“I don’t think people were expecting what they saw,” says Phil Trowbridge, American Angus Association president and tour host. “When they arrived, I think they realized how much agriculture is in the state, and how big, beautiful and vast New York really is.”
Trowbridge says New York was an ideal setting for the NAC&T because of the region’s nearly 130-year history with Angus cattle, and also the invested interest in agriculture shown by communities scattered among the rural areas.
The rolling Catskills and the twisting Hudson River set the stage for the NAC&T themed “Angus Along the Hudson.” A stop at Garret Farms, Hillsdale, New York, began the official cattle tour. From there, the group spent the afternoon at the Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockdale, Massachusetts, and concluded with dinner at Trowbridge Farms, Ghent, New York.
“I enjoy coming out to the NAC&T to converse with other Angus producers, see old friends and make new friends,” says fifth-time attendee Myron Kennedy, Brookeville, Md. “It is interesting to see different geographic regions, and learn about each respective operation and what practices work for them.”
Other stops on the tour included breakfast at Heathcote Farm, Amenia, New York, and lunch at Walbridge Farms, Millbrook, New York. From there, tour goers had the option to visit the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt or the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park. The tour concluded at Rally Farms, Millbrook, New York.
Prior to the tours, an educational conference was held at the Marriott in Albany, New York. Speakers focused on the business side of raising Angus cattle; discussing topics ranging from managing employees to marketing cattle.
“The information you can gain here is extremely valuable in terms of taking it back home and using it in your program,” Kennedy says.
Conference speakers were Chef John Doherty, formerly of the Waldorf Astoria and now an independent contractor; David O’Diam, Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB); Debbie Lyons-Blythe, Life on a Kansas Cattle Ranch blogger; Eric Grant, Association director of public relations; Kip Palmer, Palmer Foods; and Scott Vernon, Vernon Communications.
Attendees also heard from Angus Genetics Inc. staff members, conference sponsor Purina, Association President Phil Trowbridge and Association Chief Executive Officer Bryce Schumann. To learn more about their presentations, visit the National Angus Conference website.
“The few days at the NAC&T was an unforgettable experience,” Trowbridge says. “The Angus business has the most wonderful group of people I have ever met.” 
—From American Angus news release
PHOTO
A stop at Trowbridge Angus, Ghent, New York, featured an elite sale offering of Angus females. Photo courtesy of American Angus Association.
