The Evenson family of Hettinger, North Dakota, started out with a dairy. Today, they run one of the largest registered Angus herds in the upper Midwest.
The Evenson family homesteaded in the Hettinger area in the early 1900s. Will Evenson first lived there in 1907 but moved away following the death of his first wife. However, in 1930 he returned. This was the first of four generations on the ranch. Ernest and Lillian Evenson purchased what is now Evenson Angus from A.O. Brown in 1945 and began raising dairy cattle. Not even a decade later, they bought 12 registered Angus cows from Henry Hanke Angus. This acquisition was the beginning of Ernest Evenson and Sons Registered Angus. Three years later, in 1955, the Evensons added 10 more cows to their Angus herd. In 1956, they dispersed their dairy herd and focused on increasing their numbers of registered cows. They also began using artificial insemination (AI) extensively in the early 60s.
In 1972, Ernest and Lillian sold the ranch to their sons, Bill and Wally, and the name was shortened to Evenson Angus. Eight years later, the ranch had its first production sale. Before 1980, cattle were sold mainly by private treaty.
In the late 90s, Evenson Angus introduced an ultrasound measurement program and began entering cattle in performance feed tests. Today, they also background some calves, feeding them to around 800 pounds.
The Evensons feed approximately 500 calves – 200 of their own and 300 they purchase. When they reach the 800 pound range, the calves are sold to be finished out.
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