Raising ‘Em Right: Meet Teen Rancher Stetson Shook

On the surface, Stetson Shook might seem like a typical farm teen. He’s active in 4-H and FFA. He helps on his family’s crop farm near Caldwell where the Shooks, along with Stetson’s Mamaw and Papaw, grow wheat and soybeans, and he likes hanging out with friends, fixing trucks and shooting competitively in Arkansas City. 

But Stetson is more than meets the eye. This 15-year-old is also a small business owner raising feeder steers to sell for beef in his community. The goal of his business, Stetson Cattle Company, is to offer high-quality, locally produced beef at a reasonable price.

“Basically, the store is my competition,” he said. “I try to produce beef and sell it for lower prices.”

Some of his first customers were family members and friends, but word is spreading. More and more community members and even his school are purchasing beef from Stetson Cattle Company.

“He’s had a lot of customers that are completely impressed that he’s 15 years old and produces such a quality beef at such a great price. They’re completely blown away that his beef is so good and he’s always so polite. It’s nice for a parent to hear that their kid’s doing well,” his mother, Laura, said.

Stetson said that positive feedback is really rewarding, as is enjoying food he’s raised.

“You can taste the difference for sure and there’s a lot of pride in there,” he said.

“When we grill the steaks or cook the hamburger, it’s so tender, so juicy,” Laura added. “There’s nothing like paying your kid for your own meat. He puts so much effort in, we’re glad to do it.”

Stetson didn’t always have his eye on raising cattle. He showed livestock in 4-H, where he was recognized with the Ed Fisher Memorial Livestock Exhibitor Award, and really enjoyed it. But raising feeder steers is completely different. It wasn’t until his FFA advisor suggested Stetson try an entrepreneurial venture for his supervised agricultural experience that Stetson started looking into it.

“If I’m doing something I’ve never done before, I do my research. I learn from everybody I can. Everybody farms and ranches differently and being able to see that and filter out what works best for my operation helps a lot,” he said.

Still, it was challenging to have to figure everything out on his own. He credits several of his agriculture teachers for helping him get started — Jacob Sumpter for suggesting the venture and setting up key aspects of it, Kasie Bogart for helping with bookkeeping and Josie Reilly for helping him sell hats and t-shirts.

In addition to talking with several local co-ops and ranchers, Stetson has also looked to renowned animal behaviorist Temple Grandin for guidance.

“For handling the livestock, I always try to look to Temple Grandin. She’s done a lot for the livestock industry in general. She makes sure cattle are calm and it’s really cool to learn from someone like her,” he said.

So far, the hardest aspect of running his business has been getting locker dates for his cattle. Locker dates are scheduled times where animals are taken for harvesting and processing. Without a locker date, it’s difficult to properly manage the timing and feeding to ensure a good weight for finishing. Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, locker dates were fairly easy to schedule within a few months, but as the pandemic disrupted the agriculture industry, locker dates started booking further and further out. Now dates are booking for next year.

The locker dates determine when the cattle have to be a certain weight for finishing, so Stetson monitors the feed of his cattle depending on those dates. He uses a combination of pasture grazing and grain finishing.

“As soon as I get those dates, I get the cattle out and on grains. I run my steers on pasture, but they’re grain-fed as well. Our local co-op makes the beef finisher. It’s got a lot of corn and cotton hulls. It’s pretty high in protein, which I like. If I only have a month or two before my locker dates, this feed works really well,” Stetson said.

It’s clear Stetson has come a long way in his business. From learning the ropes of raising cattle to developing communication and leadership skills through 4-H and FFA, his experiences and supportive family have helped him get Stetson Cattle Company off the ground.

Stetson is only a sophomore, but he’s already got his eye on the future. He hopes to grow his business to include breeding.

“Hopefully I can start farming right after high school and maybe even expand my beef business to larger than what it is now, which would be amazing,” he said. “I hope to have the breeding operation set up within the next couple months, which would be really nice. It should help me with timing because I can know when the calves will be born, and I can plan my locker dates around that.”

“When he gets his heifers, he won’t have that overhead cost of having to buy steers, so his prices for beef would decrease a little bit, too,” Laura added.

In the meantime, Stetson continues to exhibit a strong work ethic and a love of agriculture. Whether he’s shooting competitively or showing livestock, his heart is at the farm.

“I’ve always been able to work really closely with my parents and grandparents. It takes a team to run a farm, especially during harvest. That’s a busy time and it requires everybody doing something,” he said.

To learn more, follow Stetson Cattle Company on Facebook.