Bedwell Charolais

The Bedwell Family being presented their award at the
2003 Iowa Beef Expo by Neil Orth, Vice President of AICA.

2003 National Charolais
Seedstock Producers of the Year

Gene & Ruth Bedwell

   "As a beef producer, running cows combines
   a sincere love of cattle with the enjoyment of
   independence and solitude. On a daily basis, it
   is the beef producer and the cows. You get to
know the cattle, and the cattle know you. This
is very important in order to survive the long
   run in this business."

- Gene Bedwell

The Bedwell family being honored
during the 1995 Iowa Beef Expo as the
Iowa Seedstock Producers of the Year
by Governor Terry Branstad.   >>>

   As long-time Iowa Charolais Breeders' Association members, our family was honored to receive the 2003 American International Charolais Association Outstanding Seedstock Producer Award.

     We began our operation in 1965, with the purchase of 40 acres of pasture and hay ground in south central Iowa (cow country). A year later, we bought our first cows - 10 half-blood Charolais. In 1969, we expanded the farm with the purchase of 160 acres, & then purchased 10 more half-blood Charolais cows along with a Charolais bull and began raising & keeping replacements. From this herd of 20 cows, we have bred up to a purebred, registered herd. Today, the farm has expanded to 650 acres with 100+ head of spring-calving cows.

     Bedwell Charolais is backed by over 25 years of performance measurement. In 1978, the herd was put on the Iowa Beef Improvement Assoc. program.

We also use carcass data, structural soundness, disposition, and EPDs as selected tools to produce our end product.

We are totally committed to producing the highest-quality purebred Charolais cattle. From our breeding program to our marketing program, we utilize time-tested ideas that have been gained through over 40 years in the cattle business. We prefer private treaty sales when it comes to selling our cattle. We like to have the face-to-face contact with people & enjoy having them visit our farm. When we get people here to see our cattle & our program, we can usually help fill their needs. Our family operation has been built from honesty, integrity, hard work, & a sincere love for the breed - we stand behind our cattle.

"Today, the Bedwells are still living in the same home they moved into in 1965. The farm has expanded to
650 acres, with a spring-calving herd of 100+ cows. In order to raise and support a family, the Bedwells
believed they needed a product they could promote and merchandize themselves. The purebred livestock
industry was their opportunity to do this as a family, without off-farm income.

When you approach their farm through the rolling green hills that are dotted with white cattle, you instantly
get the impression of an expertly maintained, no-nonsense cattle operation. Everywhere you look things are
painted, mowed and in as close-to-perfect order as they can be on a working ranch."

- this quote is from an article printed on our family for the 2003 Seedstock Award