ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — 2020 marks a century of the Sawyer family’s membership in the American Angus Association. Arlen (posthumously) and Becky Sawyer of A&B Cattle of Bassett, Nebraska, were recognized as 2020 American Angus Association Century Award recipients during the Awards Recognition Dinner Nov. 8 at the 137th Angus Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri.
The work of Angus breeders is more than a business – it’s a way of life. The American Angus Association initiated the Century Award to recognize its members and their families who have been in continuous production of registered Angus cattle for at least 100 years.
“The Sawyer family is a true testament to the tradition and legacy of the Angus breed, and we are proud to welcome them into the exclusive group,” said Mark McCully, American Angus Association CEO.
The Sawyers have a rich tradition of Angus cattle threaded through their lives. Arlen’s family established their registered Angus cow herd in Howard, South Dakota, in 1917, which was operated by his grandfather and father. On Christmas Eve of 1919, Arlen’s grandfather received his membership into the American Angus Association.
“The history and 100 years that we are celebrating are less about the place and more about the family legacy that is being handed down onto the fifth generation,” said Becky Sawyer.
Arlen and Becky Sawyer’s family has been involved with the Angus industry near Bassett since 1976, operating their ranch since 1984. In 1994, A&B Cattle was recognized as a Historic Angus Herd based on more than 50 years of continuously raising registered Angus cattle in the Sawyer family.
Today, Becky; daughter, Jessica; son, Adam; Adam’s wife, Jenessa; and their son, Augustus, work together to operate their 600 registered and commercial Angus cow herd in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Augustus Sawyer, fifth generation of the Sawyer family, now holds his great-grandfather’s lifetime membership of the American Angus Association. The family hopes that one day Augustus will carry on the Sawyer family’s Angus tradition.
For more information about the American Angus Association Century Award, visit www.angus.org.
— Karen Hiltbrand, Angus Communications
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