Fourth-generation ranchers, Tom and Carolyn (Graham) Perrier, will serve as this year’s Grand Marshals for the annual Greenwood County Cattlemen’s Day Event.
The Perriers have followed three generations of ancestors in raising their family on a farm three miles northwest of Eureka. In 1867, Robert and Alice Loy coined their farm “Dalebanks,” the same name of their ancestral farm and region in their homeland of England.
Over the years, the Perriers have grown their practice and since their return from military service in 1969, they implemented technologies such as performance recordkeeping, artificial insemination, expected progeny different (EPD) use and ultrasound evaluation.
The couple has also followed their ancestors in giving back to their community and industry through various ways. Carolyn has served and led her PEO Chapter, the Greenwood County 4-H Foundation, Upper Fall River Jayhawkers 4-H Club, the Greenwood Preservation Society, Greenwood County Cattlewomen, Entre Nous, Music Club and the Sacred Heart Altar Society. Tom served as Kansas Angus Association president, additionally he served as a board member of the Greenwood County Fair Association, Eureka USD 389 School Board, Greenwood County Cattlemen’s Association, Greenwood County Farm Bureau, Kansas Livestock Association and the Fall River Watershed District. He also served two terms on the American Angus Association Board of Directors. Above all, their family has been the true priority, raising three children at Dalebanks, Matt, Michele and Mark.
Their oldest son Matt, his wife Amy (Teagarden) Perrier and their children — Ava, Lyle (both students at K-State University), Hannah, Henry and Hope live on the ranch. Amy is a part-time physical therapist, working in the local school, hos-pital and rehabilitation clinic. She also advocates for the beef community through the Greenwood County Cattlewomen social media platforms, in addition to her full-time roles as ranch wife and mother. In addition to his managerial duties at Dalebanks, Matt is a past-president of the Beef Improvement Federation, a past-president of the Kansas Livestock Association and has served the Greenwood County Farm Bureau and the Greenwood County Cattlemen’s Associations. He currently serves on the Kansas Health Institute and hosts a bi-weekly podcast, Practically Ranching.
The Perrier’s daughter Michele and husband Russ Callejo and children, Luke and Alice, reside in Erie, Colo. Russ serves as Project Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado River Region and Michele, who served in a variety of research roles in both the animal and human pharmaceutical fields, now cares for their children and volunteers with numerous community organizations in the area.
Their youngest son Mark and his wife Kelly Perrier and their children, Lauren and Drew, live in Wichita. Mark is senior financial analyst for Rabo AgriFinance and Kelly is Retail Sales Director, Cargill Protein.
“As a seedstock producer, ranching decisions we make every day impact our herd, the herds of the commercial cow-calf man, the ranch lands, and, ultimately, the consumer of our product, beef. We are much more data driven today than what was possible for our forefathers and measure or have data points on over two dozen traits to improve and document our cattle,” stated Tom and Carolyn. “All ranchers are in the business of converting our natural resources grass, forage and other feedstuffs, into tasty, healthy, wholesome beef that people want to eat and do it in a way that provides proper care for our cattle and maintains or improves our natural resources,” they continued. “My father always said that we are only stewards of the land and our cattle are the harvesters. Our families have been ranchers in Greenwood County for almost 150 years and in the Angus business for 120 years which spans seven generations. Our hope is that it is to continue for many more generations converting grass into nutritious, delicious food,” stated Tom.
A schedule of events for the annual Greenwood County Cattlemen’s Day can be found on page 7.
(Courtesy photo)
