The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) presented Autauga Farming Company Inc. the 2026 BIF Commercial Producer of the Year Award June 2 during the group’s annual research symposium in Boise, Idaho. This national award recognizes a producer’s dedication to improving the beef industry at the commercial level.
Rooted in Autaugaville, Ala., Autauga Farming Company has spent more than a century refining one of the Southeast’s most distinguished commercial cow herds. Founded in 1919 and now stewarded by the fourth and fifth generations of the Wendland family, the operation reflects a deep, unwavering commitment to beef improvement.
“Autauga Farming Company and the Wendland family symbolize the performance principles of the Beef Improvement Federation and have done so for generations,” says Michelle Elmore, Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association (BCIA) executive secretary.
At the heart of the enterprise is a fall-calving herd of 1,018 breeding females—a closed herd for more than 40 years. By eliminating outside female influence, the Wendlands have built a genetic program precisely tailored to Alabama’s sandy soils and climate. Their three-breed terminal rotation of Angus, Hereford and Charolais is engineered for maximum hybrid vigor and produces calves that excel in maternal traits, feedlot performance and carcass quality.
The family’s commitment to data backs every breeding decision. As charter members of the Alabama BCIA since 1964, the Wendlands have maintained 62 consecutive years of performance records—weaning weights, gain ratios and carcass data—now managed digitally through CattleMax and electronic identification technology. Carcass feedback from their customers directly informs sire selection, ensuring their genetics perform as well on the rail as in the pasture.
In 2025, they reintroduced artificial insemination into their replacement heifer program for the first time in 25 years to tighten the calving window and improve calf uniformity. The Wendlands didn’t just build a better herd; they built a better market. Co-founding the Producers Feeder Calf Sale in 1980, they established a regional benchmark for pre-conditioned, vaccinated, uniform calf loads that command premium prices.
“Their innovative spirit and love of agriculture have and will continue to make a positive and influential impact,” Elmore summarizes. “Each generation has served as a dedicated model for progressive agriculture. Autauga Farming Company will continue to be an advocate for improvement in efficiency, profitability and sustainability of agriculture.”
Autauga Farming Company was nominated for the award by the Alabama BCIA. The award is presented by BIF and sponsored by Drovers.
Approximately 400 beef producers, academia and industry representatives attended the organization’s 58th Annual Research Symposium and Convention in Boise, Idaho. BIF’s mission is to help improve the industry by promoting greater acceptance of beef cattle performance evaluation.
For more information about this year’s symposium, including additional award winners and coverage of the meeting and tours, visit BIFSymposium.com.