Klent Schnell, a third generation cattle
producer, has many things to be proud of.
One of those things is producing the best
food and fiber on earth.
Raised on the family cattle ranch west of
Kimball, Schnell has always been exposed to the
calf/cow and farming operation.
“After (college) graduation, I returned to the
ranch,” he said. “My dad (Dave) and I bought out
my uncle and grandpa, who no longer wanted to
be involved in the operation.”
He now spends each day feeding, calving, processing,
sorting and checking water on the WJD
Ranch and the Par Terre Ranch.
WJD encompasses the farm and ranch ground,
in addition to the farming operation, while Par
Terre is mainly the cattle side of the Schnell
family operation.
Par Terre began 13 years ago when the family
began holding an annual bull sale. Par Terre
annually markets 30 to 35 Simm Angus and
Maine Angus breeding age bulls and 20 to 25
show steers and heifers.
“Our bull customers are very good commercial
cattlemen in the tri-state area,” he said. “We
have marketed cattle in Nebraska, Colorado,
Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, North
Dakota and Iowa. Every female on the ranch is
artificially bred every spring and then turned
out with our herd bulls to finish off the breeding
season. I also custom A.I. (artificially inseminate)
many ranches' cattle in the area every
spring.”
Within the operation, the men run approximately
350 cows that calve in January and
February each year and 80 that calve in August
and September.
According to Schnell, they market 30 to 35
bulls each year on their sale and also sell 20
to 25 steers and heifers to area 4-H and FFA
youth. The rest of the steers and heifers are fed
in the family farming feedlot and are marketed
throughout the fall and winter months.
He said most of their bull customers are located
in Nebraska and Wyoming, but many of their
feeder cattle have been marketed in Nebraska,
Iowa, Colorado and Kansas.
“We also have a fellow breeder located in
Canada that we have purchased a couple of herd
bulls from. We also market semen and embryos
into many of these states as well,” he said.
Of all of the duties this cattle producer has,
calving requires the most hands-on experience
and the largest time commitment with the cattle.
“We hire some help when it comes to branding
and weaning time,” he said. “There are some
days that extra help would be nice, but we manage
to get everything done on time with the two
of us.”
He added that what he enjoys about the lifestyle
is spending time outdoors and not having a
set eight hour day, but there is so much more to
be proud of.
“So many people today do not realize where
their food comes from,” Schnell said. “We, as
American farmers/ranchers, produce the best
food and fiber on this earth. If we don’t, many in
this world will be dependent on foreign countries
to produce their food.”
One of the most rewarding aspects of selling
cattle for Schnell is seeing Par Terre breeding in
his customers' own herds and having repeat buyers
year after year at the bull sale.
“Also, seeing a steer that you sold to a local 4-H or FFA member end up in the final drive at
a local county fair is always rewarding,” he said.
“4-H and FFA are the best programs for youth to
stay connected to agriculture.”
Schnell feels fortunate to have been involved
in the county/regional 4-H programs from age 8
to 18, and said he enjoyed it while he was growing
up. And for as long as he can remember, he
has always wanted to be involved in the family
ranching and farming operation.
When asked what advice he would offer
to youth interested in ranching and farming,
Schnell said, “First, I was very fortunate to have
the opportunity to come back and join my family
on the family ranch. It would be very difficult to
start a ranching/farming operation today without
the opportunity to join a family operation. If
one is thinking about becoming involved in farming
and ranching, I would try to start working
for someone that is thinking about slowing down
and maybe retiring in the near future and talk
with them about maybe continuing their operation.
Also, I would remind them that there are
no set hours and some long days, but it is a very
rewarding career. There are days that end up
going in a different direction than you thought,
but that is part of what makes this career so
fun.”
Schnell said that he and his wife are happy
that they have the opportunity to raise their
daughters and son around livestock and to be
able to teach them the value of hard work ethics,
that they wouldn't get by living in town.
He would like to see their children, Kaitlynn,
Kale and Kennedi, develop an interest in taking
over the ranch someday, but he has not thought
too far into the future yet.
“That is why we are firm believers in the 4-H
and FFA programs,” he said. “I am still very
involved with both programs and believe we
need to get more youth involved in seeing where
their food and fiber come from.”
Schnell said that he is very fortunate to have
a wife and a mother who are both very supportive
of their busy and time-consuming operations.
While his wife, Sara, teaches elementary school
in Pine Bluffs, Wyo., and his mother, Bev, is the
administrator of the Kimball County Manor,
they both help when needed.
“They both help out when tractors need moved
to different fields, cooking branding meals, and
setting up the meal and clerking the bull sale,”
Schnell said. “They both also helped out tremendously
when we were showing cattle at the
Black Hills Stock Show in Rapid City and at the
National Western in Denver.”
Schnell has much to be proud of: his family,
their ranch and the life they have chosen.
“Where else do you get to see the sun rise and
set everyday while working outside to produce
food for this great country?”