Tiffany Cattle Company Wins CAB Feedlot Commitment to Excellence
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10-6-15 Sect. 1.qxp:Layout 1 9/30/15 2:02 PM Page 1 High calling – Tiffany Cattle Company wins CAB Feedlot Commitment to Excellence Award By Steve Suther Brothers Shawn and Shane Tiffany grew up in the feedlot business, around a 42-acre yard built on the run- ways of an old Army Air Corps base. Their dad, Steve, was a manager at what was then Black Diamond Feeders near Herington for 14 years, starting in 1988. Only a year apart in school, they were on live- stock judging teams together and earned degrees in animal science at Kansas State Uni- versity. A minor in business foretold Shane’s first career as cattle buyer for Bartlett & After purchasing Black Diamond Feeders in 2007 Co. in the Texas Panhandle. Shane and Shawn Tiffany have worked together to Shawn’s Master’s in repro- grow Tiffany Cattle Company to a 12,000-14,000 head Using performance data to improve the quality of cattle, they strive to build a wider ductive physiology led him operation with a strong focus on customer relation- community for beef by offering a more consistent product for consumers. to manage Chair Rock Land ships. Photos by Steve Suther & Cattle near Kansas City. power for the next ten days. The “boys” try to give “We’re both very Type-A, But from the start, each some uncertainty in the cat- the brand’s annual confer- They learned to be ready for back every day so the next so we have locked horns a wanted to build a legacy. tle industry then, so a lot of ence in San Antonio, Texas, anything. generation will have oppor- time or two,” Shawn says. “The things we learned our advisors warned us off.” Sept. 26. As spring came around, tunities, “something to stay But they agree on almost from our father can be ap- They were torn. They “We started with six em- Shawn was tagged to head home for,” and it starts with everything these days, in- plied anywhere,” Shawn prayed and called each other, ployees and 3,000 cattle for up farming simply because their own eight children in cluding the key to success: says. “Let your yes be yes debating whether it was the 10 or 12 customers, whereas he had a garden. He parlayed the two families. “It’s because there’s two of and your handshake as good right thing for their young now we have 20 dedicated that into a 2,500-acre, no-till Shawn is on the board of us. We feed almost all cus- as a contract.” families. Then Shawn employees, a customer list of operation known today a local telecommunications tomer cattle, so while Shane Black Diamond owner, summed it up: “If we’re 80 150 and stay pretty full at across the Midwest for inno- business and Shane is mayor is in the office most of the U.S. Premium Beef (USPB) years old and in our rocking 12,000 to 14,000 head,” says vation and cover crop strate- of nearby Alta Vista, where time, it helps to have an cofounder and mentor to the chairs, if we don’t do this, Shane, CEO of the cattle gies. he recently reopened a gro- owner looking at things out Tiffanys, Doug Laue advised are we ever going to regret company. Equal partner It was obvious from the cery store that had been in the yard every day, catch- them, “Always do your best it?” Shawn functions as chief op- start that the community closed for years. Both are ac- ing little things before they and the opportunities will The question was an an- erating officer at the yard, would support these feedlot tive in church and men’s become big.” come,” Shane says. “People swer. Of course they would. and president of Tiffany owners, just into their 30s. ministry on a wider scale. Fixing those little things will take notice.” The company name changed Family Farms. “To local people, I think The brothers thrive on early shelters customers Laue noticed, and in 2007 Dec. 1, 2007. Day to day, titles are not even when we are in our 90s overcoming challenges from from risk and helps build re- he called the brothers, one Tiffany Cattle Company important and everyone we’ll be the Tiffany boys,” weather to markets, but lationships. “Part of our mo- after the other. received the 2015 Certified works together. That ap- Shane says. “They wanted to admit the first one was close tivation is just that we like “He asked if we would Angus Beef® (CAB®) proach dealt successfully see us come home and make to home. Those who knew helping people,” he says. ever consider coming back Feedlot Commitment to Ex- with the first crisis, ten days something of it so they sent them as boys wondered how The outward focus defines and buying into the feedlot,” cellence Award, accepted by into the new venture when us cattle to take care of, and they could be in business to- the culture of employees Shane and wife Morgan at an ice storm shut down our customer list grew.” gether. Shawn recalls. “There was Continued on page 3 Conway and GeneNet earn CAB Progressive Partner Award for marketing innovation By Steve Suther learned, and taught many To gather more of that, he “I’d seen the pig and finish the PhD with greater Neb., which was expanding GeneNet was always quality-focused cattle pro- signed on with an oil compa- chicken boys set up integrat- understanding of the product its high-quality niche by about genetics and network- ducers how to make more ny executive’s upstart R&J ed systems from genetics to side. going after a specific breed ing, but when the cattle mar- money by satisfying con- Ranch near Austin, Texas. the finished product, but fig- Having a card that said type. It founded Angus keting alliance was just an sumers. “Most herdsmen for big- ured it was not possible until “doctor” opened doors at the America to incorporate idea 40 years ago, few be- That’s why the Certified money ranches last three to I saw the alliance idea,” he big feedlots and packing much of Conway’s vision. sides founder Ken Conway Angus Beef® brand honored five years, so I thought this said. plants, “but most of them He moved from Texas to thought it would get a Conway and GeneNet with would be great fun before Top of mind for Conway still thought I was crazy,” he South Dakota for a time and chance to work. its 2015 Progressive Partner going for my PhD,” he says. then was how to put children said. One exception was Looking back, he says he Award, which he accepted But R&J made things plenty through college while transi- Beef America, Norfolk, Continued on page 3 didn’t know enough to doubt with wife Charlotte at the interesting with the first on- tioning careers. He’d been he could change the beef in- brand’s annual conference in ranch embryo transfer pro- near the top as a high-profile dustry for the good. Conway San Antonio, Texas, Sept. gram. Angus herd manager but in 26. That fun lasted nearly 18 the commercial industry, he The year after earning years, until Conway, then 44 would be “low dog on the FFA Star Farmer of Kansas and well-known in the pure- totem pole.” at 17, while serving as a state bred Angus arena, decided to Weighing the entry-level officer in 1969, the Plainville go for his PhD at last. Maybe salary as a professor against native’s sights were lifted he could still be a professor. prospects for a startup busi- above farming. The first new But what really caught his ness that could change that impression was 140 miles attention in 1993 was the industry, he decided to go for east at Kansas State Univer- beef industry’s Strategic Al- the PhD with a mission to sity, where he discovered liances Demonstration Proj- develop an emerging vision. “what I would do the rest of ect. “I saw a grid where cat- my life.” The doctoral program at tlemen could get more Four years later, Conway Texas A&M University had money for higher quality cat- wanted to stay on, so he close links to that project tle,” Conway said. “I wanted helped coordinate and care that would launch dozens of to organize a group of breed- for cattle on feed at the Beef “strategic alliances” across ers that had enough of those Research Unit for two years the beef cattle community in cattle that I could go to a before the purebred herds- the next five years. beef packer and ask them to man post opened, and he Conway had seen the pay more than average stayed another three years, show ring give ground to money on a grid or formula.” earning an MS in beef cattle data-based selection but He knew hundreds of nutrition by 1976. He wondered why commercial Angus producers from the thought about a PhD and operators paid more for bet- previous 20 years, and start- teaching classes, but Con- ter bulls when 95% of fin- ed communicating with way’s favorite professors ished cattle all sold for the them while taking “as many With an eye on producing quality beef through genetics had “real world” experience. same price each week. meats classes as I could” to and networking, Ken Conway founded GeneNet. 10-6-15 Sect.