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About Us
William "Billy" Evenson, 90, lifelong Hettinger, ND area Angus Cattleman passed away at the West River Regional Medical Center with his wife, Eleanora and his three daughters at his side on January 29, 2025.
The Celebration of Billy's Life will be Friday, February 7, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. MT at the Hettinger Lutheran Church in Hettinger, ND. Synod Authorized Minister Barb West will officiate and burial will follow at the Hettinger Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 6 at the Centennial Chapel of Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger.
A Long Family Tradition of Raising Angus Cattle
 by Nikki Ebert
Western Livestock Reporter
Herd Reference Edition 2003
The Evenson family of Hettinger, North Dakota, started out with a dairy.
Today, they run one of the largest registered Angus herds in the upper Midwest.
The Evenson family homesteaded in the Hettinger area in the early 1900s. Will
Evenson first lived there in 1907 but moved away following the death of his
first wife. However, in 1930 he returned. This was the first of four generations
on the ranch. Ernest and Lillian Evenson purchased what is now Evenson Angus
from A.O. Brown in 1945 and began raising dairy cattle. Not even a decade later,
they bought 12 registered Angus cows from Henry Hanke Angus. This acquisition
was the beginning of Ernest Evenson and Sons Registered Angus. Three years
later, in 1955, the Evensons added 10 more cows to their Angus herd. In 1956,
they dispersed their dairy herd and focused on increasing their numbers of
registered cows. They also began using artificial insemination (AI) extensively
in the early 60s.
In 1972, Ernest and Lillian sold the ranch to their sons, Bill and Wally, and
the name was shortened to Evenson Angus. Eight years later, the ranch had its
first production sale. Before 1980, cattle were sold mainly by private treaty.
In the late 90s, Evenson Angus introduced an ultrasound measurement program
and began entering cattle in performance feed tests. Today, they also background
some calves, feeding them to around 800 pounds.
The Evensons feed approximately 500 calves - 200 of their own and 300 they
purchase. When they reach the 800 pound range, the calves are sold to be
finished out.
Evenson Angus boasts 400 head of registered Angus cattle and approximately
150 head of commercial cows. They AI all theri females, with the exception of
the two-year-olds and late-calving cows. Around 100 registered heifers are
synchronized to calve February 1, and the early-calving cows are bred to calve
February 10.
The Evensons do most of the work themselves. However, during high-volume
times, they sometimes bring in a little extra help. In addition, Melissa and
Howard Sadowsky and their family live on one of the Evenson's farms. Not only do
they tend to cattle there, but Melissa helps with the AI program and helps check
wells. Howard, who manages the Hettinger Farmer's Union Oil Company, helps
Melissa keep an eye on the cattle. The Sadowskys have three children, Bailey,
Hayden and Sidra.
During calving season, the cattle are watched around the clock. The Evensons,
along with Melissa and Howard, take three-hour shifts through the night. The
cows are calved out in a barn that has additional space to house the pairs until
they can be moved to another barn.
Each year, Evenson Angus puts cattle on test for 150 days, at the end of
which they are ultrasounded. The measurements are turned into the Angus Herd
Improvement Records Program. In addition, all the bulls and replacement heifers
are ultrasounded for carcass data.
Evenson Angus' production sale is the third Wednesday in March at the Lemmon
Livestock Auction, Lemmon, South Dakota. They sell approximately 100 yearling
bulls and 75 heifers. They also consign bulls to the North Dakota Bull Test
Sale, which is the third Monday in April at the Stockman's Livestock Exchange in
Dickinson, North Dakota.
Aside from the cattle, Evensons also farm approximately 11,000 acres, most of
which is owned. Half of the farm ground is planted to grains and hay, and the
other half is pasture. The Evensons raise wheat as their main crop, but they
also plant corn, which is not only a cash crop but is also used to feed and make
silage. Barley is another source of feed, and some oats and peas are combined
for silage and hay.
Bill and Eleanora's daughter, Carrie, and her husband, Trevor Strand, have
also become partners in the family business, along with Wally's son, Rodney.
Carrie and Trevor's three children, Tyler, Ashley and Tanner, are involved as
well.
Everyone at Evenson Angus has responsibility. Wally and Trevor look after the
farmland, while Bill and Rodney concentrate on the cattle. The ladies take care
of most of the office work and help wherever else they can.
It is this integrated family approach to management that has kept Evenson
Angus moving forward since they made the jump from dairy men to raising
registered Angus cattle nearly 50 years ago. And it is with determination and a
strong belief in the merits of their breed that Evenson Angus will continue to
grow.
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