Schnell continues long line of family in agriculture

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?”