Posted on August 21, 2018 at 3:34 PM by Global Reach
Dan Reynolds grew up on a farm near Russell. This fueled his passion for farming and caring for livestock. He joined 4-H in 1972 and enrolled in swine and beef projects. In 1974, at the age of 12, he bought his first purebred Angus heifer. This led to his own herd, and eventually, what is now Reynolds Angus Farm, where he raises cattle and sells Angus bulls. 4-H and his farm upbringing gave him the leadership skills and knowledge to be successful in his business.
Dan passed along his love of agriculture and 4-H to his three children. His first child started 4-H in 1998. He was a busy 4-H parent for the next sixteen years. He enjoyed showing his daughter and sons how to care for livestock and teaching them the financial aspects of raising and feeding cattle. He taught them how to groom their calves for show day and the nuances of showmanship. Dan took pride in his children showing home-raised calves, bringing home countless trophies, and starting herds of their own.
He has been a beef superintendent for eighteen years at the Lucas County Fair. During fair week, he can be found helping weigh in calves, organizing classes for the steer and heifer shows, and dealing with any number of problems that arise. On show day, Dan is behind the scenes, making sure the show runs smoothly. He makes sure the calves are lined up and ready for the show arena. He puts up champion, reserve champion, and division winner signs in the barns. Dan helps get steers and heifers ready for the youth judging contest. On sale day, he helps get the calves lined up for sale and helps put calves on the trucks to lockers or packers.
In his spare time away from farming and working at HyVee, he found time to be a volunteer varsity boys’ basketball coach. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge with others and helping kids improve their skills. He now coaches junior high boys’ basketball.
For the past twenty years, Dan has taken the week of the county fair as one of his vacation weeks from his job at HyVee, Inc. His dedication to 4-H started as a 4-H member and continues today as a volunteer.
