Frank Morgan 1952-2012

“Here’s to the sunny slopes of long ago,” – Augustus ‘Gus’ McCrae. (from Lonesome Dove)

Frank Morgan was born and raised in California cattle country. From the beginning in the tiny community of Macdoel, California in far northern Siskiyou county until now in Marengo, Illinois, horses and cattle have always been a part of his life. While both were working for local ranching families Frank and partner Pat Kirby opted for commercial beef production as their FFA enterprise buying breeding stock and leasing their first pastures at age 17. He says today,”my mother never forgave me for that move, she wanted to know what happens if they all get away or die and you cannot pay the bank ?” His love of the outdoor environment and cattle ranching led him to attend college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California in Agriculture Business Management and Animal Husbandry.

It was a discovered fascination with farm product prices and their changes that led Frank to accept a position with the Continental Grain Company futures brokerage subsidiary in 1974. His sales management and trading career included postings in Denver,Tulsa,Chicago and New York. Frank tells us that for part of that time he owned a half interest in a cow/calf operation in Morgan,Texas where he would fly in on weekends and “do whatever the foreman told me to do,some cowboying, some real work”. From 1999 through 2005 as a managing director with HSBC Securities he was a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange while he and wife Fran operated the Q7 Ranch.

He continued riding and roping throughout his commodity trading career “except for the two years I spent in New York”. He has competed in steer roping contests across America “in the advanced amateur and old man categories”. With one Eastern Regional Championship and one national top five finish behind him he now gives occasional roping and cattle working clinic “I was still speedy but my horse slowed down”. During this time he returned once again to ranching and founded the Quarter Circle Seven Ranch in Marengo, IL. The “Q7” is now a family run cattle ranch of natural prairie grasslands and rivers. He and his wife Fran, married in 1998. Between them, they have four daughters Katie, Melissa, Amanda, Kaitlyn and one son Travis.

With over 37 years of Markets Trading and 40 years of Ranching History, Frank Morgan is committed to growing the Q7 Ranch into one of the largest Midwest providers of locally produced, all-natural and sustainable, Grass-Fed Beef.