DENVER, Colo. — Bill Wilson has devoted his life to the cattle business and at age 76, he recently won grand champion Angus bull at the National Western Stock Show.
“The national western is the biggest and toughest show there is,” he said after his bull named WCC Classic D55 got the nod at the show held in Denver Jan. 10. Wilson Cattle Company of Cloverdale, Indiana, owns the bull with Webster Farms of Walker, Iowa, and Foose Show Cattle of Elmwood, Illinois.
Besides class winners, the operation also had reserve senior champion bull named WCC Unique C112 owned by a large syndicate including a Canadian partner.
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A long-time producer of several breeds of cattle, Wilson has shown champions across the United States. During the 1988 Denver show, Wilson Cattle Company won three grand championships with Shorthorn, Angus and Charolais entries. No one else has ever repeated that feat.
He has judged cattle of all breeds in Canada, United States and South Africa including the National Western Angus Show in 1986 and 2007, as well as the junior Angus show last year. As a judge and an exhibitor, results can be unpredictable, he said.
“It is so competitive you don’t know what is going to happen,” he said.
He started in the cattle business around 1970, working for a large purebred operation and established his own place in 1991.
Angus dominate his operation, which he runs with his wife and son, Chad Wilson. They also own Herefords and two composite breeds.
“There are good cattle in every breed but the Angus is the most dominant,” he said.
The farm runs an extensive embryo transfer program and keeps about 100 commercial cows as recipients. The farm also sells semen and live cattle, including exports to Argentina.
As a judge and breeder, Wilson appreciates phenotypes and the use of expected progeny differences. However, statistics cannot determine conformation, frame size, muscling or soundness.
“We look at phenotypes first in our operation and use common sense. I question the accuracy of some EPDs right now but over time they will get better,” he said.
He warns bull buyers to avoid basing purchases on single traits like calving ease.
“I think if you concentrate solely on calving ease you give up performance. You need a happy medium,” he said.
Wilson has had a prestigious career.
He was president of the American Angus Association in 1997 and served on the board for six years. He sat on the board of directors for the Certified Angus Beef company and has also served as a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
