From exhibitor to president of the National Western Stock Show, Houston was a respected Angus breeder who was the first to ship live animals to the Ukraine and then expanded the export market to countries on four continents.
1929- 2016 | Artist: Richard Steward Halstead (born 1947)
Impact & Accomplishments
As a young child, Ben R. Houston first showed cattle with his father at the 1938 National Western Stock Show. Raised on a Colorado ranch, he established Aristocrat Angus Ranch in Platteville, Colorado, in 1965. The ranch has grown to a 2,500 head feed lot with embryo transplant center and supporting croplands.
In 1973, Houston exhibited the Grand Champion Angus Bull and Grand Champion Charolais Bull and Female at the National Western. In 1992, Aristocrat Angus became the first organization to ship live animals to the Ukraine and has since exported cattle, semen, and embryos to countries on four continents.
Houston was named a director of the National Western in 1972, served as its president from 1985 to 1991, and was Chairman Emeritus. He was named Citizen of the West in 1995 and was honored by the American Angus Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame in 2001.
Did You Know?
Ben is past president and a lifetime member of the Colorado Cattle Feeders.
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