Meet the Familiar Face Joining the Commercial Programs Team featuring Alex Tolbert

Yeah, it's pretty exciting, and I've got to knock some rust off some information that I used to use every day that I haven't used in a while.

I always am curious, do you have any good stories about working with commercial cattlemen in your role as a regional manager or any standout moments?

They want passion to do better and to work with them, especially progressive ones.

I work with some commercial guys that are as progressive and take better notes, better data than a lot of purebred guys.

you know, to see that.

Guys that really take it serious.

I mean, it's fun to visit with them because then it becomes a lot like a conversation with a purebred breeder.

And, you know, that's been fun to me.

But, I mean, you know, the things that stick out are just the relationships that you build.

And you sit down at the kitchen table with them and just become part of the family in some places.

And, you know, one of the better ones I'd say is I've worked with dad for a long time on buying bulls.

Now in the last couple of years, I'm working with the son as he's come home and come back into the operation and kind of taken over some of those roles.

And so now I'm working with the son to... uh, to help buy bulls and find bulls that fit what they're doing.

So that's, you know, it's always, it always comes back to the people for me, whether it's sitting at the table with them or in that instance, you know, um, starting to take that step into the next generation and working with them.

It's pretty cool.

I think if you ask anybody that's involved in the livestock industry, in particular the cattle industry, it always comes back to the people, right? The good cattle and good people.

We always come back to those two fundamental truths.

Yeah, 100 percent.

We all have differences of opinion.

You know, I mean, that's just part of being independent as, you know, as American farmers and ranchers.

Right.

But at the same time, you know, we we have so much in common.

And to remember that and spend time over that and the people in particular that, man, we've got so much in common.

And, yeah, it's just reassuring.

That we do this.