Jake and Vicki

How we prepared ourselves for agricultural business

(Jake) We both went to the University of Wyoming, she got a degree in nursing and I got a degree in animal science. For the first five or six years after we graduated, she generated the income with her nursing degree while I plowed money back into the operation.

How we make decisions

(Vicki) We always solicit everyone’s opinion. If we have a big financial decision to make, we will pencil it out as a family and run it by our financial officer. Then, we go through it together. Our financial officer will tell us if she thinks it will work or not. She is like part of the family, and she is honest and open with us. It just makes our decision-making so much easier.

Our greatest challenge

(Jake) Marketing is a huge challenge. We can raise the best product in the world, but if we can’t sell it, it doesn’t matter. We try to manage market swings the best we can, and FCSAmerica is really good about allowing us the flexibility to make those types of decisions as market conditions fluctuate.

Why we work with FCSAmerica

(Vicki) I know all of the FCSAmerica team here very well. Our financial officer is as much an advisor as she is a loan officer. Before her, we had never had a financial officer come to our house, sit down with a cup of coffee and help us go through our paperwork or make a decision. She’s an invaluable asset to our operation.

What I enjoy most about farming

(Jake) I enjoy what I do. I truly do. I enjoy going out in the mornings, seeing the wildlife, changing irrigation water. I enjoy what I do so much because it’s not monotonous. I’ve always got something new to do.