Gleonda Angus Farms carries on the legacy of premium cattle
MILLER, MO. – Leon Kleeman may not have known he was creating a multi-generational operation when he got his first bucket calf as a young boy, but after decades of hard work, the fruits of his labor shine bright at Gleonda Angus Farms.
That first calf blossomed into a herd of cows and a love for Angus cattle. Leon worked on several major operations locally and as far as Mississippi, learning and improving as he went.
He was a pioneer in feed efficiency and data collection for his time, striving to make better cattle through feed efficiency testing – a dream of his which is now being carried out on the family farm.
What started as a passion has unfolded into a legacy of premium cattle in the local agricultural industry.
Leon passed away in a farm accident a few years ago, but Traves Merrick, Leon’s grandson, now follows in his footsteps, managing the farm and excelling in providing quality Angus cattle and beef.
Gleonda Angus Farms occupies roughly 1200 acres between owned and rented land near Miller, Missouri, with about 250 Angus pairs roaming the fields.
Traves takes the health of his cattle and the satisfaction of his customers very seriously.
The health protocols he takes throughout his herd has allowed him to proudly claim the sturdiness and cleanliness of his cattle.
Traves said he currently breeds all his cattle using Artificial Insemination with exceptions made for the cows that calve too close to his breeding window. In that case, he’ll typically run a bull with them to synchronize his herd.
There’s a love-hate relationship between him and AI breeding, Traves said.
“It’s so much work and so much stress on the cattle, but it’s allowed me to get my calving window down.”
He calves as many cattle in 60 days as his grandpa did in a season when he was younger – a time when Leon did much of the work himself and turned the bulls out when he could.
Traves said he does not solely use expected progeny differences (EPDs) in his bull selection, but instead focuses on phenotype and disposition before turning a bull out in the pen.
“I do look at EPDs when I make breeding decisions for the cattle I use outside of the farm,” Traves said, “but as of right now, my customers aren’t asking for EPDs; they want bulls that grow, bulls that produce calves that will grow, and bulls that bring the most pounds at the sale barn.”
Traves and his wife, Kenadee, run the day-to-day operations of the farm, doing their best to get work done efficiently with the limited help they have.
Traves said that with normal tasks becoming more and more intricate to operate, their biggest challenge is finding farm help. At the moment, the operation is strictly family-run, with a close friend stopping by when he can to assist with big projects.
Technology has streamlined a lot of processes, including data reporting, but it also means equipment that used to be easy to maintain is now mostly run by complex computers.
Aside from working directly with cattle and equipment, they also put up all their own forages – while purchasing fillers here and there – which takes a lot of equipment and manpower.
Traves continues to pave the road in feed ingenuity like his grandpa before him.
He works closely with his father-in-law, who owns a feed store, to ensure he’s providing the best quality rations to his cattle.
To control his feed even more, Traves invested in TMR, which allows him to give his bulls a balanced diet and utilize the silage they have on hand.
He also utilizes the SmartFeed system, a feed bin technology that continuously logs data to determine the feed intake per visit per animal, ultimately allowing him to make informed decisions regarding the feed efficiency of his bulls.
This particular system takes Leon’s research one step further and mainstreams data collection and feeding practices.
The result? Premium cattle that excel.
Historically, most of their business came from word-of-mouth and people seeing their “bulls for sale” sign in the front of their property.
Traves said he and his grandpa always agreed they have a prime farm location – just down the road from S&H Farm Supply, a John Deere dealership, and a feedmill.
More recently, though, marketing efforts like social media have pushed Traves to find other ways to get his cattle in front of folks.
So, they held their first private sale, open house, field day – all rolled into one – in 2024.
Traves invited Corbett Wall to speak, along with a few other guests, and provided lunch. While many visitors came for the social aspect, just as many left with a bull.
With such success last year, Traves and his family decided to host an auction in April of this year.
They ended up having a 150% increase in attendance with half of the cattle going to new customers – a testament, Traves said, to the word getting out about their superior product.
Looking ahead, Traves hopes that customers continue to come to Gleonda Angus Farms for premium Angus and for their real-world data in feed efficiency.
He would also like to see more business in their meat shop – which was one of the first worldwide to be accepted into the Certified Angus Beef Ranch to Table program.
Traves said they are the only Angus beef operation locally that goes through the ten quality specifications needed to sell in the Ranch to Table program.
This not only sets them apart but continually gives Traves the confirmation he needs to increase their beef supply.
“I was taught from a young age not to chase trends,” Traves said. “Stick with what’s brought us here and it’ll always come back around.”
