Mill Coulee Angus in Wisconsin: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Mill Coulee Angus is a performance-tested Angus seedstock herd on the Mississippi River just north of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. The American Angus Association named it a Historic Angus Herd in 2013, citing a herd of 115 cows and founding in 1959.
| Location | North of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1959 by Bernard and Darlene Pedretti (as published) |
| Sectors | Angus seedstock; performance-tested cattle |
| Scale | 115 cows per the 2013 release |
| Why it is notable | Historic Angus Herd (2013); Bernard Pedretti named Wisconsin Seedstock Producer of the Year in 1984 |
| Ownership | Pedretti family; sons Tracy and Mark manage the herd per the release |
| Official website | American Angus Association Historic Herd announcement (not an official farm site) |
History of Mill Coulee Angus
Bernard and Darlene Pedretti started the herd in 1959 with their 11 children, buying the Frank Ahrens and Brothers herd. In 1980 the family acquired the D.P. Richards herd, which became important to the herd's genetics.
The American Angus Association's 2013 release says about half of the herd's cows descend from Barbara Kindness, a Richards cow that spent 18 years in the Pedretti herd. Sons Tracy and Mark now manage the cattle.
What Mill Coulee Angus Grows and Raises
The program centers on performance testing. Bernard Pedretti used the Hancock Station bull test in central Wisconsin and tested bulls in five states, producing top-gaining bulls in four of them.
Performance records measure growth and efficiency rather than looks alone. For commercial beef producers who buy bulls, that data is a practical guide to calving ease, weaning weight and carcass traits.
The farm sits in the Driftless bluff country, where pasture and hay ground are the base for a seedstock herd.
How Mill Coulee Angus Makes Money
Breeding stock sales
Seedstock herds earn mainly by selling bulls and females to other cattle producers. The release highlights performance testing as the proof behind those sales; it does not give prices or sale details.
Genetics reputation
Awards and the Historic Herd recognition build trust that supports repeat buyers across generations.
Test-station results
Entering bulls in gain tests gave the family independent numbers it could show to buyers.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Mill Coulee Angus
Independent testing turns claims about genetics into data that commercial buyers can use.
Staying with one lineage for decades, and adding key herds such as the 1980 purchase, builds a recognizable cow family that buyers can follow.
A cow that stayed in one herd for 18 years is farm satire at its most affectionate, since she out-lasted most marriages and some trucks. At farm.FM we file performance records under farm humor, plus ranch humor about bulls who gain faster than their owners' patience. Our farm jokes always weigh in with respect.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
How to Contact Mill Coulee Angus
Website: https://www.angus.org/pub/newsroom/releases/032713_HistoricHerd_MillCoulee.html
No official operation website with published contact details was found in my sources, so the link is the best verified public page about the operation, November 2026. Confirm any visit or business inquiry directly before traveling.
Mill Coulee Angus Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Historic Angus Herd release - Founding, genetics and recognition
- American Angus Association - National breed association
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - Wisconsin cattle inventory data
- Farmers.gov - USDA programs for livestock producers
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official farm counts and acreage for Wisconsin
Mill Coulee Angus FAQ
Where is Mill Coulee Angus?
On the Mississippi River just north of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
When was it founded?
In 1959 by Bernard and Darlene Pedretti.
How big is the herd?
115 cows, per the 2013 release.
How can I contact it?
No farm contact was found; start with the American Angus Association.
Mill Coulee Angus shows how testing and patient breeding can sustain a seedstock herd for decades. For the wider picture, read the Wisconsin farms guide.