About Us | Bush Angus

In 2023 Bush Angus is celebrating their 95th year in the Angus Cattle Seedstock business. We firmly believe that as a family operated cattle enterprise we have passed the test of time and are in position to achieve the goals facing a breed-leading herd. To achieve these goals we will use current breeding technology combined with a common sense approach in all decisions relating to the improvement of our herd. We should continue to provide a product for our customers that will be problem free and profitable for them. We will do whatever is necessary to build and enhance our relationship with the people that invest in our product.

This farm was homesteaded by Joseph Bush around 1880. His son W.E. began his farming career in the early 1900s. He added land and started to build up the main farm yard of which several buildings are still used today. W.E.'s main interests were Registered Percheon horses and Registered Alfalfa seed which he sold all over the Midwest. With one of his sons, Clifford, he began the Registered Angus herd in 1927. They purchased one cow-calf pair. Today, this herd can be traced back to that initial investment. Clifford is 87 years old and still remains an active member of this family farm. His son, Jim, returned to the family farm after graduating from SDSU in 1964. Jim and his wife, Carol, have expanded the farm both in land holdings and cow herd size. Jim and Carol's son, Scott, returned to become a partner after also graduating from SDSU in 1992. Scott and his wife, Jo, also live on the farm with their two children, Brittany and Tyler.

Registered Angus are the only cattle found on our farm. The herd has remained closed since the beginning and no outside females have been added. The purpose was to create a herd that was closely bred and would respond uniformly in type. We are known for the great females we keep. They are good sized, flesh easily, are deep sided and have a lot of natural muscling. Because they are all bred alike, they also all look alike. Through the years many great bulls have been produced to complement the bloodlines already established here. In addition, artificial insemination has allowed us to use other sires in the advancement of the Bush herd. We presently mate 50% of our cows to bulls that were bred in this herd. The results have been excellent as evidenced by the increase in the performance level we have attained. Embryo transfer has enabled us to progress at a much faster pace in supplying our customers with more great bulls.

The day-to-day management is handled by both Jim and Scott. We truly believe the "hands on" approach works best for us. Since were not a super-sized outfit, we must use intense management to squeeze out the most potential possible from all our enterprises. We pay close attention to the details that will affect the final outcome. Our aim is to take whatever time necessary to do the job right the first time. Both Jim and Scott are called upon quite often to advise other breeders concerning their programs.