ican Southwest. They’ve gone to Sante Fe, N.M., in August for 35 years; have traveled in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado; and try to go to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas most years. They also have an affinity for the Native Americans both in the southwestern U.S. and the tribes closer to home. Over the years, they’ve attended many pow wow’s and had friendships with a number of Indian elders, and occasionally provided support to families or individuals in need. Craig also served on the Tribal Arts Council in Sioux Falls for many years. The couple likes to learn the stories of people from different places and different backgrounds, striving to broaden their conversations beyond cattle, corn and kids.
Nancy Anderson riding Slider on the trails at Plymouth County’s Hillview Park.
Combining the strength of a large company with the agility of a small company.
Their trips to the Southwest were never long because they had to get home to help their lone employee with the cattle. But their lives changed not too long ago: Anderson’s sold their last loads of fed cattle in November 2020. Nancy is hoping they can now take time for extended trips to places like the Black Hills where they’d like to spend time trail riding. All summer long, they keep their horse trailer hooked up to a pickup so when they have spare time they can quickly saddle the horses and load them in the trailer; then take off to ride local trails. “I loved the cattle business and I love the people in the cattle business,” Craig said. “If our long-time employee, Kevin Bates, hadn’t decided to go do something else, we’d probably still be feeding cattle.” Kevin gave them several months’ notice, but they weren’t confident another employee would do the same. “We were fearful that, at our age, if we filled up with cattle and the next guy only gave us two weeks’ notice – when you’re 30 you don’t care, but at 68 it becomes insurmountable.” So it seemed like the perfect time to step away from feeding cattle, he said. “If I drop dead from a heart attack, it’ll be easier to sort out if we don’t have the yards full of cattle.” Nancy added, “And you need to quit some time.” Craig agreed: “The farm’s been good to us. But working until you’re dead is not the answer. By still farming some ground, we can transition. It’s not like you hit the brick wall and say ‘Ok, tomorrow I’m going to have a sale and it’s over.’”
Grain Sales
|
Agronomy Services
|
Livestock Feed
Remsen Farmers Cooperative provides solutions and dependability local growers can rely on! 712-786-1134 www.remsencoop.com 22
The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | April 2022
Craig credited a portion of their success to early advice both from his father, Raymond, and one of their first bankers, Jack Guenthner. “One of the things my dad always said about the cattle business is you should not have any overhead. My dad didn’t build any Harvestore silos. I know the bedding barns and confinements are a popular thing now, but we never built any of those. My dad’s philosophy – and I signed onto it, I guess – the reason a cattle feeder has a bunker silo is so they’ve got a place to push everything in when they’re done.
