It may have the hallmarks of a Hollywood Western, but the documentary “A Rare Breed: Legacies of Excellence” will feature people who live the life.  A typical day for five cattle ranching families will be told in separate mini-documentaries produced by Certified Angus Beef.

The first in the series of films was about the Perrier family and their sixth-generation seed stock ranch in Eureka, Kansas. It was shown live Jan. 3 on the Certified Angus Beef brand Cattlemen Connection YouTube channel.

The video production was also shown live on channels the organization maintains on Facebook, Instagram and at its own website at www.CABcattle.com.

A different family will be featured every Sunday in January at 6 p.m. (CST)

The eight to 10 minute reality type shows following their live debuts will be available to watch by clicking links to the films posted on the same social media sites.

Miranda Reiman, Director of Producer Communications for the CAB brand, said the programs were produced after film and information gathering crews spent one or two days on the ranches of each family from sunrise to sunset.

“We certainly feel very invested in telling these stories. We hope we’ve done them justice,” she said.

The series provides an in-depth glimpse of registered breeders, commercial cattlemen and cattle feeders from Oregon to Texas. The ranchers share their philosophies on cattle and ideas other ranchers might want to try at their operations.

A look is also given at the family life on each ranch.

Reiman said the purpose of the series is to highlight the commitment to excellence passed down from generations at each ranch along with the grit and other challenges involved in raising cattle.

Another reason for the production is to illustrate the rewards of such a lifestyle and provide a source of inspiration for people involved in the cattle industry.

“Even folks that are not actively raising cattle I think will relate to all of the feelings of hard work and struggle and triumph. All of those things that make life beautiful are kind of all captured in this series,” Reiman said.

The Jan. 10 show is about David and Ann Rutan at Morgan Ranches in the high desert terrain of South Mountain, Idaho. The couple along with their two sons go the extra mile to raise Angus cattle in a tough environment.

Bodey Langford, a third generation cattleman, and his Langford Cattle Co. started on the banks of the San Marcos River in Texas will be featured in the Jan. 17 program. The Jan. 24 film depicts life at M & M Feeders in Lexington, Nebraska.

Daron Huyser, his sister, Jamie, along with their father, Mel, and uncle, Marvin, handle everything from commodity trading, to customer relations and driving the feed truck at the family owned operation. 

The focus of the Jan. 31 production is on Zach Wilson, who’s the sixth generation to manage the commercial herd at Wilson Cattle Co. in North Powder, Oregon.

He supplies cattle to Beef Northwest started by the previous generation in his family.

Reiman said each of the families portrayed in the series is active in the CAB supply chain and received the annual CAB Commitment to Excellence Awards for 2020.

The CAB brand is awarded to Angus beef exhibiting 10 prime grade specifications in areas like size and low fat content of the cuts during inspection by USDA at the packing plants, she said.

CAB based in Wooster, Ohio, was founded in 1978 to set a standard and find ranchers that could meet that standard for improving the quality of beef. 

Reiman said CAB works with restauranteurs and retailers to help grow the higher end segment of the industry.

“Our while mission is to build demand for registered Angus bulls through a high quality beef program, she said.