Ohio family recognized for historic Angus herd

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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — James Rentz of Creek Side Farm, Coldwater, Ohio, has received the Historic Angus Herd award from the American Angus Association to showcase his lifetime commitment to the Angus breed.

This award is presented to active Angus breeders and immediate family members who have been in continuous production of registered Angus cattle for 50 or more years.

Show circuit

Since joining the American Angus Association in 1953, Creek Side Farm has participated in shows and sales at the local, state and national level. Rentz and his wife, Judy, have three children who were active in the Ohio Junior Angus Association and successfully exhibited cattle at several National Junior Angus Shows (NJAS).

He and his family have bred and exhibited multiple winners and sale topper cattle throughout the years. They were the first family to be named All-American Futurity Champion Udder Cow in 1984.

Rentz also has the only Angus herd to breed and exhibit back-to-back champion carcass steers at the NJAS in 1985 and 1986. For 14 years, he served as a fieldman throughout the Midwest for the Angus Journal.

Leadership

In addition to their involvement in the Angus show circuit, Rentz was the 2001-02 president of the Ohio Angus Association and a board member for more than 25 years. He served as the publicity chairman and announcer during the 1984 NJAS.

For nine years, Rentz served on the Ohio Beef Council and is a former treasurer of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association. For five years, he served as the president of the Mercer County Cattlemen’s Association. Rentz was also a director of the American Angus Association for two terms and served on the national board for six years.

Other awards

The Rentz family was named the 1994 Ohio Angus Family of the Year, and the Mercer County Cattlemen’s Association honored him as the 1999 Mercer County Cattleman of the Year. In 2013, he was inducted into the American Angus Association’s Angus Heritage Foundation.

Over the years, he has had a hand in establishing a number of businesses and events. He founded the Rentz Auction Co. in 1973, which specializes in Angus sales management and auctioneering throughout the U.S. and Canada; the Showcase Sale; and was a co-founder of the Ohio Beef Expo and served as chairman and manager for its first five years.

A few years ago, Rentz wrote the book 50+ Years of Angus Trails and Tales, which highlights the dynamics of the Angus industry and how it was shaped into what it is today. The book was introduced in Louisville in 2006 and has been sold in more than 40 states and in Canada.

For more information on the Historic Angus Herd award and to view a list of awarded members since 1988, visit www.angus.org.