Indiana Family Farms

Back in 1927 coming from the completely flat and almost treeless plains of Hoopeston, Illinois, Clark Sennett’s grandparents, Clarence and Blanche, first saw the soft rolling grasslands interspersed with woodland outcroppings that now make up the holdings of Sennett Cattle Company near Waynetown. Could it be that they found their future farm, one that now spans five generation, a welcome change of scenery or just the new opportunity they sought? Whatever their reasons, the roots they set have been well care for by Merle and Izetta Sennett, and now Clark and Nancy Sennett, who along with their son Lance and his wife Margaret, are the current keepers of the family legacy. Truly many children and cows have been raised up on this property. Clark raised his son and daughter Jill (now married to a farmer and cattle producer and living in nearby Wingate) here, and Lance raises his two children, Ellie and Emily on the farm.

Clark Sennett is a full-time farmer and cattleman who has seen the ups and downs of the livestock business and, through determination and strong work ethic, has continued to prosper on his land. In fact, many farmers of Clark’s generation have decided to forgo animals and have gone strictly to raising crops. Clark, raised with beef, hogs, and dairy as a youngster, thinks differently. “We feel livestock adds to our income, and it takes up the slack during the times when we’re not busy in the field,” he began. Then he thoughtfully added; “It also creates the opportunity for future generations to come back.” Lance Sennett is an example of future generations coming back to the farm due to the influence of livestock. “Lance went to Western Kentucky (University), then he chose to raise cattle and farm,” Clark says of his son’s time at college.

The operation today consists of crops (corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, and alfalfa) and also boasts some 250 cows. The Sennetts contract feed hogs, as well, which means they do not own the hogs, they are simply paid to conduct labor and grow the pigs housed in their buildings. The cattle operation is focused heavily on the Limosin and Angus breeds and the resulting cross between the two called Limflex. By combining two distinctly different breeds, Limflex cattke can be black or a russet red color and are known for the characteristics of both maternal ability and good carcass merit such as leanness and marbling. The Sennetts market all of their cattle private treaty, meaning that buyers come to their farm and select bulls and females for purchase father than the Sennetts consigning their cattle to sales or other venues. One market they see a demand for is yearling bulls. “Believe it or not, we could sell a lot more than we do, but we sell about 20 – 25 bulls a year,” Clark explains to his strategy.

Besides raising calves and selling breeding stock, the Sennetts see many animals through to their end point as they operate one of the largest feed lots in Indiana. Around 1,500 – 2,000 head of cattle are fed out each year between two sites. Keeping current on both maternal and carcass traits keeps Clark and Lance at the top of their game. The family also exhibits cattle. “Lance really looks after the showing,” Clark proudly adds, “He had Reserve Grand Champion Limflex Female at Denver this year!”

Winning at a big show is supremely important for merchandising stock from breeder to breeder and national-level shows allow breeders to see and evaluate animals from all over the country. However, while the show ring helps promote a farm’s animals among fellow breeders, it is putting a quality beef product out to the consumer that occupies much of Clark’s time. For the past 12 years, Clark has served in some capacity with the Indiana Beef Cattleman’s Association (IBCA), a 1,500-member group serving Indiana’s beef producers. He is a Past President of the IBCA and is currently membership chairman. Clark is also nationally as well and serves as a Director on the National Cattkeman’s Beef Association. Lance is also heavily involved in industry work and is currently on the national board for the North American Limosin Foundation. While both Sennetts enjoy these commitments, it takes a lot of time away from the farm. “When you believe in something, you do it,” says Clark of his dedication to industry involvement through time and travel. “It’s a belief that you’re helping not just the present but the future and you can manage your way around the time.” While it is difficult to allocate the time, Clark is proponent of all producers taking every opportunity to not only educate consumers about beef, but also help allay consumers’ concerns about meat, animal welfare, and the environment. “Every time we get a chance, we need to get involved and provide a positive (experience) to the public.”

Though always involved in consumer education, recently the IBCA has reached out to include a website where producers can access (by zip code or county) beef producers that retail product directly off the farm; the Sennetts are one of the beef producers listed on this site. The site is located at: www.farmfreshbeef.org. Clark has also aided in the creation of Heartland Premium Aged Beef (www.heartlandbeefonline.com) a consortium of Indiana producers that supply beef directly to retail outlets and restaurants. Marketing directly to the consumer is something new for many beef producers, but Clark believes that consumers’ surging interest in local foods is important. “It’s good to know where your food is raised and to buy locally grown,” Clark explains. “Knowing where your food comes from gives you satisfaction,” he adds. As consumers continue to drive an increased interest in all things local, Clark feels that is a benefit for both consumers and producers. “This will add value to our product and when consumers understand where their beef, or any food comes from, they’ll just feel more secure,” he says confidently. “In general it’s good for both entitles.”

When generations occupy the same land for years and years, true stewardship becomes evident. That is why Clark feels so strongly that urban dwellers and beef consumers realize that livestock producers want what is best for the environment. “We are stewards of the land and take very good care of it; we want people to know that we’re honest, hard working people that care for the environment as much as anyone,” Clark says. What many people may not realize is that keeping land in grass for use in grazing and hay production is sustainable agriculture. “Grass and hay production is friendlier to the soil and keeps the soil from eroding. It’s a good management practice to rotate hay and grass into production.” While the Sennetts have quite a bit of grass and pasture, they still move cattle around to allow the land to rest and naturally grow back. This is called rotational grazing and is employed by most cattle producers.

No matter the work of the weather, the actual opportunity to live on the farm is something that seems to universally be held in high regard among beef producers. Clark Sennett is no different. “Naturally our values are faith, family, and work - and teaching the younger generation that. Working on the farm, making it your career, it’s an every day event for making that happen; and we feel very fortunate to be in that situation.” Future generations are already beginning to enjoy their life on the farm as Lance’s two daughters have begun to work with the calves. “They’re six and eight, and the eight-year-old is showing at national shows already,” Clark chuckles fondly. “They seem to be really interested in the farm.”

As they say, what goes around comes around; then again it is all just part of the cycle of the seasons when you live on a farm.

Listen to Clark Sennett

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One of the best by-products of living in the country is that the old adage still rings true – the more things change the more they stay the same. Since 1902, the Jordan family of Rensselaer, Indiana, has occupied their land and been involved in raising the Shorthorn breed of cattle. While different generations have tried different breeds such as Angus and Hereford, the one constant has been Shorthorn. Today with the sixth generation of Jordans just being born, the family honors tradition and yet is known around the industry as being especially progressive and innovative in their breeding and management techniques.

“My great grandfather acquired land in this area, and my grandfather, Walter Jordan, also helped dredge the first ditches in this flood plain,” begins Barry Jordan as the family history in cattle and crop farming comes easily from memory. “My dad Carl lives next door and at age 87 is still very active,” he adds proudly.

Today the operation is mostly run by Barry and his wife Anita, a hospice nurse for Jasper County Hospital Home Care Hospice, and Toby and his wife Jodi who have two children and are expecting a third in July 2008. They are aided by full-time non-family staffer, Jeremy Lemming, who has worked with the Jordans for over a year. Like so many young farmers of his generation, Toby left the farm not only for four years of college – he graduated from Oklahoma State University – but also for a practical education in hands-on work. “I managed an Angus outfit in Western Oklahoma before I came back home,” Toby explains, saying that the experience with cattle in another area has aided his growth and capabilities now that he has been back home for six years.

About 250 cows roam rather freely around the Waukaru lands as they are near the end of a country road. The farm’s name “Waukaru” is a story in itself. Waukaru was shortened from the word “Waukarusa” which originated from historic landmarks in the area. “This farm is referred to in the earliest land abstracts as ‘that which lies along the Waukarusa Run’ and it was decided that it be used as the surname of our registered cattle,” Barry comments. His grandfather, Walter Jordan, named the farm around the turn of the 20^th 

century. Barry grew up thinking Waukaru was an Indian word for something like “stream wandering through the trees” but more recently learned it meant “knee deep in mud.”

“Sometimes the road out front is a corral, sometimes it’s a grazing paddock, and sometimes it’s a road,” laughs Toby about the fact that their home place is off the beaten path. Because the Jordans do not want to over manage their pastures, about 50 heifers, or young females that have not yet has their first calf, are transported to Southern Indiana for the summer. The Jordans also farm about 1,400 acres of row crops including corn and beans. “We’re heavy on corn, though,” Barry says. “We have to be, because the heifers come back in the fall and graze the (corn) stalks.”

While they retain many females and some bulls in the herd each year, the Jordans make their living with production sales each year, where customers come literally from all over the country to bid on the Jordan’s Shorthorn genetics in a live auction format. “Our production sale in the fall focuses on females; we sell mostly bred cows and also a few bred heifers and embryos,” Barry explains. The sale, in its 30^th year, is the longest running Shorthorn sale of its kind in the breed. The Jordans also host a spring bull sale at the farm.

Through the years, the Shorthorn breed has undergone changes, experienced challenges, and made improvements. The Jordans, true to their roots, have ridden out the storms and triumphs for 106 years. “My grandfather had Shorthorn, in fact, we have some pedigrees of bulls in his name from 1902,” Barry recalls. “My dad expanded the cattle. When I came back from college in 1967, we did even more expansion and did a few herd acquisitions out of the Dakotas, and we starting showing extensively.”

With this dedication also comes dedication to customer preferences. While Shorthorn cattle have a variety of hair coat patterns including red, white, and red roan, many of Barry and Toby’s customers, especially bull buyers looking to keep a solid color on their cattle, prefer a red hide and are willing to pay for it. Genetic selection and breed improvement is something Barry takes very seriously. “It’s my belief that the only reason to be a purebred breeder is to produce genetics to improve the commercial industry’s profitability,” he says. Most beef that consumers purchase in stores comes from larger commercial producers, or producers that don’t focus on one breed exclusively but try to optimize the positive traits of several breeds. Barry says there are lots of ways to work on genetics improvement including evaluating animals by visual appraisal, using basic performance measurement such as weaning weights, and finally doing carcass testing for things such as tenderness. “Genetics are the basis of what a purebred breeder can contribute to the industry,” Barry intones.

Always one to put his money, time, and energy where his mouth is, Barry and his family have been very involved in the beef industry. He is a past president of the Indiana Shorthorn Association and served two terms on the board of the American Shorthorn Association where he led the breed’s development as both President and Vice-President. “Through this I’ve actively gotten involved in the World Shorthorn Congress and been able to travel to several countries.” Barry has not just traveled for pleasure; he has forged strong customer relationships and now exports his genetics to over eight countries on five continents.

Barry believes in the industry for the sake of raising a good beef product, not just for networking with his fellow cattle producers. Thus, he and his family are actively engaged in educating consumers about beef. “The beef business started our naturally. We were enjoying our own beef in the freezer and so were a few neighbors. We started selling direct (to consumers) in the 1970’s, and it’s been growing ever since,” Barry explains. It is through selling Waukaru Farms beef that Barry’s other children remain connected to the farm more often than when they “come home” to visit. Son Mark and his wife Heidi live in Lafayette where Mark is an agricultural engineer for Caterpillar. Son Jeff and his wife Lisa live in a Northern suburb of Indianapolis; and daughter Ann Burge and her husband Paul live south of Indianapolis. All three “off farm” family members sell Jordan beef co-workers, church members, and peers. “They’re all still really active in the farm from this standpoint,” Barry says, adding that he know his kids enjoy working with urban neighbors and helping them feel comfortable about Indiana beef. “The person to person contact has a lot to do with it,” he says of the massive growth in the local beef business. “People want to know how their beef is grown and feel good about it.”

There is one more area of beef production and farming that the Jordans take seriously – the environment and stewardship of their land and their community. For the last four years they have participated in a federal program called EQUIP, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Dollars from the program have had a great impact on their operation. “EQUIP has allowed us to efficiently manage manure in high use areas. We’ve added gravel pads, lots of fence, and new water lines,” Toby states. More fence in tight corners mean greater grazing area with less stress on the land. “It’s amazing how utilizing those corners (of pasture) helps with weed control.” Barry gives a more detailed explanation, “EQUIP has really increased our carrying capacity, but it helps us with conservation purposes and to avoid land erosion.”

That the Jordan’s farm will go on is hardly in question. The farm is organized as a corporation. Shares are transferred from the older generations, who are planning to move out of full-time production, to the younger generations. Yes, raising cows is a business, but the values Barry, Toby, and their families see from the beef business are numerous. “Living on a farm is an advantage from the standpoint of raising a family. It has made it easy to instill work ethic in our children,” Barry says. “It has a natural ability to place you close to God in your day to day occurrences.”

Is raising cows and closeness to God a lofty comparison? Not if you ask the Jordans.

Listen to the Jordens tell their storoy

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Diversified. Consistent.Stable. Sustainable. Family first. These are the words that come to mind when one thinks of Indiana livestock producers. It resonates even more when one has a chance to go to their homes because when observing Indiana stockmen and women with their animals and family, seeing is believing. These words are embodied personally in the lives of the Loran and Kathy Wilson family of Orleans, Indiana. Amidst the verdant rolling hills that slope gently in Southern Indiana, the Wilsons raise Angus cattle and crops on their land.

In 1941, Loran’s Dad moved out here from Virginia and began a dairy and beef operation. By 1958, he purchased his first Angus cows by acquiring an entire herd from a retiring farmer near Rushville, Indiana. By 1972, Loran himself was farming full-time. “I grew up on this place, right across the road from this shop,” says Loran Wilson with a broad gesture over his shoulder in the direction of the house. “I went to Purdue’s Ag Short Course that they had back then, but Dad needed my help at home, so I came back,” he recalls saying that his dad promised the farm to him, while his sisters received college educations. “In 1972 I graduated high school and started a partnership with Dad. As Dad grew older, we increased my share. It’s worked for us.”

And so, keeping the promise that he made over 35 years ago, Loran never left the farm and has built it up to where it is today. “I have no desire to get bigger,” Loran says of the farm he has maintained and grown. The entire operation is 820 acres with about 250 acres of corn, 150 of beans, and the balance in hay and pasture. “Corn is the primary feed for cattle and feed all our own corn,” Loran explains. “Soybeans are my only cash crops.” The Wilsons are well known for the Angus operation, too. “We are a registered Angus cow/calf operation with a few commercial (unregistered) and a few Shorthorn cows, and we have a feedlot with a 250-head capacity,” Loran explains.

For the feedlot, they use some of their own calves and they purchase calves at weaning, then feed them for about 10-11 months. “We also sell a handful of bulls and replacement heifers (heifers that will go into production for another farm) for seedstock. The Wilsons also show cattle. With all areas of beef cattle production in play on their farm, they wear many hats. “We see things from several different angles around here,” Loran says. Besides cows and crops, the Wilsons have also raised up three daughters. Eldest Kristi is married and lives in North Vernon, Indiana. Middle daughter Kara is a senior majoring in Agricultural Communications at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Youngest daughter Katelyn is a 15-year-old freshman in high school.

Perhaps it is how they were raised or just because they are so busy, but the gender biases that exist elsewhere in the world do not happen at Wilson’s farm. While Loran has had hired hands over the years, including many with whom he has been well pleased, his biggest help comes from the four women he is surrounded by every day. “I always look forward to it when the girls come home for the summer,” Loran admits fondly. “I’ve worked on the farm (University farm) at UK, but there’s nothing like being able to come home and jump on a piece of equipment that you’re familiar with and work with animals you’re familiar with,” chimes in bright, super-involved and well-spoken Kara.

It is not all cows and work around the Wilson place, however. “All three girls have been very involved in the show ring; it’s given them a real good overview of what’s out there in the livestock business,” Loran says. Like so many livestock families in Indiana, the Wilsons have encouraged their daughters to take advantage of the variety of youth programs associated with being around livestock and livestock people. Kara is a great example of the connections that can be made from being involved. She is currently on the board of directors of the National Junior Angus Association. This is no small accomplishment considering the association boasts some 10,000 junior (under 22 years old) members and is the largest junior cattle association in any breed. “Being in cattle has opened so many doors for me in all aspects of the Angus association,” Kara explains. “The connections you make and the people you meet in the industry are what I’ve benefited from the most.”

While not every college senior comes home to the farm to spend the summer, Kara knows this may be her last summer season at home for quite a while and looks at the chance with a little bit of sentiment. Besides, being flexible fits with her travel schedule as Communications Director of the Jr. Angus board. As a board member, she will travel about 5 weeks out of the summer, aiding the coordination of large events all over the country. “I love getting the opportunity to work with the younger generation of farmers,” Kara says of the chance of influence and educate her peers and even the little children in the association. “There is a lot more to your college experience than just the classes. (For the Angus Association) I’ve been able to travel, learn different methodology on different farms, network in the industry, become an ambassador, and work with the younger members.”

Kara is certainly ambitious, but she has been raised right, too. Both Loran and Kathy have given an example of industry leadership to their daughters. “If we don’t tell our story, no one else will be out there telling it for us,” Loran says honestly. “We’re out here putting out a good product for consumers, and there are a lot of us out here after dark still working that don’t make the news.” Loran is a past president of the Indiana Angus Association and is currently serving on the Indiana Beef Cattleman’s Association board of directors. “You just have to make time for it,” he says. Kathy, though not a farm girl by birth, has become a champion for Angus beef, too. And, she is an ace cook. “I’m so proud of Mom,” begins Kara. “She is the queen of the Certified Angus Beef Cook-off!” The cook-off is a big-time event during the national junior show. Participants compete state against state in terms using their own original recipes to showcase Angus beef. Kathy has cooked, and has also helped coach other teams in their preparations. “Indiana has had as many firsts in that contest as anyone!” Loran boasts.

That said, it is beef that is an important focus around the Wilson farm. Both Loran and Kara want consumers to understand where their food comes from and how it is produced. With the feedlot on farm, the Wilsons spend a lot of time preparing animals for their endpoints. At school, Kara has worked in the Meat Science lab. “We need to explain to people that we are harvesting animals for meat and that it is just another aspect of the industry, but we do need to be pretty delicate in how we explain it,” Kara says. Loran says they collect carcass data back on their steers to make herd improvement. He sells some beef direct to consumers right off the farm. They have customers returning from as far away as Georgia each year.

Raising animals also means preserving the land, so the Wilsons continue to improve and educate themselves about conservation measures and implement new practices whenever they can. They have added fences and improved paddocks to keep cattle out of creeks and streams and have added water lines to bring fresh water to other areas. “A lot of ground around here is highly erosive,” Loran begins pointing toward a large sinkhole that dominates one pasture. “We try to do whatever we can to keep these hills from eroding.” The Wilsons have also taken some hillsides out of crop production and put them back into grass to take care better care of the soil. “You don’t have to be natural or organic to be sustainable,” he says.

What the land provides most is a way to live out values held dear. “My dad always said it is not how much money you make, it’s how you take care of the money you make,” Loran remembers. Kara does not need her parents to tell her what she has learned from farm living, “Work ethic is second, first is being honest in your work and with your industry. It’s awful nice to know that even in 2008 you can close a deal with a handshake and somebody’s good word.”

As for the future, will one of Loran’s daughters return home and begin to take over the farm just as he did 36 years ago? That remains to be seen. “Well it depends on what kind of guy my daughters marry!” joked Loran. Kara laughed, knowing there is always a vein of truth to what her dad says. “I’ve got just one more year of college and beef has always been my passion,” Kara says. “I’m looking for balance; maybe I’ll work in the industry first, then maybe come home; I just haven’t nailed it down yet.”

Whatever happens, they will work it out. A passion created, a legacy fulfilled – all in a day’s work when you live on a farm.

Listen to the Wilson story

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