It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. It’s that simple.

With our farm being a new purchase, it can be tough keeping up with the farm improvements we want to make in addition to the day-to-day work. Calving season can be a challenge, too. We work really hard to get healthy calves from our heifers, so getting a good night’s sleep can be rare.

Our operation continues to grow, so I think we must be doing something right. As long as we have steady growth, even if it’s small, I feel like we’re moving forward.

I enjoy being out in the open country off by myself. I like the quiet, the occasional pretty view and seeing wildlife.

I’d like to see our feedyard grow considerably. In addition to growth, we’re very conscious of managing soil erosion in our row crop fields and in pastures. We spend time every summer using a scraper to build diversion terraces. We also fence the cattle out of the ditches and creeks. I want to continue to improve the quality of the property by doing things like reducing invasive brush and weeds in pastures. There are plenty of land stewardship practices we’ve implemented and can continue to use to benefit the watershed and provide the best care for the cattle.

Our loan officer is phenomenal. He is knowledgeable and has been very easy to work with. I also like that I can keep track of my account balances online. It doesn’t matter where I am; I can use my cell phone to hop online and see where I’m sitting. It’s a very convenient feature.