Angus Heritage Foundation inducts five new members

Over the past 130 years, the Angus breed has established itself as industry leader for quality and advancement. This reputation was built by innovators and visionaries who possess drive and wise decision-making skills to better the breed and the industry.

Each year, the American Angus Association celebrates those innovators and visionaries by selecting individuals for induction into the Angus Heritage Foundation. On Nov. 6 during the 2018 Angus Convention in Columbus, Ohio, five Angus industry leaders were added to this prestigious group.

The 2018 inductees are Keith Arntzen, Montana; Evelyn Edmunds, South Carolina; Mark Gardiner, Kansas; Donna Holmes, Missouri; and Lowell Minert, posthumously, Nebraska.

Read more about these outstanding leaders:

Keith Arntzen, Montana

Keith Arntzen is a third-generation rancher from Hilger, Montana. After attending college and serving in the Army Reserves, he took over management of the Angus herd his parents started in the mid-1950s. He married Kristine Butcher in 1974, and together, they have three children: Karrie, Kimberly and Kevin, who is a partner working fulltime on the ranch.

Since their first bull sale in 1977, Keith and his brother Doug have expanded the operation and now sell more than 200 bulls in their April production sale.

Keith became a lifetime member of the American Angus Association at age 12 and has since contributed a great deal to the Angus business. He served as a director and president of the Central Montana Angus Association, served two terms on the board of the Montana Angus Association, and served on the American Angus Association board of directors from 1997 to 2003. Keith also has given back to his community by serving on many local and state boards.

Evelyn Edmunds, South Carolina

In 1968, Evelyn G. Edmunds and her husband, John, obtained 15 head of Angus cows and began raising Angus cattle. Evelyn also joined the American Angus Association that year, as well as the South Carolina Angus Association where she served as a director, secretary and a voting delegate. She was instrumental in the formation and organization of the South Carolina Junior Angus Association in 1968 and served as an advisor for 19 years.

When John passed away in 1978, she assumed sole management of Circle E Farm and became active in cattle and farm groups during a time when only men served in such organizations. She quickly gained the respect of her male peers and was the first woman to hold leadership positions in the South Carolina Cattleman’s Association and the South Carolina Farm Bureau.

It is hard to find an Angus breeder in South Carolina who has not been influenced in some way by Evelyn Edmunds over the years. At age 89, Evelyn continues to serve on many county and state organizations.

Mark Gardiner, Kansas

Mark Gardiner is the president of Gardiner Angus Ranch, Inc., a family-owned, generational beef operation located in Ashland, Kansas. Under Mark’s direction, the ranch has grown an embryo transfer program that performs more than 3,500 transfers a year, making it one of the largest AI/ET beef operations in the world.

Gardiner is a founding board member and stockholder of U.S. Premium Beef, former board member of the American Angus Association, former chairman of the NCBA Seedstock Council and former president of the Kansas Angus Association. He is also active in the Beef Improvement Federation.

Mark is continuing the Gardiner family legacy of community involvement, both at home and nationally. Under Mark’s guidance in 2012, the Henry C. Gardiner Scholarship and Lecture Series was created and endowed at Kansas State University. To date, 22 undergraduate students have received $100,000 in scholarships.

Mark and his wife, Eva, have three sons, Cole, Ransom and Quanah, who represent the fifth generation of the Gardiner family ranching in Clark County, Kansas.

Donna Holmes, Missouri

Donna grew up on a farm in northwest Missouri. She later moved to Saint Joseph where she was employed by the American Angus Association from January 1958 until her retirement 43 years later in 2001.

Donna started in the membership department and then went on to the checking department where she eventually became supervisor. Donna spoke with breeders by phone or correspondence and worked closely with regional managers to process registration certificates needed for show purposes.

She was later promoted to administrative assistant to the director of member services. She handled blood typing, parentage verification, breeder disputes, hiring of office employees, as well as oversaw building and ground maintenance.

Working with Angus breeders made Donna’s employment very pleasant, and she still misses and thinks of all the breeders and colleagues she worked with over the years. She has now been retired for 17 years and spends her time with her husband, Don, of 61 years.

Lowell Minert, posthumously, Nebraska

Lowell Minert (1940-2016) was a lifelong Angus breeder who purchased his first Angus heifer for his 4-H project. He and his wife, Carrol, started their Angus operation in 1964 near Dunning, Nebraska, where they owned and operated Minert/Simonson Angus Ranch.

Lowell took an active leadership role in the beef industry, serving on the board of directors and as chairman of the Purebred Council of the Nebraska Cattlemen. He served two terms as president of the Nebraska Angus Association, two terms on the American Angus Association board of directors and was president of the Certified Angus Beef board.

Lowell was a people person who enjoyed supporting young people in their endeavors and sharing his passion for Angus cattle with people across the country and the world. His ranch has hosted Angus and cattlemen tours and groups from Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, England, Spain, Japan and China.

Lowell’s passion, integrity, honesty and genuine love of the Angus breed resulted in a valuable reputation in both the cattle industry and as an individual.