Hometown: Buffalo, Mo.
Family: Husband Bob Stewart; son Seth Stewart and wife Megan; daughter Lauren Cunningham and husband Garret; and grandsons Reed and Malachi Stewart
In Town: Katie Stewart keeps busy with several town jobs.
“My primary job is at the Extension Office in Dallas County three days a week. Then 10 weeks out of the year, usually January through March, I do the Ag Ed on the Move program through Missouri Farmers Care at Wanda Gray Elementary in Springfield. One day a week, I teach about 80 kids about agriculture. I also sell crop insurance as a subagent with Gibson Insurance in Tipton, Mo. I don’t sell a lot of corn and bean insurance, but I do sell a lot of the PRS insurance around the region.
In the Country: “My mom and dad raised Angus, so I grew up with cattle. I’ve always been interested in cattle, but we took a hiatus and focused on horses and Boar goats until Seth got his first Shorthorn heifer in 2009 or 2010. We gradually phased out of the goats, selling the last ones in 2021. Now, we just raise cattle. We are Shorthorn-based with Red Angus cleanup bulls after we AI, so we have some Shorthorn and Red Angus crosses, which are Shorthorn Pluses.”
Stewart Livestock focuses on producing show heifers that become productive cows.
“We want them to be good enough that you can show well with them, then go home and be a great cow for you,” Katie said.
They currently have a herd of 12 registered females. While their children have aged out of junior shows, daughter Lauren continues to help Katie and Bob in the ring.
“If you want to sell show heifers, you have to show cattle,” Katie said. “You have to have a presence somewhere and a bit of reputation if you want to do that.”
The Stewarts utilized sexed semen when AIing their females in hopes of getting a higher female ratio.
“We have a small number of cows, so it’s worth that extra money to us to get that heifer calf if we can,” Katie said. “It doesn’t matter what color the Shorthorn heifers are; you can sell them easily, but if you are selling bulls, they need to be solid red with very little white. That’s why we would rather have as many heifers as we can.”
The Stewards utilize private treaty and Shorthorn association sales to market their animals.
With grandsons Reed and Malachi waiting in the wings, Katie said she could see a third generation hitting the ring.
“I’m sure as they get older, they will have some cattle in their names and get a little herd going for them.”
