The Farming Families of Sioux County (IA)—May 2021

May 2021 | www.AgeMedia.pub

Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

Meet the

of Sioux County

COUNTRY Family SIDE GARDENS Gail Dacken, owner Christal Van’t Hul and LaDonna Cleveringa of Country Side Gardens in Rock Valley.

Story on page 6.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | May 2021

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Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

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of Lyon County

Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

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of Sioux County

Faith / Family / Friends / Farming

of Plymouth County

Meet the

SCHROEDERS

Meet the

ALTENA FAMILY

Meet the

COUNTRY Family SIDE GARDENS On the tractors in front: Cooper, Brynlee and Easton. Seated Mark and Jeanette Schroeder and Sue Hodgen. Standing: Bryan, Crystal, Dean, Linda and Camden Schroeder; and Kimberly and Camden Kuchel. Story on page 18.

Gail Dacken, owner Christal Van’t Hul and LaDonna Cleveringa of Country Side Gardens in Rock Valley.

Story on page 6.

Shelly and Cory Altena with their daughters Kinsly and Keilahny.

Story on page 26.

LYON COUNTY

SIOUX COUNTY

PLYMOUTH COUNTY

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For information on advertising: Bob Fitch | bob@agemedia.pub | 712-551-4123 May 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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of Sioux County PUBLISHERS Garrett and Mindy Gross, AGE Media EDITOR & IOWA MANAGER Bob Fitch, AGE Media Direct advertising inquiries, story submissions and other correspondence to: 712-551-4123 bob@agemedia.pub © The Farming Families, Age Media & Promotion The Farming Families is distributed free exclusively to the farmers, ranchers and producers in rural Sioux, Plymouth and Lyon Counties. All rights reserved. Content in this magazine should not be copied in any way without the written permission of the publisher. The Farming Families assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Content in articles, editorial and advertisements are not necessarily endorsed by The Farming Families and Age Media & Promotion.

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May 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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SIOUX COUNTY FAMILY

PLAYING IN THE DIRT IS FUN AT COUNTRY SIDE GARDENS

by Bob Fitch

Don’t worry, be happy.

Even though opening day is looming and she faces the challenge of making her entire year’s income in less than a 2½ month period, Country Side Gardens owner Christal Van’t Hul is smiling on this day in early April. Twenty-three years in the greenhouse has taught her that running a business is a serious proposition and that precision is needed to ensure her flowers are ready for customers at just the right time.

However, while the work is hard and life always has its worries, standard operating procedure at Country Side is to enjoy the work.

“We have fun here. We laugh so hard here sometimes,” said Christal.

“What would it be if we didn’t have fun?” The onset of spring, the burst of floral color and the satisfaction of helping their customers make the days a joy.

Typically there are nine to 10 employees who work at the greenhouse in the spring. “We consider the people who work here as family. I think every high school girl who has worked here has later sent us an invitation to her wedding. We work together so closely that we turn into each other’s family and support group sometimes.”

Her employees agree. “It’s good therapy,” said LaDonna Cleveringa.

“You Carlee standing in frontabsolutely cannot be an atheist and of Mark; Jake in back; andwork in a place like this.”

Carrie holding Brooke.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | May 2021

Gail Dacken, owner Christal Van’t Hul and LaDonna Cleveringa of Country Side Gardens in Rock Valley.

Co-worker Gail Dacken said, “I don’t have to be here, but I like to be here – because it’s fun.” Andrea Van Ginkel, the library coordinator at Rock Valley Christian School, is Country Side’s veteran employee, having worked at the greenhouse for 13 years.

culture when she was only six years old. “When the ‘80s went bad, my folks were milking cows.

They went on a tour put on by Successful Farming magazine which focused on diversifying.

They decided to switch to vegetable gardening,” Christal said.

The family atmosphere stems from Christal’s own beginnings in horti-

Her parents, Harold and Lorraine Niemeyer, operated as Jungle

Age Media Qtr Page Color 1-8-20.pdf 1 1/8/2020 11:21:34 AM

The Van’t Hul family: Trenton, Mason in front of Mike, Christal, Marissa, Logan, Mitchel and Trevor.

Gardens. “My folks started selling at the farmer’s market when I was six. So I’ve been working with plants and customers my whole life. There’s not too many people I won’t talk to.”

She finds working with customers to be equally as enjoyable as growing the plants. “We love it. We’re very personable with our customers. I tell the girls, ‘You can’t be shy when you work here. You’ve got to talk to the people.’ We want to make sure everybody is acknowledged when they walk in the door.”

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LaDonna said, “We had this one really shy girl. We got into spring and it was time to sell stuff. I told her: ‘You go home this weekend and you sell flowers to your cows. You greet those cows and ask them what they’re looking for, sun or shade flowers.’ She had a deer in the headlights look, but she did practice and she’s now much more open.” Several of the high school crew – Shawna, Emily, Marissa, Brooke and Megan – have had other family members who worked at Country Side in past years.

The intentional outreach by employees allows them to anticipate customer needs. Christal said, “If you’re one of our repeat customers, I can often remember what it is you like to grow: ‘Oh you’re a purple lady; or you’re a red one.’ When I plant up containers, I often have someone in mind. Every container, every hanging basket is a creation from my brain. One Saturday I did 40 different combinations for hanging baskets.”

When she and her husband, Mike, opened Country Side, “This was started out as a way for me to stay at home with the kids and to pay for groceries. We never dreamed it would turn out

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to be this big.” The greenhouse is now so big that this March … “My husband seeded in more than 50,000 plants – 100 trays of 512 cells each. Four days later, we were transplanting some of the plants. By doing that, my name is on everything.” In other words, while many greenhouses and retail garden centers bring in finished plants, Country Side is growing everything they sell either from seed or tiny cuttings.

Mike, who works full-time at Kooima Ag, stays behind the scenes at the greenhouse. “Mike is our maintenance man. He doesn’t like to handle the flowers or deal with the public too much. But if we need muscles or anything fixed, he’s the man.” When her parents retired from their own horticultural business, they helped at Country Side for a few years. Mike’s mom, Carol Van’t Hul, still helps to plant and managed a fresh flower shop Mike and Christal used to operate in Rock Valley.

A night view of the new Country Side Gardens sign.

Their children have had their fingerprints on the plants, too. When the greenhouse opened, daughter Marissa was 2½ years old and Christal was pregnant with Trevor. Marissa, Trevor and Mitchel all grew up working in the greenhouse from the time they were little.

Today, 17-year-old Trenton and 13-year-old Mason are still helping mom, mostly behind the scenes like their dad. Trenton demonstrated his expertise by finishing second in the Iowa FFA nursery operations competition representing the Rock Valley Public Schools FFA chapter. Trevor, Mitchel and Marissa attended Western Christian and the boys helped launch the FFA chapter there.

Marissa graduated from South Dakota State University and works in administration at Sioux Center Health. She lives in Sioux Center with her husband, Logan Negus, who is an electrical engineer.

Trevor works for First Rate Excavating. He lives in Inwood with his wife, Karisa, who works at A&I Products. Mitchel just started working for DeJong Construction. He’s getting married this fall to Shelby Coudron, who also works for A&I. Both Trevor and Mitchel graduated from Northwest Community College.

Even though the oldest Van’t Hul children are branching into areas outside of horticulture, their roots will always be a part of their lives.

“The family has been in agriculture their whole life. When my folks were short of workers in the summer, we’d go over there and pick sweet corn. In the fall, the boys would be in the trucks helping my father-in-law harvest. They’ve always just played in the dirt,” Christal said.

Mike and Christal Van’t Hul’s children: son-in-law Logan, daughter Marissa, daughter-in-law Karisa is in front of son Trevor, future daughter-in-law Shelby is in front of son Mitchel, and sons Trenton and Mason.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | May 2021

When the pandemic threw everyone a curveball last year, family again stepped in to help. Marissa and Logan created a website in a week, allowing the company to sell plants online for curbside pickup.

Trenton, Mitchel, Trevor and Mason all helped with new benches and Marissa was back to help with greenhouse plastic replacement.

Extra precautions were taken to protect not only the health of customers, but also that of the employees. That forced them to shrink the number of crew members by about half. “I’m still amazed how we accomplished it all. The good Lord was with us last year. The prayers that were said on our behalf got us through it.”

The covid situation in 2020 also changed up their annual interaction with area children. Last year, they created kits which included a flower, a baggie with potting mix, and a container which kids fifth grade or younger could take home for free. “We thought maybe it

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A large selection of succulents is included among the hundreds of different varieties of flowers and other plants sold at Country Side Gardens.

would help a teacher with a science lesson or help a parent have a project to keep the kids entertained for 10 minutes, or maybe inspire a student to a future career in floriculture,” she said.

This spring they're planning to resume their 20-year-tradition of hosting students for a tour on-site.

“We go up and down the greenhouse and discuss the flowers. They get to touch some and they get to smell some. We talk about the various leaves on different geraniums.

We discuss how some of the flowers originated in different countries. We take them in the back and LaDonna tells them how to plant the flowers.

They usually get violas. The tours typically come through right before Mother’s Day and they’re able to plant a flower for their mom.”

LaDonna used to have a small greenhouse herself, growing perennials for family and friends.

Known as “L.D. the deadhead diva,” LaDonna said, “Wherever I am, especially when I’m at the counter, I’m always reminding people to deadhead their flowers so they keep producing.” After several years of

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being asked to come work at County Side, LaDonna is glad she made the move four years ago. “The first year I worked here, I thought ‘Boy, was I stupid before now.’ At my little greenhouse, I was doing all the work. Coming here, I’m still doing the work, but now I’m getting paid for it!”

Deadheading isn’t the only good, old-fashioned approach the greenhouse takes to make their plants flourish. Country Side doesn’t use plant growth regulators, chemicals which most commercial greenhouses will use to increase branching, suppress shoot growth, increase return bloom, remove excess fruit or alter fruit maturity. Christal said, “If plant growth regulators aren’t used properly, I think they can damage how a plant should grow. So everything here is hand-pruned. The flowers are trimmed with love. It’s all grown here with TLC.” Lots of tender loving care also goes into the many baskets and pots created for spring and summer weddings. Likewise, Christal will sketch out flower garden and pot designs

for people right on the floor of the greenhouse – customers just take a photo of the design, buy the flowers and go home to plant things up. “I used to do the designs on the bottom of the cardboard boxes they’d take home.”

Other customers annually bring back containers they’ve purchased at Country Side. “We’ll plant them up and hold them until they’re ready to put them out. Some people want the instant beauty and don’t want to do the work, and that’s ok,” Christal said. LaDonna said it’s so fun to hear the customers gasp in appreciation of the beauty of the flowers when their revived planters are wheeled to the front of the store.

When you’re ready to let go of your winter blues and spring into summer, the Country Side crew is ready to help customers re-discover the joy found in the color of flowers.

From the opening day in April all the way through to the closing days of June, Christal and her team of family and friends are ready to help you adopt the mindset of “don’t worry, be happy.”

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KEEPING LOCAL HISTORY ALIVE

Granville in the early 1900s.

NATIONAL RIVALRIES AND BLACK SOIL In the mid to late 1800s, more Germans immigrated to the United States than any nationality except for the Irish. Granville, a town of about 300 people in southeastern Sioux County, was populated by many German immigrants. Today, we’d classify the native origins of the area as pretty uniform. But the Germans of old-time Iowa found a way to be biased against other Germans.

In the book Siouxland: A History of Sioux County, Iowa, author G. Nelson Niewenhuis tells a story from pioneer days. “National prejudices flared up in the early school rooms. In the school near Granville there were some double seats, and trouble broke out when the High German pupils would not sit next to either the Low German or Luxembourg pupils. There was 12

The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | May 2021

much shoving, kicking, scuffling and unkind words exchanged. The teacher was at a loss as to what to do. It was difficult to hold recitations with so much disturbance.”

The adjectives “high” and “low” have nothing to do with upper class or lower class and do not infer social status – but instead refer to dialects of the German language.

“High” refers to dialects from the southern highlands or mountains around Munich, Switzerland, Austria, and Northern Italy. “Low” refers to the northern coastal lowlands of Hamburg, Bremen, southern Denmark, northeastern Netherlands, and eastern Germany to Poland. Transitional German dialects are present in an east-west central strip that covers from Berlin to Frankfort, including Luxembourg.

The Granville school story continued: “The teacher found it necessary to arrange for two recess periods to keep the factions apart as much as possible. The school had one Irish and one Dutch boy, and they were left alone. When one German lad was asked about this, he replied, ‘Oh, they don’t count.’”

Author Josephine Donovan described another ethnic rivalry in her book Black Soil, a novel about her Irish parent’s immigrant experience in the Granville area.

(Granville’s slogan, “Home of Black Soil,” refers to the richness of the farm soil and to Donovan’s book.)

Donavon’s mother, Nell Connors, is portrayed as a typical pioneer mother who is a good neighbor to her German acquaintances. The friendships were strained though at a community picnic one day. When

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the customary prizes were drawn, it was announced that an Irishman had drawn the prize number. Mrs. Connors, shouted, “Bully! Bully! The Irish got it and the Dutch paid for it!” This amused the Irish present, but it irked the Germans.

The Germans and the Irish had similar contributions to the American experience. An article at UShistory.org said, “They became involved in almost every labor-intensive endeavor in the country. Much of the country was built on their backs.”

The Irish and many Germans also shared traditions in the Catholic church. Authors Jay Dolan and Patrick Carey suggest the traditional Catholicism of Irish, German and other immigrants to America from the late 1800s to 1950 contributed to changing the definition of "America." The contributions of various Catholic immigrants changed America from a nation of Anglo-Saxon Protestants to a culture of diversified regions and peoples.

SOURCES •

• • • •

Siouxland: A History of Sioux County, Iowa, by G. Nelson Nieuwenhuis.

Published 1983 by The Sioux County Historical Society.

Black Soil, by Josephine Donovan. Published 1930. www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-High-German-and-Low-German www.ushistory.org/us/25f.asp www.nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/nromcath.htm

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FINANCIAL FOCUS

AN ACTION GUIDE FOR AFTER THE STORM

By Farmers Mutual Insurance of Hull

Storm season in Iowa is quickly approaching.

Wind and hail events can be traumatic experiences and can also cause serious damage to buildings and personal property. Hail and wind damage are the number one cause of homeowner’s insurance claims, totaling 38 percent of all claims, according to data from the Insurance Information Institute. In fact, one in 40 insured homes has a property damage claim related to wind or hail each year while only one in 400 experience a loss due to theft.

Wind and hail claims are also ranked as the third most expensive with an average claim amount of $11,200. There are multiple factors that play into whether or not a home sustains actual damage from wind or hail. According to the engineering experts at Haag Engineering, hail typically needs to be 1 inch or larger before it will do any structural damage. Of course, there can always be exceptions, which is why we suggest that if you feel there may be damage to file a claim and have your property inspected.

Trying to navigate the claims and repair experience can feel overwhelming. We at Farmers Mutual Insurance of Hull have put together some tips of things you can do to make that experience less stressful.

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The Farming Families Magazine | www.agemedia.pub | May 2021

WHAT TO DO FOLLOWING A STORM EVENT: 1. Stay in a safe place until the storm ends 2. Inspect your property for damage. If you find any holes in the roof, siding or windows; immediately weather proof those areas to prevent further damage.

3. Call your agent or homeowners insurance carrier to report a claim.

4.

Be patient. Large storm events can wreak havoc on local communities and cause insurance adjusters to be flooded with property claims. We at Farmers Mutual Insurance make it a practice to try get to each claim as soon as possible. If we are not able to physically inspect the property immediately, homeowners are at least contacted within those first seven days and a time will be scheduled for an adjuster to go out to the property.

Once our adjuster inspects your property, they will assess the damage, prepare a detailed estimate and go over the final report with you.

After a storm event, you may feel like you need to hire a contractor immediately, but be patient. A sense of urgency can leave you vulnerable to making poor decisions under pressure. If you have any questions or concerns about hiring a contractor, contact your insurance company. They are there to help you navigate through this process.

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TIPS TO HAVING A SUCCESSFUL REPAIR EXPERIENCE AFTER A STORM: 1. Be cautious about paying a deposit, most local reputable companies won’t require one.

2. Don’t be in a hurry to hire the first contractor. Get more than one estimate for the repair.

3.

Be wary of roofing companies that knock on your door following a storm. Most legitimate roofing contractors do not conduct business this way. That being said, just because they knock on your door does not mean they are a bad company. Local companies that got fed up losing business to out-of-towners have jumped into door knocking as well. This is why tip #4 is so important.

4. Research and visit with other people before committing to a roofing or siding repair company 5.

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Be wary of signing contracts or contingency agreements.

These are often vague on specific details regarding workmanship or warranty. Know the terms of the contract and what rights you may be forfeiting in doing so.

Choosing a storm damage contractor should be no different than choosing a contractor for anything else. Use a local company with longevity who will be around to help if anything needs fixing.

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ALONE UNDER THE STARS. PHOTO BY BRETT DAVELAAR, BD PHOTOGRAPHY.

May 2021 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine

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PLYMOUTH COUNTY FAMILY

WORKING TOGETHER AS A FAMILY AND GOOD WORK ETHIC GROWS SCHROEDER FARM

by Bob Fitch

On the tractors in front: Cooper, Brynnlee and Easton. Seated: Mark and Jeanette Schroeder and Sue Hodgen.

Standing: Bryan, Crystal, Dean, Linda and Camden Schroeder; and Kimberly and Camden Kuchel.

A supportive community + camaraderie among local pork producers + a strong work ethic + generation-to-generation family support + dedicated employees … when a person adds all that up, the sum equals the Dean and Linda Schroeder farm between Remsen and Le Mars.

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Four generations of the Schroeder farm family: Cooper being held by Dean, Bryan holding Brynnlee, Mark, and Camden holding Easton.

The Schroeders operate a wean-to-finish hog operation and grow corn and soybeans. They farm with their sons, Bryan and Camden. Bryan and his wife, Crystal, have two children, Cooper, 3½, and Brynnlee, 1. Both Linda and Crystal also work as dental hygienists at Joiner & Zwart Dentistry in Orange City.

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Dean and Linda’s younger son, Camden, graduated from Le Mars Community High School and is finishing up his first year at South Dakota State University. He plans to come back to the farm full-time after he graduates.

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In between the brothers is their sister, Kimberly Kuchel, an attorney at Bauerly & Langel, P.L.C., in Le Mars, who helps on the business side of the equation. Kimberly and her husband, also named Camden, live in Remsen where he is a special needs teacher and baseball and basketball coach at MMRCU. They have a son, Easton, 1, and are expecting another child.

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Dean said their farm relies on “a good work ethic, paying attention to detail and working with great employees” to produce solid results. Linda said, “Dean took the time to teach the boys well. You pay attention to detail and you do it right the first time so you don’t have to re-do it.”

She said a lot of faith and a great community of businesses also make a big difference in the farm’s success. In her first go-round as a Pork Act delegate and a delegate to the National Pork Producers Council this year, Linda was surprised to learn how much anti-producer sentiment is faced by producers in some areas of the state and country. “I’ve never felt like that here. I’ve always felt like our community was behind us.

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They’re all here for us. They want us to succeed just as much as we want to succeed. They know we care about our animals. They know we care about our land.

“They all work so hard for us to make sure family farms can make it … whether it’s the bank, a hog buyer, co-op, the place where we purchase our feed ingredients, our vet or one of the many other businesses. There are so many people who are involved – we rely on them and they rely on us,” she said. Likewise, their fellow producers are willing to share production and management ideas and collaborate when possible.

Dean and Linda Schroeder farm between Remsen and Le Mars.

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Dean said he’s “the old guy” on the Plymouth County Pork Producers board and he’s happy with the energy and ideas the younger board members bring to the table. Linda agreed: “At the county banquet, when we looked around the room, there were many younger producers who are starting to come back to the farm. It seems like they all get involved – whether it’s 4-H or FFA or pork producers or all of the above.”

Dean added, “If we didn’t have that level of involvement, we wouldn’t have the kind of fair we have in Plymouth County.” Camden, Bryan and Dean help grill for the county pork producers and Bryan is on the Remsen Community Action Committee. In addition, Linda is on the IPPA Promotion Committee and the county 4-H Youth Committee.

The Schroeder history in Plymouth County agriculture is deep and wide. Dean’s great grandfather originally settled about three-quarters of a mile south. Dean’s grandfather, Clarence, lived 2 miles from where he and Linda live now. All four of Grandpa Clarence’s sons farmed; 11 in Dean’s generation farm; and nine in Bryan’s generation are farming at this point.

When Dean was growing up two miles west of where they live now, “Dad had a farrow-to-finish operation, stock cows and feeder cattle that he fed out,” he said. “We bought this place in the fall of ’86 and started farming here in ’87. I was farrow-tofinish here and over at Dad’s. From 1987 until 1998, Dad and I farrowed and finished together until my two younger brothers (Roger and Rick) came home to farm.”

Dean converted his farrowing barn over to finishing in 2016.

Today, most of their weaned pigs come from Shelter Valley in Canada and a few come from a sow unit near Correctionville of which Linda’s late father, Bob Hodgen, had invested, and her mom, Sue Hodgen, is still a part-owner.

When they were little, Bryan and Kimberly went to the barns strapped into their car seats. Bryan could never get enough of farm work. Linda said, “He’d fall asleep on the stairs on the way into the house because he’d be so tired. It’s just in his blood and he loves it so much. He just has a passion and desire for it.”

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She said Bryan is low-key and calm, but is also a great multi-tasker. “He definitely puts in the hours to make it work.” Bryan and Camden started a pit-pumping/manure hauling business in 2019. “Not too many customers, but a lot of gallons,” Dean said. Bryan manages and schedules everything for the manure hauling business, plus does corn and soybean planting and combining, and learned farm equipment maintenance and repair from his dad. “Bryan’s not afraid to tear anything apart and try to put it back together,” Dean said.

Bryan said he learned his work ethic from his father and grandfather. After graduating from Remsen Union High School and Iowa Lakes Community College with a degree in ag business, he never considered any other career. “Every day is different. I like not having to do the same job every day,” he said.

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Bryan lives about four miles east on the Hodgen farm site where his mom grew up. Linda said, “I grew up on a pig and dairy farm with corn and beans. I grew up walking beans and baling hay and feeding calves. Our parents taught us how to work. That was back when half your classmates were growing up on farms.”

Both Dean and Linda said their three full-time and two part-time employees are like part of the family. “They put in the extra time for us – nights, holidays, and weekends. Our employees work really hard. They’re part of our family,” she said. A 30-year employee, Dean Hilbrands and his wife Becky, live just across the road from Schroeders. Dean said, “Alex Hoffman has been here 10 years and you will see his kids in farmer training on the weekends. Alex Schindler has been here six years and is showing his son Elliot how to farm.” A little over a year ago, the operation hired Amber Kasper to take care of the bookkeeping and her kids refer to her job as “playing Farmville.” Last year, Isaia Lammers joined the family and farm operation.

The Schroeder farm team had an unexpected extra bonding experience last year when covid was strangling the food chain.

“When we were struggling to market the livestock last year, we started harvesting some animals here on the farm. Last year we harvested 37 pigs and five steers,” Dean said. Family, friends and employees were welcome to free meat provided they helped with the labor needed. Linda said, “The guys who work here loved doing it. It was a nice break, away from all that was going on in the world.”

Where did the knowledge come from to harvest the animals?

Dean said, “It’s hard to imagine what YouTube does for you. If you can’t figure something out, YouTube it.” Guidance was also provided by his dad who, years ago, would get together with his siblings before planting season to process pigs. “It was a week-long thing. Every spring, they’d get together and process nine to 10 hogs.”

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Linda said her in-laws, Mark and Jeanette Schroeder, are 82 and still living on the farm and still farming.

“Grandpa Mark has a big part on this farm as far as guidance,” she said.

Dean said, “My grandpa helped his kids get started farming. My dad helped his kids get started farming.

Now I’m trying to help our kids get started. It involves working together as a family and a good work ethic to grow the operation.”

Now their grandchildren – Cooper, Easton and Brynnlee – are farmers in training. Linda said, “On Mondays, the little ones are here. They like to go on the 4-wheeler with grandpa.”

Dean said the younger two make their opinion clear if he tries to do something with Cooper alone. “It’s funny when the oldest one of the three wants to go with grandpa, you can’t do it without the other two.

They’ve figured that out,” he said.

Linda added, “A great deal of our success you can see here on Sunday night when you sit around this table. All of our kids are here for supper. That’s so important to us. They remind us of what we are truly grateful for – faith, family and farming.”

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LYON COUNTY FAMILY

Kinsly, Keilahny, Shelly and Cory Altena of George.

ALTENA FAMILY CREATES FRIENDSHIPS AND BUILDS A BUSINESS IN THE WORLD OF SHOW CATTLE

by Bob Fitch

The family that shows cattle together stays together – or so the story goes at the Altena farm south of George.

When he was 14 years old and got his first show calf, Cory Altena fell in love with showing livestock. That love led to another. He met his future wife, Shelly, when they were both showing cattle at the Sioux Empire Fair. Though they met when they were 18, the two didn’t start dating until about five years later. “We just kept seeing each other around at shows and sales,” Cory said.

His parents are Paul and Kathy Altena, long-time grain farmers and cattle

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feeders between George and Boyden.

“When I was growing up, we were diversified. We had farrow-to-finish pigs and had a cattle feedlot,” Cory said. “But we didn’t have any cows – that kind of started with me when I started building a cow herd in my teenage years.”

Shelly’s parents are Glenn and Joan Muller of Davis, S.D. “I grew up on a diversified livestock farm. We raised cattle, hogs and sheep,” she said. Today,

The Dolieslager family of Doon showed the Supreme Champion Heifer at the South Dakota State Fair – bred from Altena stock.

her dad is the executive director of the South Dakota Pork Producers.

The main focus of Cory and Shelly’s operation is raising show cattle to sell to other seedstock producers and to youth for 4-H projects. “I went to South Dakota State University and helped various other people in the business while I was going to school. I learned a lot,” Cory said. “After college, I had a position in South Dakota as show and sale cattle manager before we moved back here in 2008. One thing I believe is that you’ve got to find what you love to do and then make a career out of that.”

He said they have two online sales every year in the fall. “We also market at consignment sales such as the Sioux Empire Stock Show in Sioux Falls and the Black Hills Stock Show in Rapid City. One of the things we really like to do is help the people who buy our calves from us, we go and help them throughout the year. We’ll go help them clip before a show. It’s a real joy to help them try to succeed at the goals they’ve set.”

Shelly said, “Raising good cattle is knowing what the next trend is going to be and having the right calf for that show year.

And, not only on the show end, but on the production end, go out and raise babies that are good cows. We like to see how our genetics are performing for other people.” Cory added, “You’re always trying to make your cattle better. It’s an ongoing process. You’re always trying to utilize the new genetics and go one step farther. You show them for one year, but then they’ve got to be able to go out and produce.” He said they use extensive A.I. and embryo transfer.

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Altena Show Cattle’s efforts are demonstrating success. Last year, the Dolieslager family of Doon had the Supreme Champion Heifer at the South Dakota State Fair – bred from Altena stock.

Ryan Dolieslager is a hired hand for them nearly full-time in the summer and a few days a week the rest of the year. “He and his brothers, Kyle and Tyler, have pretty much become part of the family. It’s been so much fun watching them show,” Cory said.

The other champion in the ring is Cory and Shelly’s 11-year-old daughter, Kinsly, who captured the junior beef showman title in her first trip to the American Royal in Kansas City last fall. Kinsly said, “I like putting a lot of time into it in the barn. And I like being with my friends and making new friends at the shows.” Her dad agreed with that premise: “Probably one of the most fun parts is building relationships and friendships with people. You really build some life-long friendships being in the show world.”

A fifth grader in Boyden, Kinsly spends a lot of time with her calves in the summer. She helps get the calves into the cooler in the morning (which encourages the calf to grow more hair); feeds, rinses, grooms and brushes them; and then practices showmanship. During the school year, she works with cattle on Tuesdays after school. Monday is piano, Wednesday is volleyball and church, Thursday is dance, and weekends are either working with the cattle at home or traveling to a show.

Kinsly and Keilahny Altena.

Shelly said, “When Kinsly started out with her first calf, we wanted her to see the whole perspective of the business. So she showed it as a baby feeder calf at Lyon County Fair, then she showed it the next summer as a big bred, then she sold it at the Sioux Empire Farm Show. We had lots of tears then, but we wanted her to see what the whole operation is about.” Cory said, “In order to buy more, you’ve got to sell some.”

Shelly said she tells people that showing livestock is not like a sport in grade school and high school. “Most people who play basketball don’t end up in the NBA. But in 4-H and with livestock, the kids can do it continually throughout grade school, high school and have a career out of it. It’s something they can use for the rest of their life, whether it’s the public speaking aspect of it, or the skills you learn in judging.” Cory added, “It teaches you so many different things you can use your whole life.”

“Kinsly does South Dakota 4-H because we’re close to border and it’s closer for us to go to Huron than to Des Moines for State Fair.

I like it because that’s what I grew up with,” said Shelly, who is an independent cosmetologist who has her own salon in Sioux Falls, where she does hair and nails and sells Mary Kay products. She typically works four 10-hour days.

Besides being “Mr. Mom” four nights a week, Cory believes in giving back to the community. He’s on the Lyon County Board of Supervisors, the Lyon-Sioux Rural Water Board, the Hope Reformed Church consistory, and the George Betterment Club.

Kinsly Altena was the champion junior heifer showman at the American Royal Livestock Show in Kansas City last fall.

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Between the business and Kinsly’s efforts, the family attends about 15-20 shows over the course of a year. Cory said, “When we’re working on the cows, the fun part is we can do it together as a family.” Shelly said, “For us, it’s fun to sell our cattle and also to see Kinsly’s achievements – and see our customers make those achievements as well.”

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Cory and Shelly Altena.

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Younger daughter Keilahny, age 5, is waiting in the wings to start showing livestock as well. Keilahny said, “I want to show rabbits and chickens, but my dad doesn’t like them.” Her favorite thing on the farm is “playing with the cats” (Sandy, Peaches and Cream). She also likes to ride in the combine, lead the cows, and go in the pen and pet the calves with Dad. When Kinsly is at school and Dad and Mom are working, she spends a lot of time at Grandma’s house. Keilahny said Poppa is a great game player and they enjoy playing Old Maid and Jenga.

Shelly said, “We’re very fortunate to have Grandpa and Grandma across the road. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. They’re the ones who stay home when we’re gone and take care of the farm and the livestock. His parents keep the cattle, pigs, cats and dog fed when we’re on the road.”

Cory agreed: “Without them, it would be hard.”

Cory and Shelly’s operation is separate from that of his parents, but they work together on caring for the cattle and farming the land. “Paul will help give Ryan a chance to catch up on sleep when it’s calving season,” Shelly said. Cory said, “Having livestock and row crops, there’s never any dead time.”

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While the Altena family loves to talk about their show cattle, Cory said, “For a starting point, it’s faith, family, farm. That’s the priority – in that order. We’re so thankful for the Lord, grounded in our faith and our love of Jesus.

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