When Curt Russell stepped into his role as the 120th president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) at the group’s annual convention in Steamboat Springs this June, it marked another milestone in a lifetime devoted to cattle, community and advancing the industry.
For Curt, leadership is not just about holding an office, it’s about carrying forward the legacy of beef producers while helping chart a path for future generations.
“I’ve been in agriculture my entire life,” Curt told WLJ. “I grew up on a mixed farm and cattle operation in southeast Kansas, went to Kansas State, and pretty much never left the business.”
Building a life
Curt’s agricultural story is also a love story. He met his wife, Susan, at a junior college livestock judging contest in Tennessee while attending different junior colleges in Kansas. A year later, their paths crossed again at Kansas State (K-State) University, and they’ve been together ever since. “We just celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary last month,” Curt proudly said.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and industry from K-State, Curt worked at Land O’Lakes’ research farm in Iowa, then entered feedlot management in Nebraska. He later moved into commodity marketing, buying and selling cattle and grain in Omaha. In 1991, they moved to Colorado to manage the Ordway feedlot for Foxley Cattle Company. Eventually, Curt and Susan decided to strike out on their own.
Susan grew up in a Hereford seedstock family in south-central Kansas, where her father’s advice would shape their own operation. When Curt and Susan moved to Colorado, they asked her father whether to stick with Herefords or explore something new.
“Her dad was someone I could lean on when we started out,” Curt recalled. “I asked him, ‘If you were starting today, would you stick with Herefords?’ He told me to look at those black Simmentals. So that’s what we did.”
That suggestion set the course for Reflected R Ranch in Sugar City, CO, which has since earned recognition in the Simmental breed community.
At Reflected R Ranch, Curt emphasizes the use of advanced reproductive technologies such as artificial insemination (AI).
“To be successful in the seedstock business today, you have to be using a lot of AI and a lot of embryo transfer,” he explained.
AI, he argued, allows smaller operations to access elite genetics for a fraction of the cost of high-dollar herd bulls. “You can buy the best genetics in the world for $20, $30, $40 a straw, or you can go pay $50,000 for a bull. Just makes a lot more sense.”
In addition to their operation, in the early 1990s, they purchased a feed store and custom mill, expanding into a semi fleet and the AI business. “We made the decision to buy that feed store … we plugged away from 2000 until 2019 when we sold it,” Curt explained. After a brief retirement, the couple returned to agricultural services, resuming work in liquid feed and AI.
“It seems like we’ve always had something going on in addition to the ranch,” Curt said with a laugh. “But everything we’ve done has been tied to agriculture.”
Commitment to CCA, industry
Curt’s involvement with the association stretches back more than 30 years. “A good friend of mine got me into it originally,” he said. He began on committees, eventually chairing the marketing committee, and joined the board in 2017. Leadership, he said, is a natural progression at CCA: “By the time you’re ready to be president, you are so well versed in the organization issues that it really is a natural progression to move up to that office.”
As president, Curt acknowledges the weight of current challenges. Chief among them is wolf management on Colorado’s Western Slope, where ranchers have faced repeated depredations since reintroductions began in late 2023.
“There’s certainly some lack of trust between our cattle producers and (Colorado) Parks and Wildlife,” he said. “They had a whole plan before they turned wolves loose. And then once wolves were on the ground and problems started, the plan went out the window.”
Curt has pledged to keep pressure on policymakers while also broadening CCA’s focus. “We’re not going to cut back on what we’re doing, but we’re going to try to do a few other things as well,” he said.
Curt believes the future of Colorado agriculture depends not just on managing predators but also on bridging the growing divide between urban and rural communities. His goal is to increase outreach to urban voters, asking them to consider ranchers’ perspectives while also listening to theirs.
“Three or four counties can control programs that affect the other 60,” he said. “We’ve got to find ways to reach out, close that divide and help people see things from our perspective—but also listen to theirs.”
Curt is equally focused on strengthening ties among agricultural groups, from the Colorado Livestock Association to Colorado Farm Bureau and Colorado Wool Growers Association. “Ninety percent of the time, we agree. We end up arguing about 10%,” Curt said. “If we set aside that 10% and work together, our legislators will take us more seriously.”
This year also marks a significant milestone for CCA: the return to the historic Livestock Exchange Building in Denver, the association’s original home. “We’ll be moving into the third floor later this fall, hopefully before Stock Show,” Curt said. “We’ve still got some fundraising to do, but it’s exciting to bring the organization back to its roots.”
Looking toward the future
While Curt is focused on policy and organizational goals, he also worries about the future of the beef industry itself. “There’s way too much gray hair in this business,” he said. “We need to find ways to bring young people into ranching—even if they’re not from ranch families. The cost of land and cattle is intimidating, but if we don’t address that, we’ll end up like pork or dairy, with just a handful of operations left.”
CCA has already opened conversations about mentorship, succession and financial support for beginning producers. Curt sees that as vital work for the coming years. “Government can play a role, but it’s also on us as producers,” he said. “We’ve got to think about how we transition and how we help the next generation step in.”
Even with such challenges, Curt remains hopeful. He and Susan continue to balance their Simmental program, AI services and feed business with their deep involvement in their local community, church and breed associations. That balance of family, faith and service is what defines Curt’s approach to leadership.
“As cattlemen, we’ve got to keep giving our time to the beef community,” he said. “This is about more than just us—it’s about ensuring the future of the industry for the generations to come.” — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
