93
Let’s hear the story of Nebraska, its communities, its number one industry Agriculture, and the people who make it happen. Sponsored by Nebraska's Law Firm® - Rembolt Ludtke.
93
Bill Rishel--2025 Inductee Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery
The Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery—often described as the Hall of Fame of the livestock industry—stands as a tribute to individuals who have made lasting contributions to animal agriculture. Today, 379 portraits hang in the gallery, which originated at the historic Chicago Stockyards and now resides in Louisville, Kentucky.
On November 16, 2025, Bill Rishel will join this distinguished company as the 380th inductee into the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery. His selection recognizes decades of leadership, innovation, and dedication to advancing the beef cattle industry. Learn more about this tremendous honor and Bill’s lasting impact here.
This episode offers highlights from our original conversation with Bill in the early days of this podcast, capturing key moments from his time at Penn State, his bold strategic decisions at Rishel Angus, the blessings of rearing three daughters, and his vision for the future of the beef industry.
To experience Bill’s full story, be sure to listen to Episode 10 in its entirety.
Nebraska. It's not just a place, but a way of life. It's 93 counties that are home to innovative individuals, caring community, and a spirit that runs deeper than its fertile soil. It's a story that should be told. Welcome to 93, the podcast.
SPEAKER_03:Welcome to 93, the podcast, where we talk about Nebraska, its communities, its number one industry agriculture, and the people who make it happen. I'm Mark Folson, your host for today's episode, brought to you by Nebraska's law firm, Rembel Latte. The Saddle and Sterloin Portrait Gallery is the world's largest portrait gallery commemorating a single industry. The industry? The American livestock industry. To many, it's the livestock industry's Hall of Fame. Originally housed on the top floor of the Pubred Livestock Records Building in Chicago, today it can be found at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, home to the North American International Livestock Exposition. There are currently 379 portraits hanging in the saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery. On November 16th, 2025, the 380th portrait in this livestock Hall of Fame will be unveiled. That portrait is of a very special Nebraskan and a very special person. Bill Rishel, North Platinate and current Lincoln resident, is the 2025 inductee into the prestigious Saddle and Sirloin Gallery. He was chosen by his peers, paying homage to Bill for the contributions he has made to the livestock industry. There's an entire website dedicated to Bill and this honor. If you want to take a look, you can find it at Richel, R-I-S-H-E-L portrait.com. This is episode 54 on 93 the podcast. We were fortunate to have Bill on this podcast way back in episode number 10. As a small way of honoring Bill and what he has meant to Nebraska and the livestock industry and this tremendous honor he is about to receive. We thought it was appropriate to dust off episode number 10, to pull out some of the highlights from that episode, and to share it with you again. Take a listen. We hope you enjoy it. Thank you, Mark. Pleasure to be here. So, Bill, give a little background on yourself. As much as I think of you as a Nebraskan, you're not a native Nebraskan, correct?
SPEAKER_02:That is absolutely correct. I was born and raised on a very small farm, general livestock, and farming in York, Pennsylvania, the Keystone State. How did you get to Nebraska? My favorite saying to that, and I use it a lot, is covered wagon. I went from uh being a student at Penn State in animal science, working in the beef barn. And then when I graduated, the uh head of uh purebred livestock at Penn State, a man by the name of Herman Purdy, who was a great mentor for me in many different ways, particularly in the cattle business, and uh he asked me if I'd be willing to stay on as assistant herdsman with the purebred beef cattle there at the university. Well, that was like gold for me. I mean, that I never dreamed that that was going to happen, but it did, and I took that job and I was working, oh, and I forgot to mention that when I went to school there and worked in the barn, I worked for a dollar an hour. Come 1975 was when we finally left there and uh traveled to North Platte, Nebraska.
SPEAKER_03:So, Bill, one of the things we ask our guests, so you said North Platte. Uh, what county is North Platte in? Lincoln County. What's the license plate prefix for Lincoln County? 15. All right, check another uh county off our box then.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. And you know, for all of our listeners out there, while it might have been a long and winding road, I do want to note that Bill does have a husker shirt on in the other day.
SPEAKER_03:So he is a full convert, full supporter of all everything Nebraska and Nebraska corn huskers.
SPEAKER_02:So and Nebraska agriculture and um support in uh Nebraska cattlemen in every way possible, and the National Cattleman's Beef Association, and an absolute believer in the value of research and land-grained institutions.
SPEAKER_03:So you are the father of three daughters, correct? Yes. So as am I. Uh any uh special stories you want to share? I mean, we you and I maybe could have gone through therapy together to try and have someone uh teach us how to raise three daughters, but it is an interesting experience.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, I it's I I will. There's a few that come to my mind. Um our oldest daughter is Jill. One day we were working 4-H calves together, and all of a sudden out of nowhere, she says, Dad, she says, You're kind of lucky, aren't you? And she stopped me in my tracks and I thought, Where's this going? She was probably nine or ten, you know, at the time. And I said, I said, Jill, I have been lucky in my life, but I said, What brought this up? Where are you going? Oh, she said, it just seems like whatever you decide you're going to try and do, you usually find a way to get it done. And I said, Well, I have to share an important part of that being lucky thing. I said, The harder you work, the luckier you will be. And don't ever forget it.
SPEAKER_03:So you started a ranch in North Platte, Nebraska. How large did you grow that herd to be?
SPEAKER_02:Eventually we got to where we were running 200, 250 mother cows in that range.
SPEAKER_03:When did you have your first annual bull sale?
SPEAKER_02:First sale was a combined sale with the Grosseth family in North Platte, who were like us, just trying to build their own outfit. And so when we got to the point to where the two outfits, the Richelangus and the Grosseth herds, we we got to the point to where we had a hundred saleable bulls that we thought were good enough to represent the herds, is when we started having a sale.
SPEAKER_03:Hey, let's uh segue a little bit into the future of the beef industry. Uh, let's say 10 years from now, what what looks different? What has changed? What do you think is going to happen?
SPEAKER_02:It reminds me of a weatherman trying to tell you what the weather is, and we know how that works lots of times. But sooner or later, just about everybody in business and industry relies on agriculture. It's the technology and the knowledge gained and the ability to utilize that knowledge just to make industry better, to make a living better, to make life better. And not just for those of us that are involved in it, for everybody that touches agriculture. And sooner or later, agriculture touches everybody if it's on their lips.
SPEAKER_03:So Bill, one thing we ask all of our guests what is one word, one word that describes Nebraska? I the first word that comes to my mouth or my mind is cattle. Perfect. Bill, thank you for joining us today. Again, it's been an honor and a pleasure to have a legend in our presence. So very grateful for that. If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing on Apple, Spotify, or whatever your favorite podcast app is. Give it a five-star rating as well. And be certain to share it with someone who might find it of interest. And please keep on listening as we release additional episodes on Nebraska, its great communities, Nebraska's number one industry agriculture, and the folks who make it happen.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks. This has been Nighty Three, the podcast, sponsored by Nebraska's law firm, Rembolt Ludke.
