From the beginning Cates Farms was your everyday farm with hogs, cattle, and row crops. What started as a 4-H project of showing shorthorn cattle quickly became one of the most dominate shorthorn herds in the country. In the late 70’s Rex Cates and his two sons, Brian and Randy started buying shorthorn cattle to start their herd. By the early 80’s they had their first production sale and every year since but one have kept up the tradition. Today the production sale is known as the “Star Search Sale”, which takes place every Saturday on Labor Day Weekend.

In the early 90’s Cates Farms had begun to make a name for itself by exhibiting high quality cattle, and producing the famous herd sire to the breed, CF Trump. At that same time the third generation of Cates Farm had begun to make his mark. Tyler Cates, Brian’s son, had returned to the farm with new ideas to keep the operation headed in the right direction.

Today Cates Frms has exhibited 15 National Champion or Reserve National Champion Females and 8 National Champion or Reserve Champion bulls. The common theme behind these proud
accomplishments is, hard work and customer appreciation. Because of the customer relationships formed, the continued success, and high demand for CF cattle Cates Farms started its first fall-born sale called “Modoc Madness”. Modoc Madness has been a great success and only hopes to continue to make it better in the future.

Modoc, Indiana is home of the two most dominate Shorthorn Bulls of the Bred, CF Trump and CF Solution, along with a countless number of Donor Females. Cates Farms has survived by not only raising good quality cattle, but by being the same humble country people that started so many years ago. Don’t ever hesitate to stop in or say hello if you are ever passing through, because I promise it will be worth the trip.

-Jared Boyert
Customer of Cates Farm since age 8 and now Herdsman 2010 - 2011