OUR FAMILY STORY
Two Cedars Angus:
A Story of Resilience
In 1912, Wilford Derby Laws and his wife, Mary, fled the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution with their children. They left behind a life they had built from the ground up: a comfortable home, rich farmland, and a thriving herd of cattle. The danger of being caught between rebel forces and the military was simply too great, and the family never looked back.
Their search for a new beginning led them to Mona, Utah, where their son, Wilbur Francis "Wib" Laws, was born in 1915. A year later, the family journeyed to Blanding, Utah, a remote place with an uncertain future. When asked if they had enough money to leave if the land didn't suit them, Wilford’s words captured a spirit of quiet, unwavering resolve.
“I guess we'll stay until we make enough to leave and go somewhere else.”
Those words became the foundation of their legacy. They never left. The Laws family remains in Blanding to this day, their story a testament to enduring courage and a deep connection to the land they came to call home.
A Legacy Built on Grit and Innovation
In the early 1930s, Wib Laws set out to build a legacy from scratch. He homesteaded 320 acres on the rugged Mustang Mesa, east of Blanding, a land choked with stubborn piñon and juniper trees. Through sheer determination, he cleared the land and expanded the property by cutting cedar posts and building fences under contract. Starting with nothing, Wib built a herd of cattle, raised winter wheat, and, perhaps most importantly, raised 10 children.
Wib was a true pioneer of the region, always seeking a better way forward. He was the first in San Juan County to try crested wheatgrass, using seed from his brother, a professor at the University of El Paso. He also introduced the area’s first Charolais bull to crossbreed his herd and was an early adopter of new technologies, using a chemical brush control agent to manage the land more effectively.
While his operation remained modest, his spirit of innovation and tireless dedication left an enduring legacy. He proved that with hard work and a visionary approach, a family could not only survive on the land, but also set a high standard for an entire region.
A Dream Takes Root
In 1987, the family operation was passed to the next generation when Wib’s youngest son, Kelly, and his wife, Terri, purchased the ranch. Like his father, Kelly raised winter wheat and ran cattle, but for years, a full-time job off the farm kept his true dream at bay: to enter the purebred breeding stock business.
With his retirement and his sons now grown, the time was finally right to pursue that long-held goal. Eager to continue the family legacy, his sons, Klayton and Kendall, took out loans and became equal partners in the venture. Kelly and Terri sold their commercial herd, and together, they officially founded Two Cedars Angus LLC, turning a generational dream into a new chapter for the ranch.
Why the name of Two Cedars?
The name Two Cedars comes from a story passed down through the generations of the Laws family. For years, the wild and unruly horses of Mustang Mesa were a constant nuisance, led by a stunning stallion. On several occasions this stallion would come and entice Wib’s team of work horses away. Often times it would take him a full day or more to track them down, and though he had the stallion in his rifle sights more than once, he could never bring himself to shoot the majestic animal.
Then one morning, Wib found a trail of blood near his farm gate. Following it, he discovered a gruesome scene: the wild stallion lay dead beneath two cedar trees, killed in a fight with Wib’s own gelding. It appeared that during the fight with the gelding, the stallion had become tangled in the barb wire fence and had received a fatal cut to his jugular vein.
This marked a profound and symbolic moment—the end of the wild horse era on Mustang Mesa. The story of that untamable spirit and the land's transition has been told and re-told by the family for decades. When the Angus operation was established, the name Two Cedars was chosen as a way to pay homage to Wib and his determined spirit to make his ranch successful. After more than 80 years, the two cedar trees still stand, a symbol of the enduring legacy and the family's deep, unbreakable roots in the area.
The Ranch Today
Raising cattle on Mustang Mesa is a challenge as old as the Laws family’s presence here. Situated at 6,000 feet on the edge of the Colorado Plateau, the land is defined by limited and unpredictable rainfall. Our herd faces a landscape without lush summer mountain pastures, relying solely on spring green and dry grass for the remainder of the year. To thrive in this environment, our operation has focused on developing a herd of mother cows with a unique ability to adapt and endure.
The next generation has brought a blend of grit and genetic science to the family business. Klayton has dedicated hundreds of hours to researching bloodlines, breeders, and genetics, while his brother Kendall, an attorney, provides the legal counsel and marketing leadership necessary to run a modern, thriving operation.
Our purebred herd is built from reputable breeders with a singular focus: sustainability and performance in a high-altitude, low-resource environment. We breed for high-altitude adaptation (PAP tested), calving ease, strong weaning weights, sound feet and docility, and a balanced frame and build—the traits that have allowed our legacy to endure on this land for generations.
The Next Chapter
Looking to the future, Two Cedars Angus is a family legacy growing across three generations—from Kelly to his sons Klayton and Kendall, and their families. This deep-rooted passion now drives a vision for the future of the ranch. We are currently building toward a 50-head herd and aggressively developing a top-tier artificial insemination (AI) program designed to accelerate genetic progress.
This forward-thinking approach is matched by a commitment to the highest standards of animal health and welfare. Our operation is Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified, and we have invested in cutting-edge virtual fencing technology from Gallagher eShepherd to precisely manage grazing and optimize calf development. This dedication to advanced programs—from strong vaccination schedules to mineral supplements—ensures we raise cattle that can meet the unique challenges of our land while consistently exceeding customer expectations.