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The 11th Annual Production Sale at Brookdale Angus will be Friday, March 3, 2023.

and has been on Angus Herd Improvement Records from the beginning. They developed a strong embryo transfer program utilizing IVF technology. Other keys to the program are genomic testing and ultrasound for carcass traits for all bulls and females.

Scott said, “Our niche is a balanced program versus chasing the bright, shiny current trend.” Mark agreed, “A single trait selection works for a while, and some people make a lot of money, but it's not good for the long run. I’ve always tried to breed good looking cattle that perform. Along with that, you take care of your customers, you do business with integrity, you treat people right.” The 11th Annual Production Sale at Brookdale Angus will be Friday, March 3, 2023. Updates and a sale catalog will be posted at www.brookdaleangus.com.

BACK TO THE FARM

As a long-haired, cross countryrunning rebel of sorts at West Lyon High School in the 1970s, Mark didn’t plan to return to the farm. He went to college at Sheldon for mechanical drafting. After graduating, he was helping on the farm when his dad had health problems in the fall of 1975. After the area got socked with a bad blizzard in November, one thing led to another, and Mark stayed put. When the farm crisis hit, he had opportunities for careers in other states, but chose to stay here and also began a long career with Select Sires and later with Semex.

Between the dairy and semen business, he’d sometimes put in 100-hour weeks. Audrey said, “When the kids were little, I worked 3 nights a week, and Mark might have to take a baby monitor with him when he was milking. He couldn’t be in the house when he had to milk at 3 or 4 in the morning.” Mark listened to the baby monitor in the barn, but said the kids were good and it wasn’t often he’d have to run to the house. “You just do what you got to do, one day at a time,” he said. Audrey said 5-year-old Scott was really responsible. “He'd get his little self up and pour his breakfast and then Dad would come to make sure he’d get on the bus in time.” That continued with all 5 of the children.

Even though he was offered lucrative positions in the animal genetics field, Scott, like his dad, decided the farm was the right place for his family. “Like a lot of people who grow up on farms, you have connections to the ground – you feel a sense of ownership to it. When I was working other places, being able to come out to the farm and get my hands dirty helped keep me sane.” Joni grew up on a farm near Sioux Center and has plenty of hands-on experience. Not only did she learn how to operate most equipment, but she also was active with horses, and, for a time, helped work cattle for clients of Central Veterinary Clinic. Audrey described her daughter-in-law as a “great mom and right hand man who is a tried and true farm girl.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Scott and Joni have 4 children. Colin, 8, is a hard-working 2nd grader who is passionate about learning. Callie, 6, is in kindergarten, makes friends easily and is the family’s animal lover. Clayton is 4 and “when he walks out of the house, every cow on the place gets nervous,” Scott said. He’s an energetic boy who is always working, whether that’s bringing a hammer or tape measure to Grandma’s house or digging a hole and using the dirt to “spread manure” on the driveway. Clara is 2 and knows how to make her opinions known. She has been a mama’s girl, but is now opening up to others.

Audrey hopes the grandchildren pick up the tradition of showing cattle at the Lyon County Fair. From the oldest to the youngest child, Mark and Audrey’s family ended up showing Jerseys, Holsteins or beef cattle for 25 consecutive years at the fair. Joni hopes their children choose not only to show livestock at the fair, but also consider a career in agriculture. “The ideal scenario would be for us to grow the operation to a place where the kids could someday have the option to farm if they wanted to.”