Legacy Farms

04/10/2026

We are always looking to help the youth of tomorrow. Today we took a class of heifers and bulls to the Lincoln Land Community College judging cost with almost a 1,000 kids participating. It’s always interesting to hear reasons on your own stock through the eyes of the youth.

04/07/2026

BEEF 101: Cattle Breeds and what that means to you as a producer/consumer...

Before we even get started:
- This is going to ruffle feathers
- I don't care
- I have nothing against black cattle. I will feed 'em and eat 'em the same as my reds, I just won't calve them out.

Ruffling feathers in 3...2...1...

Purebred cattle can be sorted into two distinct categories: Continental Cattle and English Cattle.

For continental cattle think big, fast-growing cattle. High yields on the rail. This is where you find your Charolais, Limousin, Simmental and Gelbvieh breeds, just to name a few.

English cattle on the other hand are more moderate-sized animals, known for exceptional marbling and have better maternal traits. Angus, Herefords, British Whites and Highlands are some examples of English cattle breeds.

Now...take all that and chuck it out the window. Well, not all of it but stick with me here.

Heterosis and composite breeds are coming into play now. What's a composite breed? Cattle that have been bred up to include desirable traits from multiple different breeds. Beefmaster in particular are a mix of Brahman, Hereford and Shorthorn.

Composite breeds: Beefmaster, Brangus, Braford, Lim-Flex...

And now you get to Commercial cattle. Commercial cattle may be highly influenced by a certain breed but think along the lines of "Heinz 57" you maybe got a little bit of everything going on and there's nothin' wrong with that, as long as you're a good mama.

Our commercial herd is highly influenced by Red Angus, however, many of our original cows and their offspring have a high dose of Beefmaster in them. We also have a few Herefords thrown in 'cuz everybody loves a baldy. And some of our cows are just red and I have zero clue what they actually are but they raise nice calves and they aren't jerks to work with.

ALL of that and then throw genetics in and the monkey wrenches start flying. You can have really nice cattle to look at (this is called Phenotype) but they got some crap genetics goin' on on the inside (this is called Genotype) or vice versa and they look like crap but they're gonna make some beef.

We like cattle that look good on the outside but also have the genetics to back it all up on the inside. Phenotype AND Genotype.

Now, to the feather ruffling...

"I only raise Angus because it's the best beef."

"I only eat Angus because it's the best beef."

Sorry, y'all are getting picked on today. You can insert Wagyu if it makes you feel better.

You only buy Angus because the marketing team is really good at their job and they told you too.

Beef is beef and the breed has ZERO to do with the flavor and quality of the meat. That's for consumers AND producers, by the way.

You know what does affect how your beef tastes? Nutrition.

You know what does affect the quality? Management.

When you go to the store, chances are your beef tastes different every time you buy some. That's because you're probably never going to buy beef from the same farm more than one time when buying from a big box store. Chances are the steaks you just bought and the roast are from 2 different animals and I'm not even going to touch ground beef from a big box store.

Different animals, different farms, different diets, different tastes.

If you're buying from a local farm, like if you buy a half beef from us...same animal. If you thought, "that was really good, I'm going to buy again next year"...same farm, same diet, same taste.

Over the years we have raised and butchered: Angus, Red Angus, Simmental, Limousin, Shorthorn, Gelbvieh, Beefmaster, Charolais, Highland, Holstein, Jersey and crosses of all those breeds. I'm sure I'm missing a few breeds as well.

And they have all tasted the exact same after butchering because they are all on the same diet. They may grow faster, slower, have better marbling, higher yields, lower yields or a dozen other things affected by their individual genetic makeup but they all taste the same, because (say this with me now)...

Beef is beef and breed doesn't matter because you can't eat the hide.

This is where someone invariably chimes in with "But what about Wagyu?!?" Smirk, smirk, like they're really on to something.

Marbling (Intramuscular Fat - IM) is a genetic trait. Some breeds have higher rates of marbling than other breeds because that is how they are genetically predisposed. However, back to the genes again, within a breed you can have anywhere from really crappy or really excellent marbling (as with all traits.) If you have really crappy marbling genetics in your herd and keep breeding to more really crappy marbling genetics...you're only ever going to get really crappy marbling in your butcher animals. Sorry, not sorry.

Marbling has ZERO to do with how beef tastes (just like the breed) but how MUCH taste you get. More Marbling = More Flavor.

As for quality and management...if you have an animal that is used to being worked and handled, the meat will almost always be better. Why? Because animals that are in high stress mode all the time or even just at the time of butchering release stress hormones that directly affect the quality of the meat.

So, if you want the best beef...

- As a consumer, find some local farms and try their beef. Talk to them about how they raise their cattle. Ask questions. I will personally, talk about my cattle all day long if you'd let me, but I'll try and contain myself. Try beef from different farms and see what you like.

- For producers...find a breed that works for you and your operation. Not the other way around.

- New to cattle people...go find a breed or a cross that works for you and your operation. Get off the "black is best" bandwagon, unless that's what you really like. Personally, I don't give a hoot if I'm the only person in 5 counties with red cattle. They work for us; they work for our operation and BONUS POINTS I haven't had to jump a fence in like 5 years. Feel free to get on our waitlist for beef though!

To summarize today's Beef 101 lesson:

- Beef is beef
- Breed doesn't affect flavor
- You can't eat the hide
- When raising beef, pick a breed that works for you
- For consistent beef, support your local farmer

03/22/2026

03/10/2026

Source : 5L Red Angus

03/03/2026

02/20/2026

𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙛 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 — 𝙖 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙧.

People ask why beef is expensive, and that’s a fair question. Most folks assume the answer is land costs, fuel, feed, or inflation—and yes, those matter. But they’re only the surface. The real cost of beef lives underneath the math.

Agriculture isn’t expensive just because inputs are high. It’s expensive because risk is constant, and someone has to absorb it. When you buy beef, you’re not just paying for meat—you’re paying for years where things went right and years where they didn’t. You’re paying for cattle that died despite good care, vet calls that came too late or too early or at the worst possible hour, interest on loans that don’t pause when markets dip or drought hits, and equipment that breaks whether you had a good year or not.

Then there’s labor, and not the kind that punches a clock. It’s early mornings, late nights, missed holidays, and families who plan their lives around weather, calving seasons, shipping dates, and breakdowns. In large operations, some of these costs get spread across thousands of head. In smaller operations, they don’t. If a smaller outfit loses five head, that’s not a rounding error—it’s a hit someone personally feels. If a piece of equipment goes down, there isn’t always a backup. If a year goes sideways, there isn’t always enough margin to average it out.

So what happens? The system quietly asks people to make up the difference. Managers stretch themselves thinner. Cowboys accept less pay, fewer days off, and more responsibility. Families (owners) delay healthcare, repairs, rest, or help. The cost doesn’t disappear—it just gets transferred from the balance sheet to the people.

When consumers ask why local beef costs more, what they’re often really asking is why it doesn’t cost what they’re used to paying. The honest answer is that cheap food usually means someone else is subsidizing it — and it’s rarely the people buying it. Small operations can’t compete on volume. They compete by deciding who absorbs the risk. They don’t spread costs across thousands of anonymous head; they carry them personally. That doesn’t make them inefficient. It makes them honest.

This isn’t a guilt trip. It’s transparency. Consumers deserve to understand what they’re paying for, and producers deserve not to carry the full weight of the system in silence. If we want healthy food systems, the real question isn’t just why beef costs what it does—it’s who should be absorbing the risk. Because the answer to that determines whether agriculture survives as a way of life or becomes something people only read about once it’s gone.

💭 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙛, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠 — 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙧, 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣?

— 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐌 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨.
𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦.

—

Sources
• U.S. Department of Agriculture – Census of Agriculture, farm consolidation and rising capital requirements
• Economic Research Service – Farm income volatility and cost-of-production data
• American Farm Bureau Federation – Producer surveys on labor and profitability
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Occupational stress and health outcomes in rural and ag communities

01/31/2026

This farm isn’t worried.

I asked a friend of mine the other day how he felt about the future of his farm.

He has two daughters. No sons.

About 1,500 acres of owned row crop and a large cow calf operation that takes real work and real decisions every day. I asked him if he worried about succession. If he had any concerns about the future.

He said both girls are fully involved in the daily operation. They run equipment. Work cattle. Understand the numbers. Know what matters and what doesn’t. And he fully expects that one or both of them will take over when the time comes.

He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

That stuck with me.

Women in agriculture aren’t unusual. They never have been. They’ve always worked side by side with men or quietly behind the scenes. Feeding crews. Keeping books. Making sure calves got checked. Holding things together when times were tight.

What’s different now is that young girls aren’t being treated like helpers.

They’re being prepared as leaders.

I asked him why he thinks this is happening more than ever.

He said part of it is reality. Fewer kids stay on the farm. Farms can’t afford to overlook capable people anymore. If someone wants to be there and is willing to learn, you invest in them.

But part of it is something deeper.

He said his daughters never questioned whether they belonged. They grew up doing the work. They learned because they were there. No one told them certain jobs weren’t for them. They just did what needed done.

He said he didn’t raise daughters. He raised farmers.

That line stayed with me.

For a long time, women carried agriculture without being seen as the future of it. They worked hard. Learned everything. Took responsibility. But the expectation often stopped short of ownership or leadership.

That’s changing.

Fathers are teaching skills instead of assigning roles. Mothers who’ve always been central to the operation are finally being recognized as leaders. And young women are stepping into responsibility without needing permission.

This isn’t about pushing anyone out.

It’s about acknowledging what’s always been true.

Farms survive on commitment. On judgment. On showing up when it’s hard. None of that belongs to one gender.

What’s happening now isn’t a trend.

It’s a correction.

The next generation of agriculture won’t look exactly like the last one.

Dennis Prussman,
Premier Land & Auction Group
Real Broker, LLC,
https://premierlandsales.com/dennisprussman

12/28/2025

Lim-flex heifer for sale. Dam is a direct daughter of the great auto poem cow. Super easy keeping with a good look.

12/10/2025

Louisville 2025

10/25/2025

It’s a strange time to be in agriculture. For the first time I can remember, the people who raise America’s beef are being cast as the problem. Somewhere along the line, ranchers became the villains in a story they never wrote.

I’ve spent my life around these folks, and I’ve never once met one who fits that label. I’ve seen them knee-deep in mud at midnight, trying to save a cold calf. I’ve watched them carry medicine to a sick one, fix windmills in the freezing dark, and spend long hours wondering if this year’s calves will be enough to pay the banker and maybe afford a decent Christmas for their kids. None of them are scheming against consumers — they’re just trying to stay afloat.

The reality is that true profit in ranching comes around maybe two years out of twenty. The rest of the time, it’s barely hanging on through droughts, markets, and debt. Yet somehow, we’re told we’re getting rich off the consumer.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve explained that ranchers don’t set the price of beef at the grocery store. We don’t own the packing plants, the trucking lines, or the retail shelves. But that truth seems to get buried under outrage, politics, and the idea that someone in a cowboy hat must be to blame for high prices.

It’s disheartening to see hard-working families, the last 1.2% of Americans still producing food for the other 98%, treated as if they’re doing harm. Someday, people will look back and wonder how it happened — how a nation came to distrust the very hands that fed it.

Until then, the work goes on. The cattle still need care, the fences still need fixing, and the rancher will still be out there before daylight. Because feeding people isn’t about applause — it’s about purpose.

10/22/2025

Bringing in more foreign beef is not the solution to lowering beef prices. It’s the same failed policy that has hollowed out our rural communities, shrunk America’s cow herd, and given multinational corporations more control over our food supply.

The packers import beef from about 20 countries, including Argentina, and sell it beside U.S. beef with no label to tell the difference. Without mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL), consumers can’t choose American beef and packers have no reason to lower prices.

📞Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your senators and representative. P.S. You can still call after hours and leave a voicemail!

Tell Congress to oppose any increase in beef imports from Argentina, especially while the United States still lacks MCOOL, and urge them to restore MCOOL for beef.

Put America’s cattle industry first. More imports are not the answer.

We urge President Trump to manage imports, restore MCOOL for beef, and put an end to the monopolistic control that packers and retailers have over our beef supply chain. Doing so will incentivize America’s ranchers to rebuild and expand the U.S. herd to meet our national security needs and ensure that consumer beef prices are determined by competitive market forces.

09/29/2025

State fair 2025 was a good one.