Leland Red Angus

Leland Red Angus will be hosting their 41st annual production sale on Friday, March 8, at the ranch located in SW McKenzie County, 35 miles SE of Sidney in the Squaw Gap Community. The ranch, which has raised registered Red Angus for over 50 years, is operated by Melvin and Luella Leland and their son and daughter-in-law Todd and Carla Leland. Homesteaded in 1911 by Melvin's father, Leland Red Angus breeds over 425 registered Red Angus females per year and will market 180 bulls and 35 yearling heifers, including about 60 fall-born, 18-month-old bulls from daughter Tracey Koester and her family in Steele, ND. They also offer bred females by private treaty every fall.

The ranch operates on a combination of deeded, leased, and permitted National Grasslands land and is regularly involved in national, state-wide, and local breed and beef industry organizations. Though the cowherd is managed on the range year-round, the sale bulls are developed in the ranch feedlot, with most of the feed being produced on 1200 acres of hay and cropland.

The Lelands utilize the breed's top genetics. "Much of the herd is bred by artificial insemination and features genomic verification by DNA and ultrasound testing for economically relevant traits and carcass values, a service provided by our son-in-law Dr. J.J. Hovde," commented Melvin, noting that they use as much technology as is applicable. "We are dedicated to the values of rural and family lifestyle, and the 113-year legacy of the ranch is expected to continue with Todd, Carla, and their sons, Trey and Tripp, continuing as the fourth generation of Leland ownership." For more information, call 701-565-2347.