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Lifetime Interest Leads To Success In Cattle Industry
Pope County Tribune - Starbuck Times
Written by Chad Koenen - Starbuck Times New Editor   
Thursday, 14 May 2009 07:38


Utilizing the land and existing operation, along with his knowledge of the cattle industry, Frederickson helped build an approximately 150-herd successful family cattle operation. The operation has been honored several times over the years, including recently being named to the American Angus Association 2009 Pathfinder Report. However, the success of the farm doesn't just lay on the arms of Frederickson.

The farm is a family farm with his wife Mary Kay, who is currently a kindergarten teacher at Glacial Hills Elementary School in Starbuck, continuing to help in the daily operation.

When their children, Nate and Sarah were younger, the two helped raise the cattle on the farm in a variety of capacity. Even today, Frederickson said both Nate and Sarah remain active in the beef industry with Nate running his own cattle operation in Spearfish, S.D., and Sarah helping out on the farm whenever she is available.

Behind the work of the family, as well as the progressive and extensive work by various cattlemen associations nationwide, Frederickson said the U.S. cattle industry is one of the best cattle industries in the world.

"America has the highest quality and safest beef product in the world," said Frederickson.

Throughout the years, the hard work of the Frederickson's has paid off with a number of awards both locally and nationally for the cattle operation. In a world where a majority of the cattle producers raise 50 heads or less, the Frederickson Farm continues to be recognized as one of the best in the country. This year, the farm even had three Angus cows named to the American Angus Association 2009 Pathfinder Report.

The Pathfinder Program identifies superior Angus cows based upon recorded performance traits that are economically important to efficient beef production. Some of the traits include early and regular calving and heavy weaning weights. In all, Frederickson was one of only 2,284 of the nearly 33,000 American Angus Association members are represented in this year's report.

The honor is one Frederickson said he shares with a number of other area cattle operations who have been identified by the Pathfinder Report for exceptional cattle over the past few years, and is just one accomplishment for a farmer who has perfected his trait since purchasing the cattle operation nearly 35-years ago.

After all, for Frederickson raising cattle isn't just a job, it is fulfilling a dream.