Locust Hill Cattle Company - River City Area Magazine

Like many Caswell County natives, Todd Hodges spent his childhood working alongside his family on their tobacco farm. His dad also worked in the construction business, which gave Todd plenty of other opportunities to work and learn as he grew. After college, he continued with the construction business but longed to farm as well. His family ceased their tobacco operation a couple of years before the Tobacco Buyout, (2004 Tobacco Transition Payment Program) opening the door for Todd to try ranching. Together with his brother Glenn, he bought a few cows that they kept on pastureland at the family’s farm, which was the beginning of a passion for cattle that is still strong 30-some years later.

In 1994, the brothers borrowed their first Gelbvieh bull from Dr. Steve Upchurch, a dentist in Yanceyville. Todd said the bull was very docile and had the right traits to cross with their Angus cows to be a great match. When he switched from farming tobacco to raising cattle, he was drawn to the seedstock industry and learning how to use reproductive traits to breed the “perfect cow.” He and Glenn began purchasing and using more Gelbvieh bulls with Angus cows, and in 2001 added the first 10 purebred Gelbvieh cows to the herd that were bought through a dispersal sale. After that, Todd’s main goal was not selling calves, but working to build a genetically sound herd. He knew this process would take years, but was in it for the long haul. Through purchasing national champion and futurity-winning bulls along the way, he’s been able to build a herd he’s proud of, with national champions of his own now.

Locust Hill Cattle Company — Locust Hill Cattle branding. by Greg Anderson

While Todd began to grow his herd at the Hodges Family Farm where he was raised, there became a need for more land in order to expand. As life has a way of doing, worlds collide. For Todd, his construction world collided in a good way with his ranching world. In 2018, a tornado came through the Ruffin, NC area, wreaking havoc and destroying an old barn at Oakhaven Farm that was a popular wedding venue. Patience Ergish, owner of Oakhaven, along with Oakhaven property manager Gary Barrett, hired Todd’s construction firm HM Kern to rebuild the barn, and a friendship was formed.

Ergish and Barrett offered to lease him their farm to run cattle on the largest portion, freeing them to focus on the wedding venue. This was the perfect fit, and by moving away from the family farm, Todd and his wife Nikki were able to start Locust Hill Cattle Company (LHCC). In 2020, Greg Anderson, (aka “Bubba”) long-time friend and cattleman, joined Todd as a business partner in LHCC and has been integral in the success of their joint venture. Todd says without Bubba’s expertise in the cattle industry, none of Locust Hill Cattle Company’s achievements would have been possible. He also credits his wife Nikki and Patience and Gary for their support in advancing LHCC.

Todd and Greg have worked hard to put LHCC on the map for Gelbvieh breeders in the United States. Greg manages the day-to-day cattle operations and provides valuable input on reproductive decisions. From the very beginning, one major goal of LHCC has been to hold its own production sale, and four years ago, that became a reality. Anyone in the business knows this is no small feat. The sale is enjoyable for them and all who attend, being kicked off with presale tours to view cattle and a dinner the night before in the event barn. Sale day is the third Saturday in February, held onsite at the farm, and bidding is also available online via liveauctions.tv, allowing for real-time bidding from anywhere in the country. At the sale, there will be 25 to 30 bulls and the same amount of females available for purchase, including open heifers, bred heifers, and cow/calf pairs, which consist of Gelbvieh, Balancer, and Angus.

The Gelbvieh breed is known for exceptional maternal strengths, being docile, having high fertility rates, easy calving, and superior growth. Gelbvieh cattle aren’t as well known in the eastern US, which has been a challenge for LHCC to gain exposure, but they have and they are, which is a testament to the quality of animals they are breeding. Todd and Greg’s goal is for people to hear the word “Gelbvieh” and know it means a high-quality cattle breed. There’s a lot more science to what Todd and Greg are doing besides “just throwing cows and bulls together,” and the proof is in the progeny they’re producing. Their breeding program includes mating Gelbvieh with Angus to produce “Balancer” cattle, which combines the best traits of each.

Locust Hill Cattle Company also has a strong show string, which travels across the United States competing every year. From the American Royal in Kansas City, to the North Carolina State Fair, to Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma, to the North American International Livestock Exhibition in Louisville, they burn up the road showing off their herd. This has helped them gain exposure among other breeders and prove the quality of their breeding program. While they do enjoy showing, their primary goal is always to produce seedstock bulls and females for commercial cattlemen.

Future goals for LHCC include increasing the herd by 10 to 15 percent over the next five years and growing their client and operation base. They have the infrastructure in place to make it happen, and plan to continue to grow awareness and understanding in the cattle world of what Gelbvieh has to offer the industry. While Todd has poured his heart and soul into developing LHCC, he realizes the achievements are not his alone and says without the support of many friends and family along the way, it would have never happened. He’s deeply appreciative of that support, as well as the support of every LHCC customer.