Leland (Lee) Leachman II graduated from HarvardUniversity with an Honors BA in Economics in 1988.Lee also completed graduate level work in animal breeding at ColoradoStateUniversity in 1992.
From 1992 - 2003, Lee has served as the CEO of Leachman Cattle Company, Billings, MT.The company had annual sales in excess of $14MM.The company produced genetics in the US, South America, and New Zealand.Leachman Cattle Company also marketed branded all-natural Piedmontese beef in the US under the Montana Range Meat Company brand.
In October of 2003, Lee joined Horton Cattle Co., a Colorado based livestock enterprise involved in the feedlot and commercial cow/calf sectors.This marked the formation of Leachman Cattle of Colorado, a seedstock marketing company.In 2004, Leachman Cattle of Colorado will market over $4.0 MM of bulls and females.Lee’s primary duties include overseeing the strategic direction of the company, financial planning, and overall company management.Lee travels extensively within the US and into South America.Lee oversees Leachman's R&D efforts in the areas of genetic analysis and selection indices.
Lee’s industry participation has included involvement in National Cattleman’s Beef Association, the Beef Improvement Federation, and the Red Angus Association of America.Lee was written up in the Western Edition of the Wall Street Journal titled, “Harvard-trained rancher takes cattle breeding into 21st century.”Through articles and speaking engagements, Lee addresses industry issues including vertical coordination, crossbreeding, industry competitiveness, the role of seedstock, and related issues.Lee has served on the Board of Directors of Optibrand Ltd, LLC since August, 2003 and currently serves as the Chairman.