In 1849, a young boy named Iver left his Norwegian homeland to seek a better life in the Promised Land called America. After enduring a perilous voyage across the Atlantic, they were met with fertile soils of the midwestern frontier – a fresh start. In 1863, Phillip Abrahamson’s great grandfather started purchasing parcels of land from the Southern Minnesota Railroad, establishing the farm that is known today as Sunnyslope Angus. The fourth caretakers of Sunnyslope, Phillip and Ruth have had a 50-year career with many highlights.

In 1960 they joined the Angus Association’s Angus Herd Improvement Record program. They became the first breeders to work with University of Minnesota staff to develop a method for creating genetic advancement of his Angus cattle through scientific measurement rather than through aesthetic, visual perspective. Following in his footsteps are his daughter, Julie, her husband Keith, and their three children. They help operate 200 cows on 700 acres, striving for continued success of docile, easy-calving animals that grow and grade well.