Inductee Listing

Melvin and Luella Leland are second generation owners and operators of the 115-year-old Leland Red Angus ranch on the western edge of the North Dakota Badlands.

Melvin and Luella have been and are members of many agricultural groups that have worked to improve the agricultural industry in North Dakota and beyond. Those associations include the FFA Alumni Association, the McKenzie County Grazing Association, the Mon-Dak Stockgrowers Association and the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA), where Melvin served on the Board of Directors and as President. He also was appointed by the governor to the state Board of Animal Health, serving 12 years as president.

Melvin received the Society for Range Management’s Rangeman of the Year award in 1982 and the NDSA Top Hand Award in 2019.

Melvin’s leadership in breed associations included service as president of the Montana Red Angus Associations and president of the Red Angus Association of America, receiving that association’s Distinguished Service Award.

During Melvin’s tenure as president of the Montana Red Angus Association, Luella served as the association secretary. She was also a long-time 4-H leader and a member of the North Dakota Cattlewomen.

The Leland’s ranch was recognized by the American Red Angus Association as Breeder of the Year in 1995 and Pioneer Breeder of the Year in 2011; and has been inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame.