Creating Opportunity in Rural Virginia
Aaron Thaler ranches with her husband in the western part of Virginia. She does not come from a ranching background but has come to love being a part of the beef industry. Ranching isn’t the only focus at the Thaler household. Aaron’s husband also builds fence and has a hay operation while Aaron has a full-time job as a registered nurse. Aaron’s husband grew up raising commercial cattle, but today they currently raise registered and commercial Angus cattle. Aaron is proud of the quality of cattle they raise and all the work they’ve put into their herd. They sell their bulls private treaty and consign some of their females in the Virginia Angus Association Sale. The first year they consigned to this sale, their open heifer was the second high seller.
Quality to Aaron starts with humane treatment. Thalers make sure they have a sound vaccination protocol and are BQA certified. Then they start from the feet up when selecting cattle for their operation. Thalers have a strict foot and leg protocol and focus on longevity traits after that.
Starting their registered cattle herd three years ago hasn’t come without learning curves but Aaron keeps a level head and a learning mindset to keep moving forward. Aaron oversees registrations, genetic selections and all the paperwork that comes with raising seedstock cattle. While starting a seedstock operation has been a lot of work, it has also been a blessing. Aaron was diagnosed with MS around the time they started to dive into the cattle business. Having cattle has taught her to slow down and enjoy her days. She likes to break out her camera and take pictures while spending time with their herd. This is her favorite part about raising cattle.
In addition to learning about all the paperwork that comes with raising seedstock, Thaler has had to learn about raising cattle in general. She strives to be a continuous learner by reaching out to numerous resources and attending many events. Thaler keeps in contact with her local extension office and enjoys attending women in ag events. She also is active in various programs through the Angus Association and is a part of the RancherMind program. All of these programs allow her to keep learning and meeting new people as she works towards improving their herd.
The Thalers are a true husband and wife duo that do it all. They stay organized by sharing their calendars with each other in advance and being as proactive as they can be. They don’t have any children to help them or take over the operation, but they do allow youth to come out to their place and use some of their cattle to show. “The most rewarding part about bringing kids onto our place is seeing them learn. They come to help us vaccinate, brand and work the cattle in general. We get to see how much they didn’t know about agriculture and be the ones to give them a good experience. They are enjoying it with us and learning what it means to have work ethic.”, said Thaler.
The Thalers are a great example of two people who continue to be proactive in the industry and put an emphasis on quality as they build up their cow herd. They make the most of what they have and are truly giving back to their rural community in the process.
