Shannon Short from Alpha Angus Farm in Oklahoma is this week’s Female Farmer Friday! I thoroughly enjoy following Shannon on Instagram! Not long ago, she did a series of insta-stories on Testicle Thursday explaining the importance of scrotal circumference – very useful information 🙂 Just like most of us, Shannon’s biggest struggle is time, and her and her husband are working toward the goal of being full time farmers. Read on to hear her story.
• Sara Beth

Please briefly introduce yourself.

Hi! My name is Shannon. My husband and I own and operate a registered Angus ranch and hay farm in Oklahoma. We both work full-time jobs off the farm, so we spend nearly all of our free time completing our never-ending list of “farm work”. We have about 50 permanent “residents” on the farm and are currently fostering a litter of seven puppies and two adult dogs for Bluebonnet Animal Rescue Network in Texas.

What type of farm do you have?

We specialize in Registered Black Angus cattle and Bermuda grass hay. We also have chickens for eggs and two goats who really have no purpose other than just being cute.

How long have you been farming?

I have been involved with the farm for about five years. I grew up in an agricultural community but, honestly, it was never a life I wanted for myself. Little did I know I would fall in love with a farmer/rancher and soon become extremely involved in animal agriculture. My husband was raised on the farm his entire life and inherited most everything when his dad passed a few years ago. It’s been hard work, but we’ve also been so blessed. I can’t imagine any other life for myself.

Do you have an off-farm job?

I sure do! I work about 10 minutes from the farm at our local pharmacy and my husband works an hour and a half away in Oklahoma City. When I originally graduated with my Bachelor’s of Agricultural Science and Natural Resource’s degree in Environmental Science, I planned on working in Tulsa for an environmental consulting firm. However, it quickly became apparent that we couldn’t manage the farm with us both working so far away. I decided to go back to my previous position as a pharmacy technician so I could remain close to the farm.

Please share with us one of the biggest struggles you have with farming.

Time management. 100%. We work on farm related projects as much as possible, but there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. This leads to a lot of mental stress and anxiety. I’m working on ways to better manage our time, but even that takes time! Things are really difficult during hay season and when I have family obligations in Illinois.

What is something about your farm life that you think would surprise most people?

The fact that I live on a farm and am involved with cattle amazes pretty much anyone who knew me when I was younger. Heck, it even amazes me at times! My family loves to joke that I was the last one they would have expected to enter into the Ag Industry. Once the initial shock has worn off, people are also surprised to know how deeply I am involved with our operation. I do more than just take photos and pet cows! I keep our breeding records, make breeding decisions, take animals to the vet, and help with hay when needed.

Can you share one of your long-term goals for your farm?

Our biggest goal is to make the farm successful enough that we can both work on it full-time. Our dream is to expand our herd, raise quality Angus for meat and seedstock, and still have time and energy to travel every once in a while. Big goals, right?

If you had the chance to tell one thing to someone without any first hand knowledge of the farming industry, what would it be?

Wow. That’s a tough one. I’m generally a long-winded person so *one* thing would turn into *many* related things! I guess I would encourage them to talk to a farmer/rancher before forming opinions about the industry. So many misconceptions could be addressed if people saw and understood what we do.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about agriculture?

I would say the biggest general misconception I come across is that farmers/ranchers only care about money. That is so far from true. Farming has a VERY thin profit margin and most of us are doing this because we genuinely love the lifestyle. We care deeply for our animals and crops and we also care deeply about the quality of what we produce. Our names are attached to the final product and we don’t take that lightly.

What is something you are deeply passionate about?

Just one thing? Other than farming, I am extremely passionate about dog rescue—specifically rescuing Livestock Guardian Dogs. We have fostered numerous dogs/puppies over the last three years and work in educating the public about working farm dogs. We mainly foster for Bluebonnet Animal Rescue Network in Texas.

What is one podcast you think everyone should check out?

I love the Rural Women Podcast. It’s really the only one I religiously listen to and I love how much I learn about other women in ag. It really has helped me transition into finding my own identity on the farm. I also love to learn from other people so I enjoy the guests and their perspectives on topics I know little about.

If people want to follow your farm journey, where can they find you?

We can be found on Facebook and Instagram @alphaangusfarm. We also have a Twitter but I’m a lame millennial who doesn’t understand that social media platform, so we don’t post on it very much. We are working on launching a new website and hope to have it completed by the end of this year so stay tuned!

Thanks so much for sharing your story, Shannon! Readers, please support Shannon by following her on social media!