The Lowe family started in the cattle business back in 1979 when Calvin and Mona Lowe acquired a herd of 50 Hereford heifers. A few years later, Cal, who was professor at Utah State University and teaching a business plan writing class, had a student who submitted a business plan on Angus cows. The Angus breed intrigued Cal and he investigated more about the cows from the student and the student’s father. Soon within a few years, Cal and Mona replaced their herd with about 50 Black Angus cows and have been running a registered pure bred Black Angus cow-calf operation ever since.
Cal often said, “some of my best friends are cows,” and worked hard at developing high quality breeding stock. He published an article on selecting animals and participated in bull tests including the BYU test station and the UBIA. Mona also contributed a lot of her time and effort to the Angus breed. She wrote an article back in the 1980s regarding the history of Angus in the state of Utah which was published in Angus The Magazine. She also served as Secretary in the Utah Angus Association for 10 years from 1994 to 2004.
Cal passed away in 2004 and Mona has helped consult and pass the reigns of the business to her children Anita, Laura, and Lorin. Operating now as Lowe Livestock, the children’s mantra has been “if we are going to raise cattle, we might as well raise the best”. Each member actively participates in raising the herd and has focused on streamlining the operation and adopting industry best practices, such as: standardizing vaccination and AI protocols, adding cross-fences for pasture rotations, increasing sustainability and self-sufficiency by growing hay for winter feeding, and improving corrals for better flow and reduced animal and human stress.
Lowe Livestock participates and markets their cattle in the Utah Angus Association, Rocky Mountain Angus Association, and Utah Beef Improvement Association auctions. Participating with these organizations and others gives Lowe Livestock the opportunity to associate with the best breeders in the region and elevate their breeding to the highest levels. As a testament to the quality of breeding that they offer, Lowe Livestock had the highest overall indexing bulls in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 UBIA tests.
The base of operations for Lowe Livestock is in Toquerville, UT. The cattle feed on irrigated pastures, desert graze, high elevation mountain meadows, and are hand fed through the winter. It can be said, “from winter to fall, these cows see it all”. Many comment on how gentle and calm the cattle behave. This comes from years of selecting quality animals, careful culling, humane handling, and daily human interaction with winter feedings.
The Lowe Family appreciates the recognition of Seedstock Producer of the Year from the Utah Beef Improvement Association and looks forward to working with the UBIA for many more years to come.
The memebers of the Utah Beef Improvement Association are proud to honor this hard working ranch family.
