Nebraska Couple Named to Gelbvieh Assn. Hall of Fame

Mark and Patty Goes, Odell, Nebraska, were inducted into the American Gelbvieh Association Hall of Fame during the 53rd Annual AGA National Convention on November 30, 2023, at the Omaha Marriott Downtown in Omaha, Nebraska. 

In his professional career, Goes served as an instructor at Southeast Community College in Beatrice, Nebraska. During his tenure, he started a Gelbvieh and Balancer® herd at the college and advocated for the breed among students by taking them to shows and sales. Many of his students have started their own Gelbvieh and Balancer herds and become members of the AGA. 

Goes continued youth education outside of the classroom by implementing the live carcass evaluation contest at the American Gelbvieh Junior Association (AGJA) Junior Classic. He procured the cattle, scheduled harvest slots and explained the carcass results to the contestants. Through the creation of this contest, Goes helped connect live cattle production to the value of end-product merit and consumer demand. 

Goes has served in many leadership positions throughout the beef industry. Goes is a past president of the American Gelbvieh Association, serves as an active committee member, and was the first president of the American Gelbvieh Foundation where he currently serves as the vice president. Additionally, Goes has served in multiple positions to develop the strategic directions of many industry-leading organizations. 

"While I've always known Mark is a selfless individual, it has become even more obvious while serving on the AGF board with him," said Tanner Aherin. "When an important decision is to be made, Mark is someone who wants to vet all the outcomes and how they might impact each breeder across the country – never making himself the priority. Mark is willing to challenge the group to ensure the right decision is made that is most beneficial for all people involved in the Gelbvieh breed."