The Flying S beef operation is a combined family effort. The cows and calves are raised and managed daily by John Shaw (David's father), owner of JPS Farms, Inc and Mark Shaw (David's uncle), owner of Flying 6 Cattle Company (Click here to view the Shaw Family Tree). When steers are ready to be "harvested", Flying S then buys them live and has them processed locally.

JPS Farms Inc.

During the 1960s, John Shaw was a newly graduated mechanical engineer from the University of Illinois and learning a lot while working on cutting-edge aerospace projects. But by 1973 he was tired of the city “rat-race” and returned to his family’s farm with his wife, Patti, to settle down and raise their two children, David and Rachel. As management of the farm was transferred from father to son, John began incorporating different farming methods. Long before it became popular he was utilizing conservation tillage concepts like ridge-tiling and no-tilling.

Dropping crop prices made diversification into the heavy construction market appealing and over the years John has built up many hours in his bulldozer building terraces, ponds, waterways and other general work. With his engineering background, John has designed and built many of his own unique pieces of equipment.

In 1999, John Shaw underwent five-way bypass heart surgery. Such serious surgery required a lengthy recovery period, during which John had plenty of time to ponder the future of the farm. It also forced him to take a good look at his diet. It was during this time he learned of research being done on the health benefits of grass-fed beef and the environmental benefits of rotational grazing.

With the help of several cost-share programs through Soil and Water Conservation Assistance programs, much of the farm has been transformed from row-crops to pasture land for cattle. Intensive grazing techniques are being used and developed to get the best use from pasture and eliminate disease problems.

JPS Farms has won several awards including 2003 Cooperator of the Year, awarded by the Crawford County Soil & Water Conservation District and the 2004 Conservation Farm Family awarded by the Association Illinois Soil & Water Conservation District.

Flying 6 Cattle Company

Mark (David’s uncle/John’s brother) and his wife, Jackie, both grew up on farms in Palestine, IL. Flying was in Mark’s blood and immediately after college he joined the Air Force. His flying career took them many places including Iceland, Florida, New York, Idaho, Alaska and after 20 years they returned to a farm just a few short miles from the original Shaw farm. A new home was soon built, a garden planted, hangar erected and runway deemed worthy. Meanwhile Mark kept flying, becoming a pilot for United Airlines.

Mark and Jackie watched with interest as John began the enormous task of converting 100s of acres of cropland into pasture. As time permitted Mark would help install the many fences needed around the property. By 2004 Mark and Jackie had decided to establish the Flying 6 Cattle Company. Mark retired from United Airlines, he and Jackie fenced part of their property, sowed many acres of grass and legumes and began a program of rotational grazing. This greatly improved the conservation of natural resources, kept the livestock happy, and improved the wildlife habitat.