History of the Ames Angus Herd
Hobart Ames started his Angus herd December
3, 1913 when he purchased 19 heifers at the Chicago
International Livestock Exposition through Mr. Ken McGregor of
Manitoba, Canada. Angus breeders in Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa and
Missouri bred those females. Angus cattle raised by Mr. Ames won
blue ribbons in cattle shows all across the country. One of his
bulls, Ames Plantation Beau, was the 1917 Grand Champion of the
Chicago International Livestock Expedition. An oil painting of
this magnificent bull now hangs in the Ames Manor House in Grand
Junction, Tennessee. At present, the Ames Plantation Angus herd
is one of the oldest continuous purebred herds in the South and
according to the American Angus Association is the 4th oldest
Angus herd in the United States.
Following Mrs. Ames death in January of 1950, the Angus herd, as
a component of the Ames Plantation holdings, passed to the
Trustees of the Hobart Ames Foundation. Ames cattle continued to
compete in the show ring until the 1960’s. During the middle
part of that decade, the emphasis began to shift from a show
herd to a research program designed to assist area beef
producers in making efficient use of their livestock resources
and the land area and pastures they utilized.
Today, the Angus herd includes leading bloodlines such as
Leachman Hoss, Twin Valley Durabull, Rito 9M9, BAR EXT Traveler
205 and Ginger Hill Traveler 21 along with some proven Ames
Plantation stock. Breeding age bulls and replacement females are
available to the public. If you are interested, you may contact
us at 901-878-1067 or at info@amesplantation.org.