Exceptionally Eathington

Win together, lose together. The Eathington siblings embody what it means to be a team through the highs and the lows.

by Olivia Hoots

Several years ago, Kevin and Patty Eathington refused to let their then-young children: Katelyn, Emma, Kyle and Ella, take their new puppy on a family road trip to grandma’s house. Nevertheless, the four kids were determined to take the dog along on the journey. With this goal, the Eathington siblings gathered up the puppy’s food and water, even wrapping it in one of the sisters’ coats to disguise its presence as they proceeded to sneak it into the vehicle.

Chaos soon followed. Forty-five minutes down the road, sister Katelyn found herself wet from the puppy – water was not the source of the moisture. And then came whining from the road-weary puppy, who apparently did not understand covert smuggling is best done in total silence. To cover up the suspicious cries coming from the back seat, siblings Kyle and Ella began to make odd whimpering sounds themselves, hoping their parents might not discern they had been duped by a quartet of determined puppy-smugglers who did not want to leave their new pet behind.

Despite all their efforts, the plan did not pan out. Quickly the parents caught on to the mishap, and even though the Eathington siblings got in trouble, this tale of canine contraband remains one of Kyle’s favorite childhood memories.

“That was the first time Kevin and I really knew we were being outnumbered by our children,” Patty said. Kyle’s favorite aspect of the story is how each of the siblings played specific roles to accomplish their collective goal. And it is that early example that today continues to be how the four kids from Fulton County have grown up as a team, working together to achieve so much more throughout their young lives.

Young Eathington siblings left to right: Kyle, Emma, Ella, Katelyn.

Path to Success

Kevin and Patty have raised each of their four children on their mostly-Angus cow-calf operation near Avon. When Kevin was growing up, it was a commercial operation until he and his brother converted the herd to registered Angus bloodlines. They also raise row crops, and Patty is a nursing professor at Western Illinois University.

Katelyn -- the oldest of the four siblings – is the one who encouraged their dad to get more involved with show cattle, starting back in 2011. Emma and Kyle quickly followed in their sister’s footsteps. Then Ella, the youngest sibling, joined in as soon as she was able.

To most, it could seem like having all four children in the show ring might breed unhealthy rivalry among siblings. But for the Eathingtons, having everyone in the mix requires teamwork and that, they say, has been key to their success.

Talk with the people who know and show around the four Eathington kids, and you will hear a common description. The siblings are competitive, but even more so, they are noted for being an incredibly tight knit family. Kevin and Patty say it makes them proud to see their kids working together, as family is a virtue at the center of how they have raised their kids. Kevin says they always made it a priority to teach three specific life rules: always be humble, always learn from those around you and do everything as a family.

It is evident in the lives of the Eathington family that each of the four kids strive to live these values out. “I like to think that we are humble and are pretty nice people. In the Angus industry it is pretty competitive, but we always try to help out the next person . We are all here to have a good time and show,” Kyle said.

“If they win a show or stand last in a show, my kids will go and shake that judge’s hand and thank them for coming.” Kevin said. “I tell my kids to be happy for the fact that we got to show.”

The Eathington’s know what it means to start at the bottom and work your way to the top. They have each experienced highs and lows, both in the show barn and in their everyday lives. “When we first started showing cattle, we just hoped we would get third in class to be honest,” said Katelyn. The Eathington’s grew up always seeking to improve in their show careers. Each family member played a part in their growing success, especially Kevin’s mom, Cathy, who still attends every show to support her grandkids.

In 2021, their decade of hard work with show cattle paid off in a bigger way. At the Illinois State Fair Junior Beef Show, Emma, Kyle and Ella each had a division winner in the champion Angus drive, plus one in reserve. When Emma’s heifer was picked for Champion Angus, Kyle and Ella each had a smile on their face. When it came to the Supreme Champion Drive, they were not expecting the slap, but that day, the whole family won.

“I still get chills thinking about it,” Emma said. Her sister said it felt like they all won. “Katelyn was crying, Kyle and I were just hugging each other,” Ella said.

Kyle, Ella and Emma showing at the 2021 Illinois State Fair.

The Family Team

These emotions are indicative of how their family operates. Katelyn ended her showing career three years ago, but still feels very much a part of the process. “Every time one of my siblings is in the ring, I feel the nerves they feel, I feel the pressure they feel. And when they get that slap or that handshake, I feel that, too. Together we want to accomplish our goals as a family, as a team,” she said.

“We all win because we all do the work on the cattle together. Nobody took any shortcuts,” Kyle said.

These sentiments come from those values Kevin and Patty have worked to instill in their children. “We win as a family, we lose as a family, we do chores as a family. We do not ever do things individually,” he said.

Naturally, their work as a team has resulted in a natural set of roles, developed from each of their personalities. As the youngest, when Ella started showing cattle, she was able to notice where she would fit as part of their livestock show team. “We all had a different role. My sister, Katelyn, would wash, Emma and I would blow dry, and Kyle would do hair care,” Ella said.

“It is like we are a little army. They automatically know what to do,” Patty said. “As a mom what I really treasure, both Kevin and I, is that each kid has their own skill set. We were able to help them develop that skill set and help them be who they are.”

According to Emma, Katelyn is the ringleader, Ella is great at conversation, Kyle is a hard worker, Kevin is the one most informed about the livestock industry, Patty brings everyone together and Emma makes sure everyone is on the same page.

Both teamwork and comradery are also evident during their March production sale. “During the cattle sale we all have different roles. Ella is good at taking numbers, Kyle and I are typically pushing cattle, and Katelyn is in the office,” Emma said. “It’s the first thing marked in our calendar each year, so we’re all focused on doing it as a family.”

It’s important to Kevin and Patty that their kids own cattle and continue to be a part of the industry as young adults.

Katelyn, Emma and Ella Eathington.

Next Steps

The four siblings grew up pursuing their dreams together and hope to continue that tradition. “You can basically do anything as long as you have family and support,” Ella said.

As the first to pursue her dreams outside of the home, Katelyn, now 23, knows what that kind of support feels like from her family. “It gives me a lot of pride seeing that my siblings want to follow in my footsteps but also want to make a path of their own,” Katelyn said. She graduated from University of Illinois in May of 2021 and just began a new job in human resources at Syngenta. She and husband, Curtis Harsh, live in Indianola, Iowa. “As a dad, that is what you want. You want your kid to find someone to spend their life with and hopefully be happy,” Kevin said.

Emma, 21, is a senior at University of Illinois majoring in agriculture leadership, education and communications, while double minoring in animal sciences and horticulture. Afterwards she will be working at a local Illinois Extension office as Knox County’s 4-H program coordinator. “I’m getting lucky enough that she is going to move home and work on her masters,” Kevin said.

Kyle is 19 and is a freshman at University of Illinois, hoping to return to the farm after college. In reflection of how he would like to see the farm grow, Kyle said “It’s always good to be diversified, that’s what my father taught me.” He would also like to learn how to put embryos into cows and really wants to raise show cattle. “My father told me that performance bulls and bred heifers are your bread and butter for the cake, and selling show cattle -- that’s the icing on top,” Kyle said. “To me, the icing is the best part of the cake.”

The youngest of the family Ella, 15, still has a few years to decide what she wants to do after high school. She is considering taking a different path than her siblings before her, potentially heading to Iowa State University and becoming a veterinarian.

Kyle and Ella chat at the Illinois District Show Series finals.

Strength in Relationships

Each of the Eathington’s value strong relationships with people outside of their own family who have helped them become who they are today. For them, others in the Illinois beef industry have been important supporters. “There are a lot of good Angus breeders in the state of Illinois,” Kevin said.

For the kids, their relationships have a lot of meaning as well. Ella’s favorite part of the beef industry is making friends. “I have a lot of friends from different parts of Illinois,” she said.

Katelyn, Emma and Kyle have all been Illinois Junior Beef Association directors. “That is one awesome example of how the beef association has impacted us. Just giving us one more opportunity to grow as people,” Emma said.

Patty is grateful for the relationships, too. “One thing I am very thankful for is raising my kids in the ag community. This world can be very scary, but everyone seems to be so safe, and we all have the same goals. We all want to win ringside, but more importantly, we all want to raise our kids. I love that we are all there to help each other out to raise these kids,” she said.

Whether it is other breeders, your siblings or your parents, everyone involved in this industry needs people who know what you are going through, those that can share encouragements in rough times and celebrate the victories. “There are so many pressures in the world that if we’re together as a unit, nobody can really break you down,” Katelyn said. “My dad does a great job reminding us on our hard days that God has a plan and it’s His world, we’re just living in it. I think that is a strong core of our family and why we remain intact.”

Emma, Kevin, Patty, Ella, Curtis, Katelyn, Cathy and Kyle with their heifer and supreme champion banners at the 2021 Illinois State Fair.