Libby Shaver, the future of young cattlewoman
GROVESPRING, MO. – Libby Shaver of Grovespring, Mo., comes from a long line of Ozark farmers, including her parents, Shane and Denise Shaver, grandparents, Steve and Doreen Shaver of Morgan, Mo., great-grandfather, Darell Rue, and her brother Dakota and his family, all of whom have been supportive of her continuing in the family business. Libby has six to eight cow-calf pairs of registered Shorthorns which she cares for on her parents’ 40 acres in Wright County where she still resides.
Her plan is to grow her herd as she also works full time, running a small boat furniture business, Rue Industries in Lebanon, with her brother, Dakota. Libby also works part-time at Letterman Feed in Conway and is a full-time college student. And her interest, studying at Missouri State University doesn’t wander far from the farm as she is majoring in agricultural communication with a minor in animal science, with an emphasis on animal nutrition.
As an active college student, Libby is a relatively young livestock owner but she is already an experienced one, having started with cattle when she was only 12 or 13 and in 4-H.
“To be honest, when I started with show cattle, I just liked their red and white color,” Libby shared. “In short order, after working with them, I fell in love with their temperament. I have a two-year-old niece, Erica and it’s so nice to be able to take her out around such gentle cows.”
Since starting with her own cattle at such a young age, Libby has also had chickens, sheep and goats. Today, she says they still have a few chickens and her father has a couple of lambs but she is busy concentrating on her cows.
“I even had some dairy cows for a little while but I figured out pretty quick, I didn’t want to be milking cows twice every day!”
“I really enjoy the show cattle but I learned there is quite a difference in raising them, especially feeding them, in comparison to the cows you raise to sell at the sale barn.”
Libby has been involved in 4-H and volunteering with other groups for as long as she can remember. She has helped coach judging teams and helps at various other camps and clinics.
“I’ve helped with livestock, meats, dairy and horse judging teams at all levels, and really enjoy educating people about agriculture.”
Her own experience on judging teams has been a very successful venture for Libby. Her dairy judging team was second at the 2023 National 4-H Dairy Judging contest in Madison, Wisconsin and first at the international contest overseas in Scotland. Libby also placed in the top 10 at the National Contests she competed in. On the collegiate level, her team won all three national contests and at Fort Worth, Libby was the second high individual which is a huge accomplishment.
With her winning record thru 4-H and college, Libby has judged several different livestock shows across Missouri, including the Missouri State Fair Youth Dairy Show. She has judged several other regional and jackpot shows in both dairy, beef and other livestock.
Meanwhile, Libby already has been thinking as to how she hopes to continue in agriculture in the future.
“Right now, I can do most of my classes online which I really like. I can’t do all that I need online though, so I still need to attend some classes which of course, takes more time. Continuing in communication, I’d love to get into ag journalism, working with a breed association, advocating for producers, talking to farmers, sharing about new diseases and developments. I thought about becoming an ag teacher for a while as I enjoy teaching but I’m not sure I’m up to working in a classroom full-time.”
Whatever the future holds for this young producer, unlike many her age, she already knows herself, her heritage and what she wants next. “I’ve always been involved in agriculture and in raising cattle,” she concluded. “This has always been part of my life.”
