Ron A. Shaver

Ron Shaver started Shaverside Farm with a grade dairy herd near Lathrop, Missouri in 1961. By 1964 he decided to disperse those animals and purchase registered cattle. The farm consisted of 250 acres where he grew com and alfalfa to feed the productive herd. The herd consistently ranked in the upper twenty-five percent of DHIA-tested herds in the state. The Shavers bred and developed seven All-Missouri and two Reserve All-Missouri animals, and they participated in shows throughout the Midwest. Many of Ron’s cows were classified as Excellent or Very Good. When he had a dispersal sale in 1974, one cow brought $14,000, an unusual amount at that time. Even today the Shaverside prefix appears in pedigrees throughout the United States.

Ron has been recognized for several other achievements including the MU Balanced Farming Award for Clinton County in 1964, the Missouri DHIA Superior Achievement Award in 1966, and the Progressive Breeders Registry Award for the Advancement of Holstein Cattle in 1974.

In 1974, Ron became an official classifier for the National Holstein Association. He classified over 20,000 cows per year for several years and became the 10-state manager with an office in Kansas City. In this capacity he supervised classifiers and consultants while working with state Holstein associations and their programs. In 1983 Ron was a managing partner of Shaver Farm Holstein Genetics, a partnership that acquired elite pedigreed Holstein heifers that were bred using embryo transfer techniques.

The complete dispersal of Shaverside animals occurred in September of 1993 upon Ron’s employment with MFA, Inc. He then became a feed sales specialist representing MFA, Inc. in Wright and Texas Counties where there are a large number of milking herds. Ron’s knowledge of dairy cattle and his concern for the welfare of his clients have made him a highly successful sales representative. One of his contributions has been to promote the growth of corn for use as silage in his area.

As a member of the Missouri and National Holstein Associations, Ron has rendered signal service. He has been a director at large in the Missouri Holstein Association four times, most recently in 2006. He has served as president of both the Northwest and South Central District associations. He presently serves on the Missouri Convention Committee for the 2012 National Holstein Convention.

Ron has served his community in a number of ways. His contributions include: Junior Leader in his church, the Plattsburg School Board, the Tri-County Fair Board of Mountain Grove, 4-H Club Leader in both Clinton and Wright Counties, and Parents and Friends of FFA at Norwood High School. As a founding board member he helped to start the Plattsburg Country Club. He served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Ron is married to Dy Anna Short. They have three sons, Mike, Steven and Sheldon Shaver; and two daughters, Nancy Winchester and Belinda Benton.