AgSearch by Hale Multimedia

05/21/2026

Summary
On Cattleman’s Corner, Brian Hale interviews Joe Klun of Klun Cattle Company in Pueblo, Colorado, about the advantages of Gelbvieh cattle. Klun says he values the breed for its calving ease, growth, maternal efficiency, and ability to maintain condition in tough environments. He explains that his cows, weighing around 1,400 to 1,500 pounds, are versatile and perform well on a variety of rough grazing conditions. Klun also describes the harsh southern Colorado terrain, including poor grass, sagebrush, cactus, and abandoned river-bottom farmland, where the cattle have continued to thrive.

Transcript
Today we have Joe Klun from Klun Cattle Company, Pueblo, Colorado.

Tell me what you like about the Gelbvieh again.

"There's just a lot. Good calving ease and the growth, and you get big, mature cows. I mean, the cows that I got, you know, they're probably weighing 1,400, 1,500 pounds, and they're easy fleshing. You can put them pretty much anywhere, and they'll work anywhere you take them. I haven't really had any trouble anywhere that they've been, really, which is a good thing, because I've been just chasing grass and getting pasture wherever I can, when I can. So the versatility of them is one thing that I've found."

Tell us about that tough country that you're in, actually. People might want to know what your conditions are like there in southern Colorado.

"A lot of river bottom area. I mean, there's not good grass. It's been a lot of, like, Kochia W**d and just nothing good. Nothing that you really want to have cattle on, but it's something that, you know, all the good stuff is taken. You know, being a younger guy, if you weren't already in it, there's just not a lot of options. So I've had to take them to some pretty rough places, you know, lots of Sagebrush, lots of Cactus, or like I said, the river bottom where it used to be farm ground, and then they quit farming it, so now all that grows out there is Kochia W**d and Pigweed, but they handled that just fine."

Joe Klun from Klun Cattle Company.

05/21/2026

Join co-host Nelseena Lehmann as she asks our guest, Vaughn Knudsen about the keys to great horsemanship.

05/21/2026

Join co-host David Woodruff as he asks our host, Pennsylvania harvester Eric Wolgemuth questions on protein content in different areas of the country.

05/20/2026

Checking in with our co-host David Woodruff, looks like we have Eric Wolgemuth, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania custom harvester.

Let's check in.

"Well, we got a couple combines in Texas trying to finish up, and we got a combine in Oklahoma, just got started, and we're still trying to finish planting corn in Pennsylvania. So, what's it like in Texas? I've seen better, but we did have something to do down there, fortunately. It wasn't all very, I mean, it was, some was okay, but it's pretty tough down there."

How are things in Oklahoma?

"Kind of the same way. I mean, we're like, we just got done in Okarche last night, and the wheat's better than further west, and it seems like the further west you get, the worse it gets, and more gets disastered out the further west you go. I actually cut some wheat that made 40 bushel yesterday."

Whoa.

"There's going to be a lot of wheat, I think, in the area that's going to be at least a little further west. A lot of it's going to be between 10 and 25. How's the bushel weight looking? Some of it's lighter. Some of it's 55. It just depends on timing and variety, and I'm not sure what all, but once we had a little bit, the wheat weighed 59 or 60, too. And, you know, you go across the road, and it might not be, you know, in the 54 or something. Even irrigated, like we had a little bit of irrigating in Texas, and that actually weighed less than the dry land for whatever reason. I don't know."

Sometimes the drier it is, the better the test weight is.

"And sometimes it gives you protein, too."

Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, Custom Harvester, Eric Wolgemuth.

05/20/2026

"My wife June is the key to the whole operation"

That is the impression that we received when talking with Gelbvieh breeder Roger Olsen of Platteville, Colorado. Roger is a Select Sire rep, while June runs the cattle operation on a day-to-day basis.

Here is a transcript of today's conversation;

Now, here's Roger Olson again today from Mill Iron Lazy V Cattle Company.

"One of the things that I failed to mention, Brian, and she is the key to our whole operation, is my wife, June. My way of supporting the herd, I guess, is I am Select Sire Rep here in central Colorado. She kind of maintains the herd herself. We couldn't do it without her. I didn't want to do an interview without mentioning her. This is a family operation, it's a heritage, it's a way of life."

Would you give it up for anything else?

"No, I wouldn't. And you're right, it is a way of life. I've sold herds before, but I've always ended up with cows again. It's just, like you said, a way of life. And it's good people. I mean, the cattle people that we deal with on a daily basis, yeah, you're right, I wouldn't trade it for anything."

That was Roger Olson from Northeastern Colorado's Mill Iron Lazy V Cattle Company.

05/20/2026

On this interview, the late Howard Hale had Ron Knodle, the unknown horseman, talking about his training methods. Let's check in on that conversation. Nebraska horseman Ron Knodle is our guest today.

Ron, give us some of your thoughts about how you ought to use your hands and your legs, particularly on that young horse that you're starting. The two-handed stuff, whether you're in a hackamore or a snaffle, the more that you keep pulling on one rein, the more that they fall to the outside, and you're not going to be able to, for example, make a reining horse when you need to push him through the turns. So one of the things that I've been doing really strong with most of my people that I've been working with in the later years is using almost equal pressure with your inside and outside rein and do more trying to push the horse through the turns than to pull him through the turns so that he was not as apt to fall out to the outside.

And what are your legs doing in that situation? I ride my horse as one-legged. For example, when I start a young horse, I open and close doors as a pre-signal. So if I'm riding a young horse along and I want to go to the ride, the first thing I do is my right leg comes off, the left leg comes on.

The right hand and the right leg work in unison. They come off of the horse and the left leg would come on if I was going to the right and vice versa. Trainer and clinician Ron Knodle with the late Howard Hale.

05/19/2026

Roger Olson's Cattle Operation: Roger Olson is involved in a family-run cattle business in eastern Colorado, operating the Mill Iron Lazy V Cattle Company. The operation specializes in registered Gelbvieh cattle, a breed chosen for its maternal traits, feed efficiency, and adaptability to pasture conditions. Despite challenges from area development and droughts, the cattle have performed well, and Olson maintains a mix of pasturing and feedlot strategies. They also host an annual bull sale, the Pot of Gold Bull Sale, which has been successful over the years, with strong sales of both bulls and heifers.

Broadcasting and Community Engagement: The interviewer, Brian from Hale Broadcasting, discussed how their radio broadcasting covers agriculture in multiple states, including a focus on cattle operations. Hale Broadcasting provides both radio and podcast formats to share insights from the agricultural community, emphasizing personal interviews rather than traditional news reports. The program celebrates a long heritage of cattle operations and promotes sharing stories and information within the community, highlighting its rootedness as a way of life.

Online Presence and Advertising: Roger Olson mentioned utilizing the website gelbviehbulls.net for promoting their annual bull sales. They also engage in various advertising channels, such as postcards and regional publications, with word-of-mouth playing a significant role in their sales success. Although initially lacking in social media engagement, Olson's operation recognizes the growing importance of digital presence.

Family and Heritage: A significant highlight is the role of family in the operation, with Roger attributing much of the success to his wife, June. This underscores the operations as not only a business endeavor but also a lifestyle choice deeply integrated with family values and traditions.

Transcript
Today we have Roger Olson, a Gelbvieh breeder from Colorado. How did you get started in the Gelbvieh, Roger?

Well, in 1970, my dad bought a group of three-quarter blood Gelbvieh cattle from a gentleman in South Dakota. There was 75 head there. The Gelbvieh breed has always been really, really good for us. We've always just stayed with it.

Why do you think that is?

They check all the boxes, as far as maternal traits, feed gain, their do-ability as far as pastures are concerned, docile disposition, very fertile cattle. We have just a super breed up every year. The cows have just not ever let us down. Even drought years, like we are having this year, just having phenomenal calves. Like I said, they've always treated us very well. They've never disappointed. We have an annual bull sale, pot of gold bull sale, over in Montrose, Colorado, every year, last Friday in February. I have been doing that for 35 years and have just been a successful bull sale and sell feedstock. They've always just been really good for us.

What kind of country is that where you are? Is that good for raising cattle?

It was good at one time. We're being invaded by subdivisions and investment groups and stuff like that, so we're having a hard time as far as finding pasture and feed. It's becoming a challenge.

Your location is Platteville. Where is that?

Fifteen miles south of Greeley, up in the north central.

That was Roger Olson from northeastern Colorado's Mill Iron Lazy V Cattle Company.

That's going to do it for today's Cattleman's Corner.

05/19/2026

05/19/2026

The timing of the release is everything.

05/18/2026

We have horseman and clinician Brian Neubert on the program today.

After more than 20 years of training these colts, is there anything new that you've learned? Well, I don't know if it's something new, but more sensitive to the importance of observing, detecting the horse efforts toward what I want to accomplish. It's whole thing really amounts to encouraging thoughts and actions you want and discouraging thoughts and actions you don't want. And I suppose until I'm done working with horses, I'll probably get, hopefully, more sensitive on that aspect.

Relieving the pressure when the horse even has a thought in the direction that I want to go. And I don't guess I'll ever try to get more sensitive on that, but that's where the efficiency comes in and it makes it or breaks it. That's just very, very important.

Veteran horseman and clinician Brian Neubert on the Horseman's Corner. That's going to do it for today's program, but there's more on the web at horsemanscorner.com. And don't forget about that page, Horseman's Corner Radio and Podcast. Visit and follow today.

05/18/2026

Joe, the owner of Klun Farms & Cattle, discussed his background and journey in the cattle business. Growing up on a farm that has been in his family since the 1900s, Joe has been involved with agriculture from an early age. After starting a separate career in telecommunications focusing on low-voltage fiber optic lines, he has spent over a decade building this business alongside his cattle ventures. Joe’s passion for cattle was revived post-high school by trading his initial herd for equipment, eventually leading him to focus on breeding registered Gelbvieh cattle, which he admires for their calving ease, growth potential, and versatility across tough environments. His approach includes stringent culling and using top genetics through Artificial Insemination (AI) for herd improvement.

Joe also shared details about his telecommunications business, which operates statewide in Colorado and extends to other states for projects motivated by pay incentives, such as post-hurricane work in Florida. Now employing 12 people, he is expanding his operations by branching into other areas, including transportation and logistics.

Marketing and Sales Strategy for Cattle

Joe's cattle sales primarily occur through word-of-mouth and private treaty rather than formal auctions, resulting in satisfied, repeat customers. He shared his thoughts on pricing strategies and the challenges of running a formal sale, noting that while his herd isn't large enough to produce big catalogs, he successfully sells bulls privately. Joe appreciates the rarity and demand variance between black and red Gelbvieh cattle, with preferences influenced strongly by consumer opinion on color.

Joe has plans to advance his marketing by considering web presence, having recognized earlier attempts to build a website as time-consuming amidst his other responsibilities. He acknowledges the importance of marketing in reaching broader audiences and expressed willingness to explore professional help to establish an online front for his cattle operations.

Challenges and Community Involvement

Joe also touched upon the challenges of cattle farming on suboptimal pastureland in southern Colorado and the measures he takes, such as providing protein and mineral supplements to maintain cattle health. Despite prior issues like nitrate poisoning in feed, he has been able to manage herd health effectively.

Finally, the discussion included future aspirations and strategies around improving his herd's genetics and maintaining customer relationships through robust guarantees on his bulls. He emphasizes ensuring customer satisfaction for the longevity and reputation of his business.

Potential Collaboration

Concluding the interview, Joe was offered a promotional opportunity from Hale Broadcasting for marketing support at a discounted rate, highlighting the mutual benefits of promoting the Gelbvieh breed further. The conversation capped with friendly exchanges and best wishes for Joe's multifaceted endeavors in agriculture and telecommunications.