podcast. Your source for livestock
market insights, management strategies,
and real conversations with those who
don't just work in the cattle industry,
they live it. Here are your hosts, Ty D
Cordova and Casey Mabry.
Well, welcome here to live in Boise,
Idaho to the We Live It podcast. Here we
have a little over 21,000 cattle to
offer today. I'm joined here today by
the I guess he's going to be the new
cocohost
slash intern slash
yeah coffee getter
something like that a little bit thinner
a little bit taller than than his
counterpart but uh
in case you couldn't join us today so we
have Wade Burks with Blue Reef uh and
then also we have Logan Epson with
Western Livestock Journal WLJ
headquartered out of Denver um going to
talk a little bit about the industry
affairs and uh what they do in the
industry as far as getting your names
out there and and advertising your sales
and such. But first of all, Logan, we've
we go back quite a bit. Friendship,
we've known each other quite a while. Um
you got something coming up in two weeks
with the kiddos that we we like to talk
a lot about and as Casey goes through,
we talk a lot about his kids showing and
showing pigs and stuff. And your
daughter and son are is the son showing
yet? Is he not yet? He's not old enough.
No, no, I've got we got two that are
showing. My my two oldest daughters. So
one's 13, one's nine. So we got a first
year 4 and and uh my daughter last year
won the steer show and one showmanship.
So she's got a little bar that she needs
to reach again. So there's a lot of
pressure at home right now. But in doing
that, we're juggling sports. We're
juggling dance. We're juggling these
county fair steers. But you know, then
we go right into school and summer's
almost over. So yeah, here we are.
Yeah, that school's right around the
corner. My girls are dreading it.
They've been in the show barn and the
pool and just kind of living a dream. I
call home every morning after I get to
work and they say, "What are y'all
doing?" they're just living their best
life, you know, just laying around. Um,
how how does that with our with our busy
schedule that that we all have?
It's awesome to see us able to be able
to spend that kind of time with our kids
and and and to grow them up in the
industry, grow them up, whether it's
showing steers or showing heers or pigs
or whatever, but they're in the
agriculture industry and they they seem
to love it.
Yeah. So, it's it's one of my proudest
moments is when my daughter told me that
she wants to be an a lawyer because she
wants to be able to keep ranches and
ranching families and and that was it's
kind of set you back cuz then you're
starting to realize like and I'm not
going to take any credit cuz my wife is
the one that she's the driver and and my
girls look up to her. They've got a
great role model. Um but I mean you can
say this like you you you're probably in
a stage of life like you you're chasing
things you didn't think you would chase
when you had kids, you know, and that's
where we're at. I didn't think I would
love softball so much, but but watching
them like succeed, you know, and that's
the thing is you you see them develop a
passion. You see them develop something
that that they want to succeed in. And
all our job as parents is to open the
door. And so here we are going to
practices and tournaments and trying to
do all the juggle. But it's worth it.
You know that.
You picture me as a tennis dad.
I didn't see that coming, but
I I got one.
Yeah.
But they don't they kind of frown. My
oldest daughter, she kind of frowns upon
that if I show up in that skirt. But I
told her, "If if y'all can wear that
kind of stuff, I think I can too.
So they so they don't wear it." So,
but you know, I just shaved them from
the knee down.
As is girl dads, we've all had our nails
painted a time or two.
Oh, man. Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, last week and I'm
not going to get it. Never mind. People
are going to start getting phone calls.
But, but no, it's just this is what I
love about all of it. It's all a family
deal. It's uh family or oriented. It's
uh relationship based. It's just it's
all of that. So, and it's good to hear
other people talk about their kids, too,
because we we hold them up at such high
regard. So, let's kind of dive into what
uh kind of what is WLJ? Uh you want to
kind of give us a brief how you got
there, where you been, all that?
Yeah. So, so my story um I started with
the American Angus Association in the
spring of 2007. I was with them five
years. Um, and I started looking around
to see, okay, what is my next step? What
is, and if I would have taken a
promotion with the association, I'd had
to move to Missouri. And my heart and
soul is in the western US. Uh, I grew up
in southeast Idaho and I registered
Herford and Angus operation. Um, and so
I just never saw myself moving, you
know, towards the east, even though I
know there's there's so much industry
there, but my heart's out here. And so I
started looking around and Western
Livestock Journal kind of fit that mold
because it's more commercially cattle
driven. Um, I love working the sales,
working the auctions, and this just kind
of developed right into what I felt was
my passion. Um, and so in in 2012, right
before my first daughter was born, we
decided to make a transition. So, my
predecessor, guy named Jerry York, was a
legend in our business. He was getting
ready to kind of slow down. So, we split
his territory in half and I came on
board with Western Livestock Journal.
Um, was with them 10 years. So, in that
in that three-year process, Jerry fully
retired. I took over the six western
states. um started building my business
and and the biggest driver why I wanted
to do that was it's 100% commi
commission driven for their field reps
and I wanted to know at that point if I
had what it takes. I wanted to know if I
could succeed just being on my own. Um
obviously backed by you know a company
that's been there for over a hundred
years now. Um it's a little side story
which I'm pretty proud of that in 1922
it started with a $5,000 loan from the
LA stockyards. And so when you start
going over the history of of WLJ,
it survived so many different things.
And so now that we here we are in, you
know, 2025 and it's like, you know,
there's a little bit of pressure there
cuz it's like you don't want it to fell
under my leadership, but it's the first
time that's not in the Crow family. And
so we're all kind of driven and I kind
of see there's there's kind of a
likeness to what Live Aag is doing
compared to what WLJ is doing because
we've we've gotten a lot younger in our
staff, but we're all kind of driven. and
we all want to make this thing succeed.
And I see that with you guys, too. Like
it's kind of a younger staff, but
everybody's driving for something. You
want to hold on to something and make it
successful. And this is our legacy and
this is our opportunity. And I think
that's where I I see what you guys are
doing. I'm pretty proud of what I've
told you that. I've told Jason that. Um
told a lot of your team that. I'm proud
of what you guys are doing because
you're not afraid of it. And I think
that's where with Western Livestock
Journal, it's kind of the same way. Like
we see that there's this thing here, but
we want to make it bigger. We want to
make it more successful. And so we want
to prove to the industry that we're
worthwhile. Um but in where we're at now
about 3 years ago we went through a
transition. So National Livestock out of
Oklahoma City purchased WLJ. Um and in
that I transition into the role of
president and
which has been great but it's had it
challenges as you're probably seeing
from a leadership role. It's every day
is not perfect.
And so you go through those those bumps
where you're starting to figure out cuz
when you take over something like that,
everybody's been sitting on these ideas
and you're like it's time to go. We want
to go out there and and all these ideas
we've been sitting on. We want them to
go and we want them just charge right
into it. But if you let the horses run,
they're going to tire out. And so you
have to be careful in how you do that.
And so, you know, you want to have
controlled growth and control the the
culture, but um you also want to be
supportive. You want to make sure that
everybody's appreciated. You want to
make sure everybody's respected. Um and
that's I think the key to all
relationships in life, too. And so
that's where we're at now. It's been a
lot of fun to see how people have
developed. They've taken on ideas.
They've taken on different roles. And I
I think where we're at now is in a
really good spot where we're just
continuing to grow slowly.
So, kind of identify your team a little
bit. Who who you got out there, where
they're at, what what regions they have,
and
Yeah. So, the traditional model of a of
a publication is that um and I'll start
with our Fieldman. So if if you know our
a lot of our business is built around
auctions obviously and so a lot of
people recognize us working in the ring
at a lot of these at these sales in the
different parts of the territories. Um
and so the model sense that if if
somebody's having an auction they can
call one of our fieldmen and they'll
help them develop a campaign because
we're doing not just the weekly
publication but now we have a full
digital line of products. So whether
it's Google or social media or whatever
they want to do we can we can help them
advertise and reach the right audience.
Um, and I think that's the interesting
thing in the business that we have now
is because it's not just the
traditional, you know, printing a
publication and sending it to a people.
We we have to essentially take the
advertising and put it in front of the
people, whether that's through a digital
place or through a print publication.
And so our field are able to say, okay,
what's going to be the best? What's our
initiative? What what's our end goal?
And what's the product that we have to
sell? And we're going to try to put that
product in front of the right people. So
you might not all see all the
advertising in the publication, but
you're going to see it in different
avenues. Um, but that's what um, kind of
going back to that model is through
advertising dollars is then the customer
service of that is the guy showing up
and working the sales. So the the
advertising dollars are paying for that
service on sale day. Um, once the ads
are sold, then it goes through our
production team. Um, and so we've got ad
designers, um, and a and a production
team that, uh, like Kirby Brianfeld is
our production and office manager. Anna
Jackson does all the social media. Um,
we got Mike and Tristan that do all the
all the day-to-day stuff and building
the publications and the websites and so
forth. Um, but I guess I want to kind of
harp on just for a quick second is that
a publication doesn't go if it doesn't
have the right editorial. you have to
have people that want to read the
information that's in between the pages
and and we have a really really neat
editorial staff and and it's it's small
but they have a big network and so Anna
Miller who just got married and u and
Charlie Wallace and and they do a great
job they pull in a lot of relevant
information that is pertaining to our
western readership and so there's 12 of
us on staff total um and it's one of
those things that everybody's kind of
driven uh don't have to I'm not a
micromanager they just do what they're
supposed to do and everybody body kind
of gets to get, you know, everybody does
get along. Um, but it just it works and
I think that's the one thing as as
things have settled down through this
transition, everybody's kind of filled
into their roles. I think that's what I
appreciate the most is everybody just
got their head down and working.
You got a famous football star, too,
that that works for y'all, don't you? I
mean, it's a I I couldn't go with this
whole day without mentioning the
football player that works for y'all.
He's a legend. Um, he's he's a legend.
Um, but I would say they're all legends.
So, in terms of our field staff, we've
we've got uh a great team. Uh, so out
here in in the far west is Jared
Patterson. Um, he cames from comes from
Delo, Idaho. Um, and then in Colorado,
we got a guy named Ty Gons. Um, who I
actually, believe it or not, he
interviewed me. He'd been at the job at
American Angus Association for like 6
months. And uh when I went out there and
interviewed uh to get the first job out
of college, which I didn't think I was
qualified for, you know, I I was totally
spun out. And uh I got into Tai's office
that day and he looked at me and goes,
"I've only been here 6 months. Don't
worry about it. Just sit down."
So So it was it was a great opportunity.
Ty and I have been friends ever since.
Um and then in the in Montana, we
actually just went through a transition.
So Devon Min had been with us for almost
10 years. um and had an great
opportunity to he's now at LMA and I
just want to kind of shout out to what
his leadership and what he did for WLJ
through the transition and and building
the territory up there. Um his little
brother Kevin Mnon just joined us and so
as we kind of went through a transition
there and Kevin's going to do wonderful
things for us and I think the world of
that whole family but uh really excited
for Kevin to do fill in his brother
older brother's shoes but then kind of
make it his own territory and excited
for that. you you talk about your your
team and and you you've got all your
field reps out there and to be a field
rep and you're not micromanaging. You've
got you're in charge of your own
destiny. Like you said, if it's a
commission job, you got to want to go
out there and go get it. So, I didn't
know this about about your guys. So,
you're helping your customers build a
marketing plan. You're engaged. You're
not just calling them up going, "Hey,
can I get an ad? I'll show up to your
sale." So, what what's the relationship
there like with your customers?
I think you said the word perfectly.
It's relationships, you know, and and I
think and I don't want to I don't want
to sound negative, but you know, I I
think in this in this day and age, you
know, loyalty is a hard word to come by
because everybody has their own
situations. And all these different
ranches, all the different programs,
they have businesses decisions that they
have to make. And sometimes that gets in
the way of of the personal
relationships. Um, and I'll I'll be
upfront. One of the hardest things that
I had to do in my role is to give up
some of the relationships and the
accounts to Jared. And I think it it
didn't really strain us because I, you
know, picked somebody that I knew could
do a better job than I did. Um, but at
the same time, it's still hard. These
are these are not
accounts. They're friends now, right?
That I've had relationships with these
people for years.
And you to step back and say, "Okay, in
order for Jared to be successful, I need
to get out of his way." And that's a
hard thing to do. I mean, if if if you
ever ever done it, you know exactly what
I'm talking about. I
know exactly what you're talking about.
And but you have to trust that your
people are going to do it and they're
going to handle those relationships and
and so that's where um
you know, as our fieldmen travel, they
have to earn the trust and that's where
the relationships come from. And so, you
know, as as we go up and down the road,
as these accounts are calling onto our
fieldmen, if they don't trust them and
and listen to their guidance, then you
you're kind of spinning your wheels. But
we we want to really be a part of the
transactional process for for everybody.
So um we kind of step back and say,
okay, you know, we're here at the bull
sale. So we see what these commercial
ranchers are spending on bulls, what
what kind of bull are they buying, what
direction are they taking their program,
who are they buying bulls from? And then
through our relationships with the video
companies, then we're able to be on that
part of the transaction. And so now
we're able to kind of make a comment on
on where they get their bulls from, the
genetic purchases. And so we're involved
in multiple transactions with these
people. And so when you're involved in
that, the relationship deepens because
there's now, you know, their livelihood
is involved. And so that's where I think
we become pretty valuable to that
equation. So that when they call, they
say, "Okay, well, let's do this. Let's
let's move some ad dollars from print
over to digital or from digital back
over to print and let's let's take this
product and put it here.
What was that like to go from a print
public or you're obviously you'll always
have the print publication but to bring
in the digital piece of that? Was it
controversial? Was it hard to do? How do
you evolve?
Well, I I think if you don't evolve,
you're going to get lost and you're
going to get left behind, right?
Yeah.
um
any push back from the older folks or
not even necessarily not the profiler
older folks, younger folks, but
I think there's I think there's an
education that comes along with it. You
know, I I think our accounts want to
know. Um what we've found is that they
know they need to do something digital,
but they don't know how to do something
digital. And and so, you know, it's it's
hard when you when you place your
advertising dollars in a print
publication, you flip that print
publication open and you see your ad.
You see your advertisements. When you do
digital, you don't necessarily always
see your ad.
Yeah. Cuz you're not targeting them.
And and if you're doing it right, you
don't see your ad.
You never should see it. You know, one
of the hardest things that I had to wrap
my head around when we started getting
into the digital world is like in the in
the print publication, like you think
the name is the most important thing in
the digital side, the name doesn't the
name's irrelevant. They want your IP
address and they want to know where
you've been on the internet, what what
kind of purchases have you made, what
are you what product are you searching?
That's when those ads go in front of
those people.
So, I really struggled with that. I
mean, for months like,
what do you mean the name doesn't
matter? The name's irrelevant,
right?
Be in big print across the top of that.
Your your your numbers. Yeah.
And and that's all and your address.
Great. But they want your basically, you
know, what you're searching for, what
are you buying, what is your your
spending pattern. And then all of a
sudden these these and it's kind of big
brother stuff, but there's so many
things you can do. it it's scary for a
lot of our our industry because there is
as a group we're kind of more like
scared of the big brother thing or the
anti-government kind of thing but when
you start diving into it and that's I
think that's where our the role of our
fieldman is to educate that it's not
necessarily that it's okay if you're
interested in Angus bulls that have you
know certain pedigrees or certain
numbers or certain EPDS and you're
searching that if we have a customer
that has that product we need to be able
to put those that product in front of
that customer
right Um, we could sit here all day and
just I love the visit and I love the the
conversation. I love what you guys are
doing. How do they find you? How do they
reach out to you? Who who do they talk
to? Do they go to the website? Do they
email you guys direct? Do they call?
What's the best What's the best route to
find you?
The easiest way to find us is going to
our website at wlj.net.
Um, and all our contact information is
on there. You're going to see news, all
the all the latest information that's on
there. uh sell reports, our cell
calendar, you'll be able to see where
we're going to be at. So, wlj.net, go to
the contact us and you'll see all our
fieldmen, our salesmen or or our office
staff
and at least one of y'all or maybe maybe
several of y'all do a write up every
week or is it once a month or every week
or how does that work?
Yep. So, we are a weekly publication. Um
and if they want it digitally right now,
we're offering it for free. So, they can
go on there and subscribe to that. Um it
just gets them more access to all the
cell reports and all the information. um
if they want the print publication, then
there's a subscription charge to that
which they can sign up for. Um but yeah,
that's going to be the best way. All our
information is on that website if they
want to reach out to us. And then
obviously we we're on social media as
well and Western Livestock Journal.
Well, cool, Logan. Thank you. Appreciate
you being on here today. Um thank you
for filling in for Casey since he
abandoned us at last minute and fly all
the way out here. So,
well, and I know we were supposed to
have CJ on, but we don't have time for
him today. So, I guess get to him next
We're going to Exactly. I don't know if
we're going to do him at all.
I got I had one more quick question for
Logan.
Put you back in your territory. You got
to go eat at one restaurant. Where are
you going to go eat?
Um, one place. I don't know if I can
tell you one place. Well, since we're in
Boyisee, Idaho and we were talking about
it just before we went live here. I tie
you into Barbcoa last night. The hot
rock hot rock fillet.
Atmosphere got to go.
The atmosphere is cool. It open doors up
in the back and you're sitting. It's
It's phenomenal.
Yep. Boy, Idaho barbcoa
and the the staff that's the the service
is
unbeliev top notch top notch.
I was curious.
He's got to talk about eating. He gota
he gota tell us catch up.
Well, you got to catch up with Casey.
So, he needs to go get a his average
daily gain. He don't convert very well.
We don't
I don't know if we'd feed him very long.
No. So, thank everybody for joining us
here on the We Live It podcast. We have
We start time of 9 a.m. Mountain time.
Sell a little over 21,000 cattle from
all across the US. Please join us at
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to say so much. If you got any questions
or want to reach out, it's katie
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uh just send her an email if you want to
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Thanks everybody for tuning in. God
bless.