Member Profile: Kenley Conner

The KY Angus Association Introduces the 2012-13 President, Kenley Conner

Kenley Conner has been around forever or at least it seems that way.  His father bought his first Angus female back in 1967 and that started a life and career for Kenley in the Angus business.  The Conner family has been around working and helping in the KAA for almost every year since 1972.

Kenley started showing Angus Cattle in 1975 at the local, state and national levels.  He showed the Reserve Grand Champion Cow/Calf at the 1987 National Junior Angus Show and placed in the top 15 in the National showmanship contest in 1985.  Kenley exhibited many other champions at local and district shows.  Participating in shows allowed him to meet many people from around the country and form lasting friendships; these connections allowed him to serve on the National Junior Angus Association Board of Directors from 1985-1987 and in the last year as Vice Chairman. 

Kenley grew up on a small farm in LaRue County, graduated from Larue County High School in 1983 and moved on to the University of Kentucky to major in Animal Science.  While at UK, he was on the 1985 Livestock Judging team that was very successful.  He graduated in 1987and took a job as sheep specialist at Morehead State University until 1989.

From Morehead State, Kenley took over a dairy in Boyle County and managed that farm from 1989-1994.  After selling his interest in the dairy, he landed a job with KAB A-Select Sires.  He has a sales area that covers the eastern part of Kentucky and three central Kentucky counties.  In his area he has dairy herds along with commercial and purebred beef herds.  With over 400 customers, Kenley spends many days and nights on the road taking care of his customers’ needs.  He has been awarded the President’s Award three times at Select Sires for increasing sales and last year won the Super Achiever Award for top service and sales at KABA. 

Kenley is married to Dawn who works at Dow Corning as a Global Materials Conversion Specialist.  They have 5 children:  Emily, 21; Ben, 18; Hannah, 17; Eli, 15 and Madison, 13 and live in Hodgenville, Kentucky.  He also oversees the family’s small Angus herd in Buffalo, Kentucky.

Kenley thinks that the next 5 years will be important for Angus breeders as more tools such as DNA testing, genomics, and A.I. become available for use in their herds.   These tools will allow breeders to make more improvements in their herds and their customers’ herds than any other development over the last 30 years.  He feels if Angus breeders work to improve their herds, the whole beef industry will improve the ability to feed a world that is hungry for animal protein.

Welcome to office, Kenley Conner, KAA President, 2012-13.