About Us
Sunny Valley Farms
Illinois, Colorado, Wyoming
More than a quarter century of commitment to improving the Angus breed.
Sunny Valley Farm, founded in 1974 by the late Dr. George E. Block is recognized as one of the premier Angus operations in the world. Located just 55 miles southwest of Chicago, Sunny Valley Farm became known early on as a name synonymous with quality Angus genetics of lasting and appreciating value. The performance-tested, registered herd, coupled with a well-developed cattle feeding operation that utilized feedstuffs raised on the fertile and productive cropland, developed a strong background in the basics of integrated beef production.
With an early foundation which included females selected from the performance programs of Graham Angus in Georgia and Burch Angus Ranch in Oklahoma, the Sunny Valley program bred for solid and predictable performance from the very beginning. The mating of those early foundation females to the now legendary Pathfinder sire, PS Power Play, proved a masterful step, producing a sensational generation which included the calving-ease Pathfinder dam Queen Anne of SVF 1531, and the famous Blackbird of SVF 0370. Affectionately known as Sweet Pea, Blackbird of SVF 0370 produced a significant number of prolific Pathfinder dams, as well as the prominent sires SVF Pistelero, SVF Imprint and SVF General George.
In addition, elite foundation females that were carefully selected from the top end of established Montana performance-based herds would serve as the framework to boost the Sunny Valley program to a new level in the Angus breed. These select females from the Gartner Denowh, Van Dyke, Hyline and Cedar Hills herds included Forever Lady 163 GDAR, Hyline Pride 729, Cedar Hills Blackbird 2011, and others of exceptional quality. They were followed by females like LT Forever Lady 395 GDAR, GDAR Forever Lady 718, GDAR Forever Lady 719, WAR Elba 43J and GT Treasure 120.
While the industry paid little attention at first, the embryo matings from these soon-to-be famous females by sires with proven performance produced a generation of Angus females and bulls unlike the breed had ever seen. During the past decade, a countless list of outstanding females offered through Sunny Valley Farm annual production sales have made headlines for their owners. These include great females like the million dollar plus producers SVF Forever Lady 1120 and SVF Forever Lady 57D. Other females that left Sunny Valley Farm as a reasonable investment that went on to generate multiple times their original investment are: SVF Forever Lady 177C, GDAR Forever Lady 718, SVF Forever Lady 146D, GDAR SVF Forever Lady 180D, GDAR Forever Lady 3078, SVF Forever Lady 0508, SVF Forever Lady 176B, Tomaw Forever Lady 03E, Baldridge Forever Lady 212D, Blackbird of SVF 1429, GDAR SVF Forever lady 223D, SVF Baldridge Forever Lady 1F, SVF Forever Lady 4B, SVF Blackbird 1620, SVF Rachel 152D, SVF Elba 124G, GT Treasure 120, SVF Forever Lady 112D, SVF Forever Lady 41F, and these are just a few.
The GDAR Forever Lady 9500, GDAR KEM 9227, BT Everelda Entense 567H, GAR New Design 1139, GAR GIG Rito 2801, GAR Precision 939, GAR Precision 1559, GAR GIG Rito 641, and GAR new Design 50 have put Sunny Valley Farm at their highest level of genetic development. The addition of these cow families will undoubtedly step up in the herd competition and, as a result, benefit the customers and partners of Sunny Valley Farm.
In 2005, Sunny Valley Farm Expanded its operation to Byers, CO, where its Purebred Angus bulls are developed and marketed to meet the needs of both commercial and purebred operators. The ranch is conveniently located just 20 minutes east of the Denver International Airport and is comprised of nearly 6000 acres of grassland.
In 2006, Sunny Valley once again expanded its operations. This time, Sunny Valley staked its claim in Laramie WY, with the purchase of the Shamrock Angus Ranch. This ranch specializes in PAP tested, high altitude Angus cattle grazing on approximately 8000 acres of Wyoming grasslands. These two properties are respectively known as the West Unit and SVF Shamrock.
The depth and quality of each successive generation has grown exponentially. Sunny Valley Farm’s commitment to the Angus breed has never been stronger. We look forward to many more years of existing and new relationships in the breed. The 2006 calf crop at Sunny Valley Farm shows the promise of even greater potential than ever before. The commitment to producing Angus genetics is proudly carried forward today by Edward and Mary Block and Chris Earl.