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21-year-old Kansas cattle rancher confident industry has bright future

A young cattle producer says he believes better days are ahead for the cattle industry despite challenges.

North Central Kansas producer Ethan Dickerson of Paradise says his biggest concern is lack of transparency in the feeder cattle market. “I think everything will settle in place and I think everybody just needs to calm down and let the market fall to where it needs to be.”

He raises Angus, Red Angus and Charolais cattle on his family’s ranch that started in the early 1900s. “I would consider myself a pedigree, EPD, genomic connoisseur,” he says. “I just love purebred cattle and everything that goes into it. I love breeding the perfect beef cow and seeing the toils of my work at the end when I see a beautiful cow out on grass.”

But the 21-year-old tells Brownfield, “It’s all about making ends meet and you don’t know where the industry is headed 5, 10, 20 years down the road,” Dickerson says. “It’s always tough trying to stay ahead of everything.” 

Dickerson says Bar S ranch also raises row crops for their operation.