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head straight into the workforce with his family’s cattle operation, Jerry Douglas persuaded Tyler to attend college. The two shared an infatuation with cattle which created a bond between them. He attended NEO and then Purdue University. He was the assistant Livestock Judging Coach at Purdue for two years after his tenure on the team. Following college, Tyler went home to work for Cates Farms alongside his dad, uncle and grandfather. He did not officially join the partnership until after his grandfather passed away. Later, after the passing of his grandmother, Tyler and his wife Cortney bought out both his dad and uncle becoming the sole owner of Cates Farms. Cortney and Tyler come from two different backgrounds. Outside of her mom riding horses, Cortney had no agricultural background. Her involvement in 4-H stemmed from the influence of family friends. She started with chickens, then sheep and goats, pigs and finally cattle. When Cortney was in her early teens, she learned about the opportunities and scholarships available through the Angus breed. Cortney’s family asked questions, she watched whoever was good and she quickly become competitive within the breed. They established Sunrise Sunset Farm as they worked from sunup to sundown. What started as a herd of 15 show heifers has grown into what it currently is. From 2001-2002 Cortney served as Miss American Angus. What is a life changing accomplishment for any young Angus showman, it was even more so for Cortney being a first- generation Angus breeder. Out of the five cows Cortney had that same year, she exhibited the Reserve Champion Bred-and-Owned at Junior Nationals. One of Cates Farms’ donors “Abby” goes back to that same cow. In fact,
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