota to Indiana before he joined the team at Hunter Angus in Fair Grove, Mo., seven years ago. 

In that time, Clint Hunter says Langford has proved to be dependable. 

“You can turn him loose on about any project there on the farm that needs done,” Hunter explains. “Whether that’s in the show barn, cow herd … he’s always willing to step out.” 

While he helps with everything from their two annual sales to breeding decisions, Langford says one of his favorite parts of the job is getting to work with the juniors that show the Hunter animals. 

With her husband’s work schedule, Rachel Hunter was out attending national shows on her own. When Langford joined the team, he became her travel partner. 

Clint says having the extra set of hands has really taken their business to the next level. 

“I think always bringing somebody in with fresh ideas is good for any situation,” Rachel says. 

From his skills clipping and fitting to his advice on day-to-day care, Langford is always eager to spend time with customers. 

“It’s really opened things up for us where I feel like we’re building better relationships,” Clint adds. 

The Hunters have also noticed how willing Langford is to mentor young clients. 

“That guy is the biggest teddy bear, and has a soft place in his heart for juniors,” Rachel says. “If that junior kid is willing to learn, he will take every second he can possibly spend to give that kid the opportunity to learn something new or better.” 

Those moments of mentorship have blossomed into friendships for Langford, too. 

“When I first started working for Hunter Angus, some of these juniors…were just getting started showing cattle,” he explains. “I’ve been able to take this ride with them for the last six or seven years.”

Some of those exhibitors were entirely new to the world of livestock, and Langford says it’s been fun for him to watch them grow. Juniors who didn’t know the first thing about the show ring now help the Hunter Angus crew before a sale or at a show. 

It’s that sense of camaraderie Langford says makes the Missouri operation feel like home.

“They let me run Hunter Angus like it’s my own place,” he adds.  “They trust me to do it. I’m not being micromanaged or being told what to do on a daily basis. I just care of it and try to make Hunter Angus be in the black at the end of the year, and not the red.” 

Working for and with friends makes the job all the more enjoyable for Langford, and he says that concept has become a key part of advice he offers other young professionals in the industry. 

“Surround yourself with good people,” he explains. “Find somebody that does it successfully on a high level and watch how they do it, and try to learn from those people.”

When he was standing shoulder to shoulder with his fellow nominees at the Angus Foundation social in Oklahoma City, however, he didn’t think there was a shot he would rise to the top of the votes. They were peers, mentors, friends — individuals Langford says were just as deserving of the recognition.

“They were the first people to congratulate me,” he recalls.

While Rachel couldn’t be there in person for the special moment, she was watching on FaceTime, and when Langford’s name was announced, she still managed to cheer louder than the rest of the crew gathered in Oklahoma. 

“I still can’t talk about it,” she jokes. “It still brings tears to my eyes.” 

For Clint, watching his small-town Missouri operation’s herdsman win such a high-caliber award was a moment he’ll never forget. 

“It was very exciting to see him win that … that his peers recognized his talents,” Clint adds. “It was very exciting to see one of your good friends do that, but also the guy that is here and working at Hunter Angus — it was a humbling feeling for us as well.” 

The admiration is two-sided, as Langford thanks the entire family — Clint, Rachel, Dave, Gigi, Jordan and Rachel Anne. 

“I couldn’t have done it without those guys and their support,” he says. 

Langford says his own family — parents, Jon and Pam, and sisters, Lacey Kaylor and Hannah Udell — have always been cheerleaders for his work. He also names James and Doug Satree; Mark, Dan and Ethel Kelly; Steve Patton; Jarold Callahan; Scott and Andrew Foster; and Barry Nowatzke as industry icons who’ve helped him get to where he is today. 

Langford says he’s blessed to have so many to offer credit to, but there is one name that stands out from the rest. Richard Stotts won the herdsman award previously, and as a mentor who no longer can offer earthly advice, Langford hopes Stotts was there in spirit for the moment he earned his own title in January. 

Langford says, “I think back to Richard — that just means so much to me. Knowing that he’s looking down, knowing that I was Herdsman of the Year. He played a huge role in my life.”