Priceless times: Ag businesses provide unique rewards, challenges for families

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — There are many opportunities for challenging times in agriculture, but for Kevin and Julie Ochsner, no business is worth ruining family relationships.

The Ochsners are involved in several businesses on their ranch located near Kersey, Colorado, including a seedstock cattle operation.

“From my one cow that I had when I was 9 years old, we built the herd to 175 head of registered Limousin and Lim-Flex cows,” said Kevin during the Compeer Financial Women’s Seminar. “We raise most of our own corn, silage and alfalfa hay, and we try to design cattle genetics that commercial and seedstock producers desire.”

“I love sales and building relationships with people, so building a beef business was a perfect fit for me,” said Julie during the virtual seminar. “Ochsner Tender Raised Beef buys calves from Ochsner Limousin, feeds them out and sells beef directly to consumers.”

About 70 head of cattle are marketed each year to families.

“That is split to about 200 freezers and probably what I’m most proud about is we’ve opened our operation to families that know nothing about agriculture,” Julie said. “About 80% of our business is repeat, so once people try our beef they stay with us.”

To help build the capital needed for their farm business, seven years ago Kevin started Agcellerate, which provides strategic planning services, custom sales training and keynote speaking.

“I’m also the host of Cattlemen to Cattlemen which is a weekly show on RFD-TV,” he said.

In 2018, Julie took a part-time job with Progressive Beef which offers quality assurance programs for feedyards.

“I work with feedyards in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas to help them get rolling with the program and provide customer service,” she said.

Family Time

The Ochsners identified several keys that have worked for them that include starting with a strong foundation.

“Recognize what you signed up for,” Julie said. “There are unique rewards you gain from a production agricultural business, but there are also challenges.”

One of the top priorities for the Ochsners was to raise their three children — Caitlyn, Ashlyn and Collin — on a production agricultural business to provide them with the same experiences they had living on their family farms.

“There is no better way to teach life lessons than through livestock experiences and putting down roots in a community,” Julie said. “Also the opportunity for shared experiences and some of our favorites are calving season and riding horses through a pasture to check cows because those are priceless times you can’t replace.”

However, Kevin said, one of the challenges is separating work life from family life.

“When a calf or cow dies or a hail storm comes, you are sitting around the dinner table with someone who is as stressed about those things as you are,” he said.

To manage conflict, farm families should develop a common vision.

“We need to sit down with our families and find a way to have a shared vision,” Kevin said.

“We have so many of the same values, 98% of the time we align 100% on values,” he said. “We value the agricultural lifestyle, raising our kids around agriculture, experiences more than material things, our faith and personal integrity is important to both of us to live up to our word.”

Another key for the family is finding joy in the journey.

“I get to experience triumph and tragedy almost every day,” Julie said. “So, remember to celebrate your big and small wins.”

Vacation Time

Much of the Ochsners’ vacation time involves livestock shows.

“It’s part of our business. It’s a hobby and a team sport,” Kevin said. “It’s really enjoyable to watch our kids learn how to fit animals and we’ve had really fun moments.”

Once of the moments happened in 2016, when the Ochsners exhibited the supreme champion bull over all breeds at the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic.

“His lineage traces all the way back to the first cow I bought when I was 9 years old,” Kevin said. “That’s seven generations and 40 years later, so when that happens, you celebrate it.”

Another celebration occurred when the Ochsners won the All American Limousin Futurity and supreme champion female honors at the Nebraska State Fair.

“Our daughter showed the cow/calf pair and to see the growth that happened in that girl when she gained the confidence to win on a big stage was phenomenal,” Kevin said.

Those working in agriculture industry are also faced with disappointing and defeating times. That was the case for the Colorado family on Sept. 13, 2013, when their farm was hit with a flood.

“It was scary, but we treasure that flood like nothing else because we saw God’s hand move on our behalf,” Julie recalled. “We saw the goodness of people like you would not believe and there were life lessons we would have never learned if we hadn’t got hit with that flood.”

Since conflict is going to happen, Julie said, it is important to be prepared.

“The primary cause of relational conflict for us is when there is a lot stress,” she said. “We also have conflict with there’s unclear and inconsistent priorities, unmet expectations or poor communications which usually center around not talking about schedules.”

To help deal with conflict, Julie said, she tries to start the day with a full bucket.

“If I can have sleep, a little time with Jesus and a cup of coffee, I’m good to go for the day,” she said.

In addition, Julie strives to avoid inviting others to her pity party.

“It’s better if I keep it to myself,” she said. “I also try to recognize the root cause of the conflict and most of the time it’s not Kevin, it’s something else and then forgive, forgive and forgive again.”

Dinner Time

The Ochsners have developed several relationship rules of the road for their family.

“Our first rule is what goes on in the sorting alley stays in the sorting alley,” Julie said.

Know when to order a pizza rather than ask what’s for dinner is the second rule.

“I’ve learned when we come in at 9 p.m., the best thing I can do is ask what kind of pizza I should order,” Kevin said. “It’s about knowing each other’s hot buttons.”

The next rule is to celebrate the person and evaluate the performance.

“You have got to find a way to focus on the results without being critical to the person,” Kevin said.

“Our fourth rule is to keep the spreadsheets in the office and the bed sheets in the bedroom,” he said. “It is important for families to know when and where to have business conversations and where you need to be a family.”

For example, the dinner table on Christmas Day is not the best time to talk about a poor business decision.

“You have to put some separation between the times you talk about the business and the times you are husband and wife,” Kevin said.