Date: Friday October 3, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM Registration
Location: Central State Fair Grounds
Lions Building
800 San Francisco St.
Rapid City, SD 57701
This event is hosted by the Chris Wells family from Rapid City, South Dakota!
There are many options for accommodations in the area. Here are just two of them.
Comfort Inn 605-416-2768 or Travelodge 605-389-3792
There is no cost to our members to attend the BWCAA Annual Membership Meeting which is
scheduled to begin at 8:00 AM on Friday, October 3, 2025. Lunch will be provided at the
meeting and is going to feature British White beef!
The speaker for our event is Shawn Freeland of Dry Creek Farm and Ranch. Shawn & Kristy
Freeland are the owners of Dry Creek Farm & Ranch, a first-generation operation specializing in soil health, direct market meat production and community education.
They are also offering a pasture walk at Dry Creek Saturday, October 4th to our members.
You shouldn’t miss all of the treasures in the Rapid City area:
Parks and monuments include Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park and
Devils Tower National Monument. Make plans to see at least some of the wonders in the Rapid City South Dakota area!
Chris also has heifers and bull prospects available. Contact him at 605-431-5839 for more
information.
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2025 Annual Membership Meeting Agenda
- Call to order
- Welcome and Introductions, Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance
- Minutes from the last meeting
- Treasurer’s Report
- Executive Committee Report
Motion to officially thank all those involved in the planning of this meeting and event. - Nominating Committee Report
Each year, at the Annual Membership Meeting, we elect three directors to serve 3 year terms.
The following three candidates were submitted to the Nominating Committee and are eligible for election to the Board of Directors.
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Benjamin Matzke-57098 310th St, Winthrop, MN 55396 (507-232-9902)
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Luke McGregor – 8324 Glengarry LN NW, Walker, MN 56484 (517-420-4106)
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Tommy Patterson – 4249 Co. Rd 16, Florence, AL 35653 (256-762-4392)
Each has agreed to serve if elected and have followed the processes for nomination according to the BWCAA
Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. No other candidates have been approved by the Nominating Committee.
7. Promotions Committee Report
8. Regions Committee Report
9. New Business:
Election of three Board members. All active adult members who have paid herd fees are qualified to vote.
10. Reading and approval of minutes
11. Adjournment
Benjamin Matzke Bio: I was born and raised in Minnesota and currently reside outside Winthrop Minnesota. I have a BA in Communication from Bethany Lutheran College and an MA in Communication Studies from Minnesota State University Mankato. I have a wide variety of work experience including live television production, commercial video production, marketing, web management, and over a decade of managerial experience. I didn’t
grow up on a farm but I always dreamed of getting a few acres of my own. That dream came true in 2019. After moving in, the first livestock to set foot on the property was a British White.
I fell in love with the British White breed years ago, so when the opportunity came up to buy a bred British White heifer I jumped at the chance. She stepped off the trailer in the spring of 2020 and she has been the queen of the pasture ever since. In the fall of 2020 she also took up the mantle of family milk cow and provided milk for our family of seven until the following spring. Our herd has gone from one in the spring of 2020 to ten in 2022 and should hit our target of 40 head on our current acreage by 2024. When you consider temperament, hardiness, and overall quality of a beef animal I don’t know that the British White can be beat, especially for someone new to raising beef animals.
Luke McGregor Bio: I am a 1st generation rancher who grew up in a small town in Northern Minnesota. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business from Michigan State University and Western Michigan.
Today my family and I run a small cow-calf operation. I have had a passion about farming and cattle ranching since a very young age and am very fortunate to be able to be part of this industry and Association.
I bring a different perspective to cattle ranching as being an entrepreneur and working for corporate America and hope to apply those skills and hard work as a Board member for the BWCAA.
Tommy Patterson Bio: My name is Tommy Patterson and I am applying for my forth term as a member of the Board of Trustees for the British White Cattle Association (BWCAA). I have been involved in the cattle industry off and on for most of my life. I’ve been a member of the BWCA for the past 18 years. As a trustee I try to do my best to advance the membership in the association, and to do what is in the best interests of the association and its members. I will continue to serve for the betterment of the association and look for ways to improve and build our cattle market.