Marketing Angus cattle was a true passion for the late Veryl Jones. During the course of his career, he worked for several leading industry publications, including the Angus Journal. In the fall of 1952, Jones accepted a livestock fieldman position with the Corn Belt Farm Dailies and moved his family to Washington, Iowa. Seven years later, he returned to his home state of Missouri to work for the Kansas City Drovers Telegram. In 1964, he became a livestock fieldman for the Angus Journal, which at the time was published in Webster City, Iowa. He stayed with the Angus Journal through the transition to Saint Joseph, Mo., as an entity of the American Angus Association, and later served as its advertising manager.

Jones loved the Angus breed and Angus people. He treated people fairly and honestly, and enjoyed the thrill of working the ring on sale day. Jones retired from the Angus Journal in 1984 and returned to the family farm to continue to raise Angus cattle with his son, Michael, who manages a commercial Angus herd near Clinton, Mo.