Conley Cattle
Conley Cattle is owned and operated by Kyle and Amanda Conley along with their two sons, Case and Jack. Our herd managers are Alex Bauer and Cole Atkinson. We have an Annual Bull Sale, Annual Fall Production Sale, and a Spring and Fall online show heifer sale.
Conley Cattle was founded in 2006 by Kyle and Amanda Conley with Angus cattle raised by their families. Kyle is a 3rd generation Angus breeder from Clarksdale, Mo. Amanda is a 5th generation Angus breeder from Sulphur, OK. We purchased a farm in Amanda’s hometown with hope to support a family of our own doing what we both love, raising quality cattle. Amanda also works as a pharmacist, and she prides herself in improving the health in our community.
From the beginning, our focus has been the foundation female. The more Kyle traveled to visit Angus herds around the United States, the more he began to figure out what cow families could influence our future as cattle breeders. Some notable cows were instrumental in our start: Double R Bar Pure Pride, Sandy 2355, Sandy 5104, PR Lady 909, Penners Ernestine 3496, Limestone Arkdale Pride U1847, BC Mignonne’s Libby, and Sheza Star W3. We have built our herd around these donors, and they have produced numerous high sellers.
It is difficult to write about our present without understanding our past. We have many people that have helped us along way. Kyle’s dad, Bill Conley, and Amanda’s dad, Harris Penner, have been fundamental in our progress. They offer us the knowledge and understanding of the cattle business as well as the daily perspective of how to continue our progress. The late Bill Conley, Sr , past president of the American Angus Association motivated Kyle to be involved in the AAA and National Junior Angus Association. Mark Johnson and Chris Mullinix presented the collegiate livestock judging experience that allowed Kyle to not only obtain his college degree, but also to connect with teammates that have similar backgrounds and goals. Chris McCutchen and Mike Marlow hired Kyle right out of college and trusted his influence on the Angus breed. They educated him on the importance of customer service and showed him the importance of being well-rounded in this business. This training soon came in handy when it was time to move to Sulphur to start our own business venture. Not long after starting Conley Cattle, Mike and Dalton Hartman introduced us to raising and marketing other breeds of cattle. This has developed into raising some of the best Simmental and Charolais available. Kyle found M&M Outsider and partnered Troy Thomas and Mike Hartman in 2014. Outsider has gone on to be the top bull in the show cattle world. Along with Outsider, WS Pilgrim and SS High Voltage, these bulls have made us a household name in the herd sire directory. We purchased EXAR Blue Chip 1877B in 2013 from Express Ranches, and he went on to be the 2013-2014 Roll of Victory Show Bull of the Year. He sired some of best show cattle in the country, and his daughters have produced numerous high sellers along with his son, Conley NO Limit 8188. We remember feeling like we were headed in the right direction and gaining attention from respected breeders around the country.
2015-2016 were incredibly progressive years for us. We won Grand Champion Angus Bull at the NWSS with SMA Watchout 482. We partnered with Tyler Cates to purchase Watchout after he placed 4th in class at the 2015 NAILE. Kyle saw something special in this bull, and he was crowned champion bull just 2 months later. During this same time, we purchased 5T Power Chip at the 2015 State Fair of Texas, and he has gone on to be a breed leader for calving ease and phenotype. He highlighted our 2016 Annual Bull Sale, selling 1/3 interest to a syndicate. We purchased Stevenson Turning Point with a breeding group in the fall of 2016, and he went on to sire calving ease, performance cattle. His first sons highlighted our 2019 bull sale and were sold to customers all over the United States and Canada. Conley South Point 8362, Conley Extra Point, and Conley High Line 8045 were also sold in this sale. South Point was purchased by Wilbar Cattle and Poplar Meadows and went on to be the Champion Angus Bull at the 2019 Canadian Western Agribition and 2020 NWSS. We were awarded with the 2016-2017 Roll of Victory Show Heifer of the Year with Conley Sandy 5104, a daughter of Blue Chip, and her second natural calf was Reserve Grand Champion at the 2016 NWSS Junior Show for Kynlee Daily. She has consistently produced high demand progeny. Conley Express 7211 was sold in 2018 to a group of progressive breeders led by Express Ranches. He is off to an exciting start by producing promising heifers and bulls gaining interest and topping sales all over the country. Our 2020 bull sale was highlighted by the popular bull, Conley Expression (purchased by Semex and Predestined Cattle), Conley Prowess (ST Genetics), Conley Express 9174 (purchased by C-4), and Conley Express 9419 was the top seller bought by J6 Farm.
We hosted our 10th Annual Fall Production Sale this fall during unsettling times, and we were honored at the success. We measure our success by our customers’ interest in our product, and this year was astounding. The cow families and sires discussed previously were ever present in our catalog.
Tom Burke and Jeremy Haag with the Angus Hall of Fame have managed our sales from the beginning. (Jeremy Haag):
“Conley Cattle is a program that is constantly in motion. From the very first time working with both the Conley and Penner families, I could see the passion and drive to build upon their strong Angus foundations and merge these experiences into a formidable Angus program. Both Kyle and Amanda have dedicated their entire lives to the business and have committed to raising their two boys in this great industry.
Their program’s success is actually very simple, and it isn’t due to the efforts of just one person or two, it is because they have the ability to find the right fit in those that work alongside them. Kyle and Amanda are aware of each individual’s personal talents and gel them into where their talents are the most beneficial and with that comes success! This is why people like being a part of Conley Cattle, and the result is an efficient work team.
Kyle and Amanda have also been successful because of the breeding philosophy at Conley Cattle that is not like others around the country, they have bred cattle with one main thing in mind, the “Angus Cow”. They understand that this is the single most important factor in the business, and they learned this from their fathers and grandfathers.
Conley Cattle has made tremendous strides in the last 10 years. I remember the first sale in Sulphur, Oklahoma with about 35 people there in the tent getting ready to sell about 50 lots of cattle. It wasn’t easy as a sale manager but the best thing that they have done to build on this is to keep their sales on the same day each year, at the same time, and have stuck with it. Sounds simple but it isn’t, most programs bounce around to new sale dates each year, a different time of the year, or just give up when they have a tough sale. You don’t win the World Series every year, some years are better than other. I can tell you, they have stayed consistent on the third Saturday in September at 6:00 pm and it has become their day, simple concept, but it works.” Jeremy Haag
The next generation holds the key to our success. Our herd managers and summer interns offer a new outlook and perspective on this industry, and their input is greatly valued. Our two herd managers, Alex Bauer and Cole Atkinson are instrumental in the success at Conley Cattle. Alex joined us in 2017, and Cole joined us in 2019. Employee is not a term we use here; we are a team. We feel that outlook makes us unique. We each allow the other to do what we are best at, whether that is taking care of herd health, livestock show preparation, farm improvements, sales and marketing, or customer service. Cole and Alex work diligently to ensure the cattle are presented to their full potential and that customers are pleased. We are passionate about the cattle industry, and we enjoy taking time to visit other operations. We are always happy to see what genetics are working for other programs and consider implementing those genetics in our program. We are constantly striving for progress.
We enjoy watching our customers exhibiting their cattle, and we were excited to watch our oldest son, Case exhibit his first heifer this past year. It was a learning experience for all of us! Our boys grow more interest in the cattle industry every season, and we are thrilled for them to exhibit the Simmental and Charolais cattle we have raised. They will also exhibit their Angus Bred & Owned cattle.
Our goals for the next ten years are beyond the showring. We want to continue raising sought after bulls and donors and investing in other breed leaders’ genetics. We want to be even more present in the Bred and Owned portion of cattle shows, seeing junior customers have a return on their investment is important to us.
We pride ourselves in being approachable, accessible, and ambitious. We strive to make a positive influence on junior cattle members. Amanda and I grew up in this very same business, and we are thankful beyond words for our experiences. The associations and groups we are involved in have shaped our business and personal lives. I use the public speaking experience I gained through NJAA and collegiate livestock judging in our business daily. My advisors and mentors gave me the confidence to pursue this as my passion and career. We want those same experiences for our children and junior exhibitors. We are thankful for our past and pleased with our present. We strive to produce cattle that compete in the showring but still focus on raising cattle that work in the pasture. We want to be your source for bulls, donors, and show heifers.