Cory Dawes is a young farmer building his program
STOCKTON, MO. – Cory Dawes of rural Cedar County just outside Stockton, Mo., is a busy farmer, Federal employee and entrepreneur. He currently has a cow calf operation that features 75 spring calving cows and 20 fall calvers on 500 acres, 200 of which belong to him along with another 300 acres that he rents.
“After the drought these past two years,” he explained, “it’s been quite the job to build back my herd as I took a pretty good hit there for a while. Like a lot of producers, I don’t buy cows but rather retain my own heifers and at today’s cattle prices, building back is really a double-edged sword.”
Cory shared that he focuses on genetics, selecting his bulls based on maternal traits and going for docility. “I am a one-man show, so to speak, so I have to have cows that I can handle by myself. I raise commercial cattle, based on Gelbvieh cows and in the last few years, Angus bulls. I partner with Valley Oaks out of Warsaw, Mo., and that’s where I get my bulls. I realized I needed to get some fresh blood in here but I also have to go for the quality. Their bulls have increased my productivity through a program with Mo-Kan in which they pay back a three percent dividend when I sell. As a younger producer, that makes quite a difference.”
He sells his cattle at the local stockyards. At a sale earlier this year, a friend who is also a stockyard employee shared that of the 400 to 500 cattle that he had dealt with for that day’s sale, Cory was the youngest producer that day and yet, his were the heaviest calves. “I took that as quite the compliment,” he added shyly.
Cory is cognizant of the fact that as a 33 year old farmer, he is well below the average age of cattle producers in the US right now who average just over age 58, according to the USDA in 2025.
He graduated from Stockton High School where he was active in FFA. He said he was fortunate that at one point, he was able to participate with other local agriculture students as they were sent off to Columbus Ohio in a program sponsored by United Producers. “I remember we learned a lot!”
His father, Derrick Dawes who farms land that is adjacent to his farm and a pair of brother farmers, Scott and David Johnson, also neighbors, have served as mentors to him these last several years as he ventured off onto his own farming journey. “The ones I rent my acreage from are also really supportive, in that they have been good to extend long term rental contracts to me, allowing me to invest in their land and my program of retaining heifers. It takes time to build a herd so I really appreciate their professional approach. Likewise, my mother helps me out, too, from time to time, when I need transport from farm to farm. All kinds of support really helps.
“I bought my first farm when I was only 20 years old. Who does that?” he added with a laugh. “It is hard being a young producer these days but I know I am really lucky to have all of them as mentors, helping me along the way.”
In addition to the cattle, Cory works for the US Army Corps of Engineers at Stockton Lake, working in maintenance and with equipment there. The area has a significant tourist, camping and fishing trade during the spring, summer and fall season. He also operates his own track-loader, doing fence rows and excavating jobs. “I’ve definitely cleaned out more dried up farm ponds than I ever care to see again, with this drought the last few years,” he added.
Raised in the area, he has always been around cattle and the lake. Part of his land also runs along the Sac River featuring the Caplinger Mills 100 year old picturesque historic truss bridge, now open to foot traffic only, that is well-known in the area. “You know, if you like where you live and like what you do, it makes a huge difference.”
Cory works to provide his own pasture and feed for his cattle, raising and putting up his own hay. “I try to take care of what takes care of me,” he concluded.
