A Nebraskan by choice, William H. "Bill” Rishel was raised on his family’s diversified crop and livestock farm in the Susquehanna River Valley near York, Pennsylvania.
Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement
Tribute Citation
William H. "Bill” Rishel
2024 Honoree
Delivered by:
UNL Chancellor Emeritus Ronnie D. Green
March 22, 2024
A Nebraskan by choice, William H. ”Bill” Rishel was raised on his family’s diversified crop and livestock farm in the Susquehanna River Valley near York, Pennsylvania. He earned a B.S. in animal husbandry from Pennsylvania State University by working his way through school (and living in) the university’s beef barn. While a student at State College, he was a member and leader of Block and Bridle, Alpha Zeta, Gamma Sigma Delta, and ODK as well as being champion showman of the 1964 Penn State Little International, a member of the meats judging team and a member of the champion livestock judging team of the 1966 International in Chicago under legendary coach and icon Herman Purdy. After receiving his undergraduate degree, Bill was assistant herdsman at Penn State for two years while earning his M.S. in animal breeding under Lowell Wilson – authoring through his thesis research his first foray into what would become decades of work on genetic improvement of carcass merit in beef cattle.
Bill and his forever partner, Barb, married following his junior year. Following graduate school, they moved to the Hudson Valley of New York where Bill managed two purebred Angus operations. In 1975, upon learning the second cattle operation he managed would be sold, the Rishels decided to move west where commercial cattle were more integral to the beef industry. Bill and Barb started Rishel Livestock Services, Inc., a sales management company, in 1977. He also began developing Rishel Angus, a registered herd of Angus cattle. Bill managed seedstock sales and consulted for numerous operations while building up the Rishel Angus herd – which subsequently became a dominant and legendary leader through genetic contributions to the major artificial breeding companies American Breeders Service, Accelerated Genetics, and Select Sires.
Bill and Barb are considered “master breeders” of Angus cattle. They have pioneered many industry firsts and achievements through the past nearly 50 years, including: 1) leading a group of breeders (Genetic Breed Improvers) in the first syndication of an Angus bull – Northern Prospector 14; 2) establishing the AAR New Trend line from an initial $10K bull purchase in 1981 that followed with a structured sire evaluation program for carcass merit for commercial production value and thus becoming one of the earliest pioneers for carcass merit and end-product value in the industry; 3) producing a grandson of AAR New Trend – B/R New Design 036 that became a leading sire of Angus Pathfinder females and the base for the New Design line, topping registrations in the early 2000s; and 4) providing exceptional servant leadership through the US Beef Improvement Federation, American Angus Association, NCBA, and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board to develop and fine tune carcass merit and quality genetic improvement for the industry.
Bill has given extensive and exceptional leadership to the beef industry, having held a variety of leadership positions in many organizations. He began his journey with the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef (CAB) where he sat on their board of directors for five years, ultimately serving as chairman of the CAB board in 1995. In more recent years, Bill has been engaged with the Nebraska Cattlemen, serving as president in 2010. He has also been deeply involved as a leader with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Nebraska Cattlemen Research and Education Foundation, National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium, Agriculture Builders of Nebraska, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture statewide Advisory Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association working group on beef grading, Beef Focus Group at US Meat Animal Research Center and the 2015 NCBA Beef Industry Long Range Planning Task Force.
Bill (and Barb) have also been instrumental in supporting the education of the next generation of industry leaders. Bill was key in creating the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic in Kearney, serving as its first president. In 2000-2001, as president of Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation awarding scholarships to youth involved in industry and academics, Bill stated, “Nothing is more important than providing a sound education for tomorrow’s producers. Those planning to work in the changing cattle and beef industries into the next century will need to be proficient in animal and crop sciences, business economics and communications.” They have also heavily supported scholarship programs for students at the University of Nebraska, and through the Angus Heritage Foundation of the American Angus Association.
Bill has been honored with a number of major awards and honors for his leadership and contributions to the beef industry and agriculture including the Certified Angus Beef Seedstock Commitment to Excellence Award (2001), the U.S. Beef Improvement Federation Seedstock Producer of the Year (2005), Honorary Angus Foundation Inductee (2006), The Record Stockman US Livestock Industry Leader of the Year (2007), Pennsylvania State University Distinguished Alumni Award (2008), Nebraska Cattlemen Hall of Fame Inductee (2012), and the UNL Block and Bridle Honoree (2015). In receiving all of these recognitions and honors, the partnership of Barb together with Bill as a team was recognized.
The Rishel Angus mission embodies Bill’s servant leadership manner of living life -- “To perpetuate superior Angus genetics based on economically important traits that provide more profitability for our customers, create more value for all segments of the beef cattle industry, and ensure the consumer a very satisfying eating experience.” Bill believes and lives by the credo that the responsibility of each farmer and rancher is to leave the land better than he or she found it and to take care of animals in a way that is “honorable and makes sense.”
The Rishel Angus legacy continues to live on as TD Angus at Rishel Ranch through the stewardship of Trey and Dayna Wassenburger who purchased the operation in its entirety in 2017.
Bill and Barb have proudly called North Platte and Nebraska their home for the past 49 years, while raising an exceptional family – three high achieving daughters (including as Husker softball athletes) – with now six “grand-progeny” in the next generation. They are exceptionally proud of their family.
In recognition of a lifetime of exceptional servant leadership in the beef industry; as a master breeder of Angus genetics, an innovator in beef genetic improvement; a strong advocate and mentor for educating the next generation of industry leaders; a loving and model husband, father, and grandfather; and indeed an outstanding leader for all of Nebraska agriculture – the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement proudly bestows upon William H. “Bill” Rishel the 2024 Honoree Award.
