The People: Creating Trust, Confidence and Reliability for the Cattle Produced
GENEPLUS combines over 100 years of experience in the Brangus breed and unites many of the breed’s leading herds together under a single genetic alliance. The GENEPLUS name may be new but the participating ranches and the cattle that now carry the GENEPLUS brand have been producing some of the breed’s leading genetics for over a quarter century.
Vernon Suhn
Suhn Cattle Company – Eureka, KS
With a lifetime of experience in the cattle business, from growing up on a 10,000 head commercial operation in South Dakota, to managing highly successful Angus and Brangus operations in the 1970’s and 80’s, Vern and Vicki Suhn’s leap of faith in 1990 to begin their own Brangus operation in Eureka, KS has proven to be one that only added to this storied and highly successful career.
Never one to shy away from technology, Vern has been a leader and fully embraced new changes in the cattle business such as AI in the 1960’s, performance testing in the 70’s and early 80’s, carcass ultrasound technology in the mid 80’s and DNA technology in the 2000’s, leading him to always be on the precipice of the industry. His cowherd has produced numerous breed leading sires including Next Step, Affirmed, Alydar, Foundation, Majestik Beacon and Business Line among a host of others. Name brand maternal cow families such as the 30’s, 331’s, 416’s, 894’s and 919’s also trace their heritage back to the Suhn program.
As GENEPLUS strides into the next decade, the Suhn cowherd and insight will continue to play a large role in the future.
Randy Schmidt
Schmidt Farms – Texarkana, Texas
Growing up in Mississippi, Dr. Randy and Karen Schmidt’s transition following med school to Texarkana, Texas has proven to pay multi-fold as Randy has discovered a passion for the Brangus breed on one of the most beautiful ranches in all of Texas. Operating a commercial herd for many years prior, in 1999 Randy was able to purchase the original portion of the contiguous land he currently ranches on and soon followed the beginning of his registered Brangus herd.
A true student of the business, AI and ET are an integral part of the success of the Schmidt herd, producing herd sires like Brickhouse and females that have served as donors in scores of herds across the country. Their picturesque ranch would be one of the best grass producing pieces of ground in the southern United States and in turn females are developed accordingly, with minimal supplement outside of the Bermuda and Rye Grass they graze.
The 2019 IBBA Breeder of the Year, Randy is a true hands-on operator and has developed an excellent eye for cattle. His passion and studious nature will keep Schmidt Farms and GENEPLUS at the top of their game.
Gail Davis
Chimney Rock Cattle Company – Concord, AR
Bill and Gail Davis embodied the American Dream. Growing up in the livestock market and packing industry, Bill’s love for the cattle business was formed at an early age. In 1975, Bill and Gail built what would become a highly successful trucking enterprise, Bill Davis Trucking, which still operates scores of trucks coast to coast today. The trucking business opened many doors for the Davises, including the formation of a NASCAR team in 1987. Bill Davis Racing competed for 21 years, earning multiple victories, highlighted by a 2002 Daytona 500 championship and a 2008 Truck Series Championship.
The Davises entered the commercial cattle business in the late 1990s with the purchase of what now serves as the Chimney Rock Cattle Company (CRC) headquarters, and expanded into the registered business in 2003 through several key purchases at Camp Cooley and Suhn Cattle Company. Since that time, the CRC herd has flourished, producing influential herd sires such as Guardian, North Star, and Landau, along with donor cows that have made a lasting impact across herds nationwide.
Following Bill’s passing, Gail Davis proudly carries forward his legacy as the owner of Chimney Rock Cattle Company. A true servant to the Brangus breed and GENEPLUS, Bill Davis’ behind-the-scenes impact on the cattle industry helped guide GENEPLUS through its formative years, and his positive, team-first influence continues to be felt today through the program, the people he mentored, and the operation Gail now leads.
Nic Cornelison
Lake Majestik Farms – Flat Rock, Alabama
Nic Cornelison is a true visionary in every aspect. He and his father, Royce, have grown a successful small construction business into one of the premier family-owned full-service construction businesses in the United States. By the same token, Nic’s appetite for success has parlayed Lake Majestik Farms into a budding seedstock operation that will long be a household name in the Brangus business.
Like the other GENEPLUS partners, Nic’s hand in the cattle business began in the commercial sector, transitioning into the registered arena in 2007. Quickly grasping an understanding of pedigree power, Nic hand selected a number of elite females to build the foundation of his program, many stemming back to the Camp Cooley program. Growing in numbers and quality over the next decade, Nic’s approach and high character personality lead him to a friendship with the GENEPLUS partners, eventually joining GENEPLUS as a partner in May of 2018.
Backed by a number of elite cow families and herd sires like Foundation, Majestik Beacon and Signal along with Nic’s high energy and passion for success make him a tremendous asset to the GENEPLUS program, securing its future for generations to come.
