On June 11, guests, family and friends gathered at Blythe Family Farms, White City, Kan., to celebrate the painting of its barn with the Certified Angus Beef ® brand’s familiar logo – the 16th stop of a cross-country journey in celebration of the brand’s 40th anniversary. Farmers, community leaders, brand partners and other special guests shared a meal with the Blythe family as they watched paint dry.

Painting the brand’s logo on 40 barns across America isn’t just an old-school marketing approach, it’s a tip of the hat to the farmers and ranchers who created the brand in 1978 and lead it today.

“This effort is a tangible symbol of the valuable, and interconnected, roles our partners play in guiding the Certified Angus Beef ® brand from farm to table,” says Tracey Erickson, vice president of marketing. “It’s an honor for us to join their efforts in honoring our roots: family farmers and ranchers who have always been at the heart of this brand.”

The Blythes are representative of this heritage. In 1890, Duane Blythe’s great-grandfather started the family farm, but it wasn’t until Duane married Debbie Lyons, and she moved in with a bull and a herd of cows, that the place turned into a working Angus farm. With five children who are now grown, Debbie Lyons-Blythe has become accustomed to checking cows and cutting hay with multiple helpers. The Blythe family also has been a big part of the Certified Angus Beef ® brand through the years, hosting educational activities like ranch tours. Not only have family members worked closely with the brand’s staff, son Eric officially joined the team in 2018.

The Blythes’ barn was painted by Troy Freeman, of Free Sky Studios of Springfield, Ill. Freeman is an experienced mural and large-scale painter for businesses, cities and townships, amusement parks, schools, residences and more, as well as the illustrator of 15 books and the founder of a graphics and web design business. While painting barns for the Certified Angus Beef ® brand, he enjoys meeting the farming families and learning more about their unique stories and backgrounds, while celebrating their shared goals and values.