In the shadow of a Highway 20 overpass on a recent sunny afternoon, Grundy County Farm Bureau members Darwin and Mel Engelkes looked out over their small pasture of American Aberdeen cattle, and waxed philosophical.

“Looking to the past to feed our future, I like that,” Darwin said. “You know, the motto of our association is ‘Quality and efficiency never goes out of style,’ but maybe we should add to it.”

The Engelkes breed and raise American Aberdeen cattle, a small-framed, wide-bodied breed of beef cattle known for its...