Mark Ahearn
2nd term
Texas
The board of directors of the Texas Angus Association (TAA) strongly endorses Mark Ahearn of Wills Point, Texas, for reelection to the American Angus Association Board of Directors.
Mark grew up on a small family farm, where his parents raised commercial cattle and a few horses. Family trouble and the untimely death of his father meant they lost the farm. Mark’s mother moved the family to town, where she raised five children on her own. Mark was active in 4-H and had the vision he would return to agriculture production.
Mark started a career in law enforcement spanning 35 years. He was hired by the Dallas Police Department in the mid-1980s and started as a street cop. He spent the last 15 years of his career as a homicide detective. Mark was recognized by the City of Dallas and the State of Texas for handling some of the most difficult investigations and conducting them with utmost integrity. Retired for seven years, he now dedicates his life full-time to managing his cow herd.
Mark met his wife, Cindy, on the job, and they have been married 35 years. They have two children, a son, Brad, and daughter, Megan. They also have three granddaughters.
They both quickly realized they wanted to get back to a ranching lifestyle. They purchased land in East Texas in the mid-1990s, established Turner Meadow Ranch and started raising Angus cattle. Mark studied pedigrees and learned the business from the ground up. They started purchasing a few cows and used artificial insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET) and Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®) to grow the herd to about 200 females.
Mark has been a long-time Texas Angus Association (TAA) member. He was a member of the East Texas Angus Association and served as its president. Later, he was elected to the TAA Board, which he served 16 years. He was elected president in 2013 and again in 2019.
In addition to helping create numerous educational programs and sale events, he was responsible for creating and writing the policy for the Raymond Moore Endowment Scholarship Fund that has grown substantially and benefits children in the Texas Junior Angus Association (TJAA). He was also involved in creating a performance-tested bull sale and feed efficiency test for Texas. Additionally, Mark sits on the board of directors at Origen Beef, Huntley, Mont.
Mark has served as a delegate to the American Angus Association Annual Convention for more than 25 years. He has developed long-term relationships with Angus people from all over the country. Some of these friendships turned into business partnerships that have enhanced their Angus herd. Mark has produced and purchased bulls that have become nationally recognized AI sires. When you enter Mark and Cindy’s home, you will have no doubt what their priorities are: faith, family and friends. Their home is decorated with symbols of patriotism and their love of the Angus cow.
Mark says it has been an extreme honor and a privilege to serve on the American Angus Association Board of Directors these last three years. He has served on several committees and entity boards including Certified Angus Beef, Angus Foundation, Member and Affiliate Services, Finance and Planning, Communications and Public Relations, Activities Committee and the NCBA Committee. Mark has strong desire to continue to serve the membership and give back to the organization that helped him and his family so much.
If reelected, Mark pledges to continue to bring a commonsense approach to solving the problems of the Association. He pledges the utmost integrity and honesty in conducting the business of the Association, and he will hold the interests of the membership in the highest regard.