Marands Angus females, now numbering almost 200, trace back to six cow family lines that Andy and Mary combined upon their marriage. For the first 25 years, with the exception of two females purchased for John & Emily, the female line remained a “closed herd”. No outside females were introduced until the past 5 years. The result is a close-relatedherd of uniform females.

The labor force of this operation consisted of the family for the first 26 years: Andy, Mary, John & Emily. With both Andy & Mary having professional careers and working off the farm, the herd was managed much like any commercial herd. Cattle had to survive and perform on their own. The focus has been on females –the key to any successful breeding program, as reproductive traits are ten times more important on an economic scale than any other value indicator. Marands females are bred to be high volumed, easy fleshing, moderate sized, with excellent udder quality, longevity, fertility and a quiet disposition. These convenient traits that do not show upon EPDs.

We opened our herd up for the first time in 2005 and offered choice of all our fall-born heifer calves at our first-ever “Pursuit of the Purple” Open House/Silent Auction sale on April 29, 2005. The result was fantastic!  Posting a $5,000 average, these heifers have continued
to perform for their new owners. 26 head of Marands Angus females were exhibited at the 2005 National Junior Angus Show by 13 exhibitors. Out of these 26, came three division championships, four class winners, and seven seconds. Many stood in the Top 5 at the NJAS!

Marands Royal Lady 4051
2005 NJAS Class Winner
2005 Eastern National Reserve Grand Champion Female
Owned by Will Lager, Fulton, MD