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BEEFMonth Thursday, May 12, 2016
Pontiers value family teamwork in their cattle operation By AMY HANSEN
OST news editor • ahansen@osceolaiowa.com
Pontier Farms is a family affair. Brothers Chad and Ryan Pontier have a beef operation comprised of 60 head of cow-calves. It’s mainly Chad and Ryan doing the daily work. However, the brothers also farm with their father Art Pontier. Ryan’s wife, Jamie, Chad’s fiancée, Haylee Henke, and Jamie and Ryan’s children – Luke, Jake, Audrey and Cole – get in on the action whenever possible. When asked what it was like working with a sibling, Ryan joked, “horrible.” “You can’t print that,” Chad shot back. Ryan added, “I guess it’s
enjoyable to know you can work with your sibling.” Something for everyone It’s also important for the children in the family to learn responsibility and help out on the farm. When asked about what kind of chores they do, a popular answer from the children was “everything.” More specifically, they unload baby calves into the pasture and go after the cows that run away. “A lot of times when we’re moving livestock … we like having extra bodies in place to corral them,” Chad said. “That’s where they come in handy once in awhile.” Jamie predicts her 5-yearold son, Luke, will become the next generation full-time family farmer. During the time of the interview, Luke was being rambunctious and
playing on the floor. “He’s a little stir crazy right now but he is the most likely to take over, although they all have said at different times they want to work on the farm,” Jamie said. Full-time operation Chad and Ryan have both worked full-time jobs outside of the farm. Because of this, the brothers said they value and appreciate the opportunity to farm with each other full time. It has been a full-time operation for them for six years. Chad is also a member of Clarke County Cattlemen and has been for four years. He has served as a director for two years with them. “It’s a pretty fun group of people who are involved in the county cattlemen association,” Chad said. While a lot of good things
OST photo by AMY HANSEN
Pontier family members pose for a group photo next to cattle on their farm in rural Osceola. Pictured, back row, from left, are Jamie and Ryan Pontier and Chad Pontier and Haylee Henke. Front row are Cole, Jake, Audrey and Luke Pontier.
come out of working a family farm, there are some challenges, too. For the Pontier brothers, the hardest part of working cattle full time is trying to manage that operation while also planting in the spring or harvesting in the fall. The family also has corn and soybean crops. “(It’s difficult) trying to
juggle the row crop outside of farming operation with the cattle. We’ve got custom chopping, too,” Ryan said. Custom chopping That’s a main thing Chad and Ryan look forward to in their business – doing custom-chopping and serving other beef producers. When it comes to custom-chopping, people feed
cattle either hay or silage, which means corn and silage must be chopped. The Pontiers harvest and chop for other farmers in a three to four-county area. “We get a lot of enjoyment out of being able to go serve other beef producers (and) help them meet their needs for feeding their livestock,” Chad said.