Apr 13, 2026
By Rick McNary
Shannon Kearney bought her first herd of Angus cattle while she was living in an apartment in Lenexa. How did she make the transition from city life to country life?
“I would go with my dad after work to help take care of his cattle,” Shannon says. “I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to get my own herd, so I secured a first-time farmer loan from the USDA in 2015. Land is expensive to purchase in Johnson County, but I was able to find some pasture to rent.”
Although Shannon had grown up on a dairy farm near St. Joseph, Mo., and knew what it was like to raise and milk cows, it wasn’t until she moved to Kansas in 2004 and began helping her dad with Angus cattle that she developed a passion for having her own beef herd.
“Dairy cows have to be milked twice a day, seven days a week,” she says. “While I loved the cows, there was no taking vacations when you’re a dairy farmer. But working with the Angus cattle with my dad helped me remember how much joy there is in raising cattle.”
Over time, she continued to grow her herd and added additional pasture for grazing. Her shift to selling directly to consumers came in 2020 when COVID-19 hit.
“About the time Shop Kansas Farms started during COVID, people were asking me if they could buy beef from me,” she says. “By that time, I had purchased a small farmstead in the country, so I brought five head back to our place and fed them out.”
There are two basic ways consumers can purchase beef from a rancher they know. One way is known as buying in shares, or custom, which means a consumer must purchase at least an eighth, quarter, half or whole beef, then work with the butcher to determine what kinds of cuts they want.
The other is to purchase individual cuts such as steaks, roasts or hamburger. However, for a rancher to be able to sell individual cuts, their beef must be processed at a state or federally inspected meat locker. Some ranchers only do custom and sell in shares; some only sell individual cuts. It all depends on the availability of a state or USDA inspected facility.
Shannon can do both.
“At first, I only sold beef in shares,” Shannon says. “There was a steep learning curve for both me and my customers as we learned to work with the butcher to come up with cut-lists. Now I have added a federally inspected locker I can work with, so I sell individual cuts, too.”
Shannon originally put one freezer in a tack room in her barn and told customers they could come out and choose individual cuts that way. Soon, she added two more freezers and eventually built an 1,100-square-feet store behind her house. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each Saturday or by appointment.
“I’ve been able to partner with other local farms such as Bauman Farms and Jake and Melissa Noel to add pigs and chickens,” Shannon says. “We also sell Skyview Creamery cheeses plus homemade bread and other local items including custom jewelry from a local artisan in our store.”
When Shannon first began selling to consumers, she used her last name for the business — Kearney Cattle. Over time, she rebranded to KC Meats and Eats.
“People thought that since it was Kearney Cattle, they confused it with the towns of Kearney in either Missouri or Nebraska,” she laughs. “Therefore, I changed it to KC Meats and Eats. KC can either stand for Kearney Cattle or Kansas City."
“I started the business at the perfect time,” she says. “Shop Kansas Farms had just launched, and it helped new customers find me that would never have known I existed. Over time, I’ve focused my attention on excellent customer service as well as raising quality beef. I take extremely good care of my cattle because I want the customers to have the best beef I can possibly raise.”
Shannon has also become a board member of the Johnson County Farm Bureau.
“Rick Miller came out and asked me to join Farm Bureau, and I thought it was just an insurance company,” she says. “I had no idea there is a different part of Farm Bureau to advocate for farmers on a local, state and national level. I’ve had the opportunity to share my story of a first-generation, female-owned cattle business in front of legislators. Once a position on the board came open, I quickly joined it because of all the good they do.
“The best part of all of this is that I get to connect my passion of growing cattle with building friendships along the way with my customers,” she says. “I quickly reply to emails and texts, answer the phone and listen to what they want and need. A customer once told me they wanted a bone-in ribeye, so the next time I sent beef in, I asked the butcher to include the bone on that cut. Once I got them back, I called the customer who was ecstatic that I had listened to them.”
Recent studies indicate that consumer interest is increasing in buying directly from farmers and ranchers. After visiting with Shannon, it’s easy to understand why because of her love for the cattle, commitment to excellent quality of beef and fantastic customer service.
****
Note: Shannon is part of our series celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer and Rancher, 2026.
You can watch a recent interview with her on KCTV.
You can go to her website: KC Meats and Eats