Kurt and Richele

Transitioning the farm

Kurt: I’ve farmed with my dad for the past 30 years. Recently he has been phasing out as I’ve gradually worked towards owning more of the equipment. Now we’re bringing my older son into the operation and trying to do the same type of transition. It’s a multi-generation farm.

Diversifying our operation

Kurt: Because farming is a little tight right now we started looking at different ways to diversify. Our loan officer told us about a hatchery that was looking to put up barns in the area. I didn’t know anything about chickens, but I thought this might be a good way to give us a steady paycheck and bring some revenue back to the farm. FCSAmerica has done a great job in supporting us and the growth of our operation.

Why we work with FCSAmerica

Richele: I keep the books for our operation, as well as my father-in-law’s and our son’s books. I appreciate FCSAmerica because of their patience with me when I have questions and their willingness to walk me through their tools. They help make me a better bookkeeper for the farm.

Our vision for our operation

Kurt: When I look at our operation, I see our chicken barns as something new and diversified from total row-crop farming. Our land has been a great asset to us, but now it’s time to look at other avenues. We have to continue considering other options in order to help our kids take over and succeed. That’s truly the dream.