The McCarty Brothers: Next Gen In Agriculture Value Neighbors As Mentors
Sixth generation ranchers Cade (17), Reese (14), and Gage (10) McCarty have vital roles on their family ranch, McCarty Cattle Company, in newly #Agri-Ready Designated Adair County. These brothers have a variety of interests and skills that represent the western lifestyle, rural living, and Missouri agriculture. Cade, Reese, and Gage want to continue to farm and ranch when they grow up, and they are looking to their family and neighbors to learn the secrets of success. As the agriculture community watches our youth grow, it is important to not just applaud their interest and efforts, but to share knowledge, mentor, train and support them as they strive to follow in our footsteps and make their own path in agriculture.
Agriculture, including food, feed and forestry, contributes $239.3 million in value added products, $816.8 million in output, more than 4,050 jobs, and $243.0 million to household incomes in Adair County according to the 2021 Missouri Economic Contribution of Agriculture and Forestry Study.
Watching and Learning
The McCarty brothers work alongside their parents on the family farm and learn things ‘past the farm gate’ from industry leaders, neighbors, and grandparents. They raise beef cattle, train horses, produce hay, and compete in rodeo events. Cade and Reese are building business enterprises into the family ranch. Gage is still figuring out how he wants to emulate neighborhood mentors.
Mechanical Motivation
Reese‘s favorite part of the family operation is taking care of the cattle, helping his family, and learning about business. His interest in agriculture grows as he works with his mom, dad, and brothers. “What I know now, my dad has taught me in the past,” Reese says. He is excited to join La Plata FFA next year to help him prepare for a career in agriculture. Reese is building on his interest in tractors and machinery as he expands his hay production business, specializing in square baling. He enjoys hands-on learning while fixing equipment so he can do repairs himself, and plans to expand his hay business this spring by investing in equipment that will reduce repair time and manual labor while equipping him and his partnering neighbors to bale more acres.
Growing Up with Cows
Gage’s favorite part about life on the family ranch are the cows and horses. He learns by watching his brothers. Gage started his own herd of cattle at four years old with a red cow with loud splashes of white, and he keeps heifers with white on them from each calf crop. He is hands-on help when cattle are gathered, vaccinated and weaned.
Delivering Direct
McCarty Cattle Company sells beef directly to consumers and Gage helps his mom with deliveries. He tells customers how the beef is raised on their ranch and answers questions at school about agriculture. “People often ask how many cows we have and how big the farm is and what other livestock we have,” Gage says.
Time for Play
Growing up on the ranch shouldn’t have to be all work and no play, so the McCarty brothers compete in youth rodeo. They love that rodeo is a way to meet people and see new places. Cade and Reese have competed at the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo and the family has traveled the country to train and compete. “Rodeo is a representation of the western lifestyle, and the tools often used for beef production,” says Cade.
“Rodeo is a sport for us, same as baseball or football. It is about traditions. The animals and people competing are athletes. We take good care of our horses and rodeo stock,” Reese shares.
Talking Agriculture
Cade likes to talk and share agriculture’s story from his favorite viewpoint of the ranch: horseback. He helps his mom make videos for social media that share about ranch life with horses and cattle. “The videos we share are positive and promote agriculture. I tell the story of agriculture through my lifestyle,” Cade says. The family also welcomes visitors to the ranch, where the boys show and tell their agriculture stories.
The Value of Community
Cade’s career aspiration is to cowboy full-time around the country explaining, “The best place to be is on the back of a horse. The best way I have found to stay horseback is by taking care of cattle.” He enjoys building his network at industry meetings, where he learns by talking to experienced leaders. Cade believes that Agri-Ready County Designation helps protect agriculture’s mission to feed the world by securing support and promoting opportunities for agriculture at the community level.
A Family Affair
Along with their parents, Pat and Ashley, the McCarty brothers are involved in the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Adair/Schyler County Farm Bureau and Missouri Farm Bureau. The McCarty family values their relationships with FCS Financial, MFA, Inc., and MFA Oil, which provide knowledgeable services and products to support their ranch business. These organizations and over 40 others are partners of Missouri Farmers Care.
Adair County at a Glance: Adair County, located in the rolling hills of northeast Missouri, is home to 804 farm families. Value-added agricultural facilities in meat, food and forestry processing are complemented by institutions of higher education and healthcare. The county hosts three agriculture education programs with FFA chapters and four 4-H clubs. University of Missouri Extension and partners have annually hosted the Missouri Livestock Symposium for 25 years in the county seat of Kirksville.
