Raising Red Part 2: A Front Row Seat For A Successful Future
By: Emma Alexander –
Eli (15) and Ethan (13) Rogers are more than farmhands, they are contributing members of their family’s farm, ranch, and agribusiness team. The boys’ parents, Steven and Jamie Rogers, and grandparents, Jim and Jan Lile are partners of Rogers Cattle Company and Lile Farms Red Angus near Strafford in #Agri-Ready Designated Webster County. Steven and Jamie also own ShowMe Genetic Services. Eli and Ethan are well-rounded, proactive young men. Their daily experiences are preparing them to become successful agriculturalists as adults.
Their Perspective in Brief
“Kids in agriculture are hardworking and resilient. We don’t get days off. The world needs somebody that’s willing to put in the hours and get the job done,” Eli shares.
“You can’t be afraid to fail, because that’s how you learn,” Ethan says. “I don’t ever regret buying a heifer that is hard to show. Overcoming the challenge and learning not to pick another heifer like that is how I learn.”
A Front Row Seat in Entrepreneurship
The Rogers family has been improving their Red Angus for more than 20 years, resulting in a docile herd that the whole family feels safe handling. Eli and Ethan have been homeschooled since 2020, giving them a front row seat to real-world experiences of entrepreneurship in agriculture and farming alongside their family every day. They participate in the afterhours, the weekends, and witness their parents take risks.
#Agri-Ready Designated Webster County: According to the 2021 Missouri Economic Contribution of Agriculture and Forestry Study, agriculture contributes $118.6 million in value added products to Webster County’s economy, supports more than 3,400 jobs, and adds $168.2 million to household incomes annually. Livestock dominates the farming landscape in Webster County, accounting for 87% of farm receipts. Among cattle producing counties in the nation
The Influence of 4-H and FFA
As past Presidents of the Missouri FFA Association, Steven (1995-96) and Jamie (2001-02) are passionate about paving the way for the next generation. Eli and Ethan are active members of the Farm & Field 4-H Club in #Agri-Ready Designated Webster County and credit a lot of their growth to experiences they get as members of the club’s beef project. The Rogers boys have enjoyed success showing their Red Angus at local, regional, state, and national levels.
“Showing our cattle gets our name and faces out there. It’s really good advertising and marketing,” says Ethan Rogers.
Eli
Eli thinks in mechanical terms, often with the tutelage of his Papa Jim. He enjoys time in the tractor. While about 100 Rogers Red Angus females rotate across the pastures of Lile Farms, Eli plays a key role in storing forage needed for the winter months. He is learning to weld and enjoys fixing things, even fence. He plans to learn how to AI cattle. “Ethan will have to tell me which cattle to cross, though. He is more in-tune with our herd and genetic goals,” Eli readily admits.
Ethan
Ethan usually begins his day in the barn before dawn, working with show calves. He has enough experience to manipulate and manage show feed rations to get the desired results. “There’s nothing cooler than watching a calf when it is first born, then seeing what it develops into. Or buying a small show animal and seeing its growth by the last show,” Ethan says with a smile.
When They Grow Up
“Because we get to show a lot, and because we are homeschooled, we get more opportunities to learn from adults who have a lot of wisdom in the beef industry,” Eli continues.
“I enjoy traveling with dad on road trips,” Ethan says. “We look for show heifers, meet new customers, and develop deeper relationships by visiting our current customers.”
“We gladly guide our boys as they learn to develop relationships with adults,” Steven says. “Those relationships and the exposure of showing will lead to future opportunities. Eli and Ethan won’t be surprised by a realistic view of success. They already understand how important it will be for them to bring a value to our family business as adults.”
More About the Rogers Kids
Eli and Ethan also play football for the Lighthouse Christian Academy. Eli enjoys hunting and would like to learn more about trapping. Ethan may have a show fitting business someday. Eli and Ethan’s younger sister, Whitley (3), is looking to find her niche in the family operation, too. Until then, Whitley practices ‘administrative management’ every day.
The Rogers Family are members of Missouri 4-H, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, and Missouri Farm Bureau. These organizations are partners of Missouri Farmers Care.
