What do purple banners, board room gavels and steno pads have in common? They’re all items that epitomize Jarold Callahan’s significant influence on the beef industry. Aptly, the Edmond Oklahoma cattleman has been chosen as 2023 inductee into the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery.

      Largely considered one of the highest honors in the livestock industry, the Saddle and Sirloin Gallery was established in 1903 and recognizes one individual each year for their lifetime of exceptional service to the livestock business both nationally and internationally. 

      “I am extremely honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award,” said Callahan when told he would be the 2023 inductee. 

      Callahan grew up near Welch, Oklahoma on a diversified family farm and cattle operation where he developed his passion for farming and ranching. He continued on to be a member of the Northeast Oklahoma (NEO) A&M Livestock Judging team and the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Livestock Judging team where he was second high individual overall at both Fort Worth and Houston, as well as third high individual overall at Chicago. 

      Capitalizing on his livestock judging abilities, Callahan coached judging teams at both NEO and OSU that found large amounts of success, allowing Callahan to be recognized as the National Intercollegiate Livestock Judging Coach of the Year four times while at OSU. Apart from his time as a judging coach, Callahan helped to secure a substantial donation of equipment and Angus cattle to OSU which included the famed DF Empress 6079, a cow that would produce more than $1,000,000 of progeny at OSU. 

      “Many have benefitted from Jarold Callahan’s willingness to share his time, expertise and leadership skills. His collective accomplishments as a teacher, coach, administrator, lobbyist, businessman, cattle breeder and industry leader are unparalleled,” says Dr. Mark Johnson, chairman of Callahan’s nominating committee. 

      For more than a quarter of a century, Callahan served as the President of Express Ranches, a diversified purebred operation headquartered in Yukon, Oklahoma. Under Callahan’s leadership, Express Ranches contributed a larger volume of genomic test results or large contemporary group phenotypic weights and measures to the American Angus Association® and American Hereford Association databases than any other purebred breeding establishment over the past decade. 

      Callahan’s involvement in the cattle industry is vast, encompassing commercial cow-calf production, stocker grazing and cattle finishing in addition to his internationally recognized success in the purebred sector of multiple breeds. He and his wife, Jennifer, have personally owned and fed as many as 20,000 head of cattle per year for much of their married life and they are as invested in all aspects of the beef production chain as any family in the beef industry. 

      He served as a member of the American Angus Association® Board of Directors from 2004 through 2012, serving as President and Chairman of the Board in 2012.

      During his tenure on the American Angus Association Board of Directors, Callahan was an influential driver in the formation of the for-profit subsidiary Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI®) which allowed the American Angus Association to become the purebred industry leader in the development and application of genomic-enhanced EPD predictions and bio-economic indexes.

      The Saddle & Sirloin Club will honor Callahan and his many industry contributions during a portrait presentation and banquet on Nov. 12 in conjunction with the North American International Livestock Exposition at the Kentucky State Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. 

      The Saddle and Sirloin Club has set the goal of raising $150,000 to fund the expenses of the portrait and presentation, and to establish the Callahan Endowment Fund to ensure that future livestock industry leaders have access to the educational opportunities offered by the Oklahoma State University Purebred Beef Center. 

      If you would like to reserve banquet tickets or donate to the fund, visit www.callahansaddleandsirloin.com for more information.