Stewart Family
In today's society, many people downplay the notion of working with their family. Contrary to the belief that it is better to cut family ties in business, the agriculture industry has insight to the fact that the harmony of a family working together can produce a successful and strong business unmatched by anything else. Mid Continent Farms is a fifth generation farm family located in Washington, Kansas. The MCF partnership raises and sells show steers and breeding stock across the United States. The entire operation is a family effort composed of Gregg and Debbie Stewart along with their three boys, Garrett, Brigham, and Tucker; Conrad and Deanna Stewart; and brother, Kent Stewart, with his children Derek and Devon. Each member contributes in their own way to help make MCF the operation it is today.
Mid Continent Farms is more than a cattle ranch. With roots dating back to the 1950's when Gregg and Kent were traveling as members of the Colby Community College and Kansas State University livestock judging teams, they networked with cattle producers across the country during judging practice to get their cattle business started. From A.I. work to purchasing cattle, the Stewarts operation was well under way when Gregg and Kent were only seventeen and nineteen years old. Being centrally located, the name "Mid Continent Chianina" was coined by their Colby Community College teammate Dennis Aherin, but was later changed to Mid Continent Farms as the Stewarts expanded their business to include multiple breeds. MCF received business from coast to coast and from Canada to Central America. Now, over half a century later, Mid Continent Farms still offers the quality and service that it was first founded on. For the Stewart family, it is more than just selling cattle; it is supporting their show families with everything from show day preparation to feed management. It is working together as a team to be the best possible.
If you are ever in Eastern Kansas or run into one of the Stewarts at a livestock event, it is obvious that there is a passion and dedication to what they do - whether it is in the show ring, promoting a bull in the yards at Denver, working at the ranch, or supporting a customer. Michael J. Fox once said, "Family is not an important thing. It's everything." Mid Continent Farms and the Stewart Family have based their lives on this statement, combined it with the breeding and promotion of cattle, and, as a result, impacted the livestock industry as a whole with their genetics and expertise.
"We register Maine-Anjou, Shorthorn, Charolais, Simmental, Angus, and Chianina, plus a handful of Herefords. MCF owns 1,500 head of cattle representing various composites of the breeds and farms 1,500 acres of tillable ground. Our focus is on cattle but farming is in our blood.
We have always taken a practical approach to raising show steers We are a little more mainstream than the show industry! We utilize Embryo Transfer to raise most of our show steers but with the flip of a switch and use of a different sire those same donors will produce our outstanding females and show heifers. we focus on the main cow herd to continue bettering our genetic base and producing good cattle and have always been a go to place to find the kind of females that are easily mated to the bulls of today. If you come to our sale there may be a few sires that you haven't heard of but within a couple years those are the females that raise our cattle.
We have recently moved our entire Angus herd (250 + cows) from Western Nebraska to Washington; and that was quite an undertaking. This move will allow us to focus a little more on that side of our business and be able to make better breeding decisions because we are more involved with them. They are still owned with Ron Jones of Benkelman, Nebraska and we will continue to have our bull sale there. He will grow the cattle and get the heifers up to breeding age from this time on and we will calve and handle the breeding and marketing. We have a lineup of bulls from the past and now that make our Angus herd cutting edge and a perfect outcross to most of the Angus cattle out there including: OCC Doctor, Hot Rod, JSAR Rodman, Journey, JSAR Titan, and Opportunity. You will no doubt see more from these great sires in the future of our operation.
We have been in the hunt or won nearly every major show in America in the last 20 odd years and have a lineup of cattle that will be for sale this fall that proves we are still in the game and strive to produce high quality cattle. We can't wait to preview them to you this fall."
Debbie Stewart is the grease that keeps MCF running. She handles all of the bookwork and toughest jobs including registrations, accounting, paperwork and keeping the boys in line. People that know her will confirm that the ranch would not be here today without her. When she is not working, she loves watch the Voice, hanging out with her family, and is an excellent cook.
Gregg Stewart is the backbone of the operation. He is the major decision maker, handles all the business transactions, and is an integral part of getting stuff done and making the business grow and continue to get better.
