Through The Struggles Of Former Years.

David Schuler- 4th Generation Nebraska Cattleman

For the last 70 years, a red storm has been brewing in the rural grasslands of Nebraska. Bridgeport has been home to Schular Red Angus for 4 generations, where they raise registered Red Angus seedstock cattle, that are as versatile and performance proven as they come. The Schular family makes the hard days look easy, David as well as thousands of young farmers and ranchers across the country know, this way of life is anything but that. “Experience is the best teacher. The best I can do is be honest with myself in areas I need to grow, and to know when I need the guidance of those who have come before me. I knew it wouldn’t be easy taking over the family ranch someday, but nothing worth having, ever is,” David said.

Being a young adult in production can definitely be challenging, especially with the industry constantly under fire from animal rights extremists who know little to nothing about the real face of agriculture. “Being a young adult in production has its ups and downs. Social media makes it hard to see my peers having M-F jobs, while I work endless hours during calving, and they are probably making more money than I am. But in the long run, it’s exciting. I know that a lot of people my age would love to be in the position I am in, so it’s important for me to remember to not take advantage of that. I get to wake up everyday having the ability to do what I love,” David said.

Myca Cantrell- 1st generation South Dakota Cattlewoman

Myca is a first generation rancher, I’ll say it again, she is a first generation cattle rancher in her family. She is a young woman who has paved her own way through the help and support of family and friends, that believe in the path she is choosing. Myca is one small part of the reported 36% percent of ranchers that are women in the United States (https://www.agdaily.com/insights/2017-census-of-agriculture-women-farmers). “Being a first generation Cattlewoman is very exciting. I started in 2010 with my first cattle purchase which consisted of my first miniature Hereford heifer. Recently I had the opportunity to purchase two bred Red Angus heifers in hopes to start a commercial herd with. Starting off you just need to take baby steps, and don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t, always keep the end goal and your dreams in mind,” Myca said.

With the average age of a farmer being 58 years old, the necessity and quite frankly dire need of young producers is on a steady rise. (https://modernfarmer.com/2018/06/by-the-numbers-state-of-the-independent-farmer/)

“There’s a lot of fears moving forward, the obvious one being capital, but like I said, baby steps. I plan to bring AI and different genetics into my herd, to boost carcass quality, and to raise weaning weights, with hopes of putting the brand my grandpa passed down to me, on the hip of future generations of Cantrell cattle,” Myca said.

In the end, both David and Myca are going to have a big impact on the industry in their own way. They both are the future of agriculture, and thanks to them, and thousands just like them, the future of agriculture is very bright. I believe in the future of agriculture even more than I did, and I hope all of you do now too.