Feeder, rancher elected to lead Kansas Livestock Association
Cattle feeder Shawn Tiffany of Herington is the new president of Kansas Livestock Association. He began his one-year term in the volunteer position during the group’s annual membership meeting held last week in Wichita.
Members chose Smith County rancher Philip Weltmer as the new KLA president-elect. Tiffany and Weltmer will lead the 5,700-member organization during the next year.
Tiffany co-owns and operates Tiffany Cattle Company, Inc. with his brother, Shane. The two grew up in the cattle feeding business and when the opportunity arose in 2007 to purchase the feedyard their father managed for several years, Black Diamond Custom Feeders near Herington, they saw it as a chance to establish something of their own.
Since that time, the joint venture has grown to include a second finishing yard near Marquette and a grow yard at Allen. Tiffany also is a partner in Elevate Ag, a company that produces biological inputs for farming and grazing systems. Prior to starting the family business, he served as ranch manager for Chair Rock Angus near Greeley.
Tiffany believes in being actively engaged in the organizations in which he is involved. He joined KLA because of the important role the association plays within the industry, especially as it relates to navigating regulatory issues. Over the years, he has held several positions within the organization. He currently serves on the KLA executive committee and KLA board of directors. He served as chairman of the KLA Natural Resources Committee and was the Morris County KLA chairman from 2012 to 2017.
He participated in the 2018-19 Feedyard Leadership Program and the 2009 KLA Leadership Conference. Tiffany serves on both the KLA Environmental Services, Inc. board of directors and KLA Risk Management Services, Inc. board of directors. He also represents Kansas on the NCBA board of directors and International Trade Committee. Additionally, he is active in his church and on various local committees, including serving as president of the board for TCT, a rural telecommunications company.
Tiffany received his bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and industry from Kansas State University in 2000. He and his wife, Nicky, have five children: Ransom, Taylor Jo, Ainsley, Whitney and Stockton.
Weltmer represents the third generation of his family in the ranching business. His grandparents founded what is now W & S Ranch near Smith Center in the 1950s. Weltmer and his wife, Jessica, joined his granddad, dad and uncle on the ranch full time almost 20 years ago. Over the years, the family operation has grown to encompass a commercial cow-calf herd, small registered Angus herd, feedyard and farming business.
Weltmer has been extensively involved in leadership in both KLA and NCBA. He currently serves as vice chair of the KLA Animal Health & ID Committee and is a member of the Kansas Beef Council (KBC) executive committee. Weltmer also currently serves on the Federation of State Beef Councils board of directors and is co-chair of the Checkoff Nutrition & Health Committee. He is a past chair of KBC and served on the KLA board of directors from 2016 to 2018. Weltmer was a member of the 2008 KLA Young Stockmen’s Academy, serving as class chair, and participated in the NCBA Young Cattlemen’s Conference in 2013. He also is a graduate of the King Ranch Leadership Studies Program and serves as president of the Smith County Fair Board.
Weltmer graduated from K-State in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and industry. He and Jessica have three children: Kaden, Korey and Kaylee.
