Jeff and Shelane

Why I chose agriculture

Shelane: I’m a fifth-generation rancher. In 2016, we celebrated 100 years in operation, and the ranch has been in the family that entire time. I have five sisters and as the second-oldest, from a young age, I was responsible for taking a bunch of little girls out and doing whatever job dad had given us to do, be it moving cows or haying. For me, it has been a lifelong process that I’ve enjoyed.

Working together as a family

Shelane: I get the privilege of working next to Jeff. That can be really fun some days and hard other days, but he makes it pretty easy for me to do what I love. I say I’m Jeff’s “gate girl.” Wherever we go, I open the gates for him, but I also operate machinery and help with other daily tasks.

Our biggest challenge

Jeff: The biggest challenge we face is keeping it a family ranch. It seems like everything is getting bigger and bigger, and it’s tough to stay small and keep it a tight-knit family business. We’ve grown, and I think it’s a natural thing to have to grow to make room for our children. You need to have enough to make a living for yourself and the next generation.

FCSAmerica is a trusted partner

Shelane: We are very thankful for FCSAmerica. They are very much a part of our business and the decisions we make. We try to keep ourselves educated and informed, but there’s a limit to how much we can do personally. We trust them and they trust us, and they go above and beyond, personally and professionally. It’s nice to have a team that you can trust and who will endure challenges with us.

Optimism for the future

Jeff: I’d love to have our kids come back, but we’ve always told them we’d like to see them go out and see there’s a big world out there. There are lots of opportunities and I want them to experience them. But I would sure like them to come back and know they can always come back and become part of the ranch. I want to keep it in the family – that’s a promise we made to Shelane’s parents and grandparents.