A Lifetime Love Affair with Red Polls
...the Story of Lazy S Farm

By Ken Harwell
Red Poll Beef Journal Fall-Winter 1999 Volume 56 / Number 1

The following article was published in the 1999 Fall-Winter edition of the Red Poll Beef Journal.

Nestled in the rolling hills of southeast Kansas near the town of Columbus is a diversified farm operation known as Lazy S Farm. It’s a family enterprise situated on 300 acres of land, 200 of which are tillable, with the remainder in hay. The family business also encompasses 250 leased acres. This family business is so diversified it also operates a large turkey farm. The turkey business produces about 108,000 birds a year on a contract basis for Butterball Turkey Company. The passion of the Steve Scott family, however, is the fine heard of Red Poll cattle they have developed over the past twenty plus years.

Steve Scott saw his first Red Poll cattle in the 1960’s when he was not yet a teenager. Seems his dad was an artificial inseminator and upon one occasion took a Red Poll cow in payment for his services. The lifetime love affair had its beginning. Because of his passion for Red Poll cattle, Steve became a member of the American Red Poll Association in 1977. That was the year the nucleus of the heard was purchased from Stan-Will Farms. The herd continued to grow through the years. Steve said, “Visits to the Bill Wiese farm in my early childhood years fascinated me. There were Red Poll cattle everywhere.

Steve and his wife, Lorrie, were married in 1979 and have shared their love for their farm and their cattle ever since. Building upon the foundation herd that had been acquired, Lazy S has been driven over the years by some clear objectives. In the 70s and 80s, Purdue bulls were used through A.I., always selecting for carcass quality, weight per day of age, maternal ability and excellent udders.

Those goals have remained constant and today the Lazy S herd has grown to about 100 cows with further expansion planned. “Even though we have built up numbers, we have never forsaken our efforts to improve quality. We are enthused about the future for Red Poll cattle, because red Polls have the traits the beef cattle industry needs. We feel lack of exposure is one of the main setbacks of the breed,” Scott observed.

“One of my objectives is to bring young people into the Red Poll breed,” Scott said. “A fundamentally strong organization is very important to me, both at the local and national level with a lot of farmer participation. We know Red Poll cattle word for us and will in most any crossbred and purebred situation.

Steve and Lorrie have two daughters, Becky and Kim, who are also deeply entrenched in the Red Poll breed. He and his family are “involvers” in virtually everything that surrounds them. For example, the Scott family are members of the First Baptist Church in Columbus. The entire family has been involved in Girls Little League Basketball as officers, coaches and players. Lorrie Scott has served on the county Farm Services Agency (FSA) board. The family, especially Becky and Kim, are active members of the local 4-H club. Lorrie and Steve are also superintendents of the beef department at the county fair. In addition to all that involvement, Steve has served as president of the local Farmer’s Cooperative Association for a six year term and as chairman of Rural Water District #4.

One of the Scott family’s greatest contributions to the Red Poll breed, however, has probably been their highly active part in the affairs of the Western States Red Poll Association. Steve and Lorrie joined the association just after their marriage in 1979. Over the years, they have served as directors with Steve fillizng the office of vice president and later president, and office he currently holds. Since this family has seen a lot of things happen and people come and go, we asked them what stood out as high points in their association with the breed. They supplied these “Golden Moments” from their Red Poll experiences:

The first trip to Shreveport, La., in the early 80’s with Bill Wiese and Jake Voth.

Observing James Baxter receive the Promoter of the Year Award.

The success of the 1997 National Sale at Springfield, Mo., where Steve was sale manager.

When their cow heard reached 100 head.

When daughters Becky and Kim became members of the American Red Poll Junior Association.

Being selected as a host farm for the 1997 World Red Poll Congress Tour.

The future of Red Poll cattle looks bright because of young families like the Scott family. With the ingredients of youth, experience, enthusiasm and an excellent herd of Red Poll cattle providing the nucleus of things to come, the Red Poll Beef Journal salutes Lazy S Farm with thanks for past contributions and great expectations for the future.

editor’s note: This story was compiled with assistance from Becky Scott, editor of her high school paper. RPBJ

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