Make Plans to Join Us FEBRUARY 11-19, 2023

Iowa State Fairgrounds- Des Moines, IA

Commentary

Hats Off

by Austin Sorensen

Onto the short month of February, already! Where does the time go? It won’t be long (hopefully) and the grass will be turning green and days will be getting warmer.

Recently I traveled to Oklahoma City to do some business at the Cattleman’s Congress. A gentlemen, I did not know, approached me and said he enjoyed reading these articles. He went on to say he had seen several of my family’s ads and was curious where “Shy 5 Simmentals” stemmed from. I get that question rather frequently and haven’t told many people where it came from. So, due to the fact I was struggling with writing material this month, I thought I would tell the story behind our brand and farm name.

Most who know me personally, know that I live and breathe cattle. I don’t have a lot of hobbies outside of watching some sports, but mostly I just focus on the cattle during the week and in my free time. When I was young, my dad and his brothers ran a small herd of commercial cattle together on my grandpa Sorensen’s farm. My folks got me started like most kids with a bottle calf and then moved into showing club calves and on into Simmentals. At that point, mom and dad didn’t feel right running the few purebred cows we had at the farm out of respect for everyone financially involved in those cows, so they purchased a small piece of ground on the edge of Villisca, IA. The place my folks bought was just shy of 5 acres. We were buying all our hay and running a small handful of cows.

Like I’ve mentioned before, my folks have always helped my sister and me push to reach goals. Growing the cowherd meant getting more ground and as the years passed we slowly chipped away at that goal. When I met my wife, we continued to add cows and ground and now proudly own a few farms between us and rent several as well. We definitely have a long way to go, to be where we want to be, but the Shy 5 has always been a good reminder of where we started and came from.

When I was young and my parents bought this place they still call home, I remember talking to my dad about some of the ranchers in the area about how nice the big barns were and how the LED lights mounted off every building and pole sure made their place nice. I’ll never forget him telling me about when he was young, knowing those rancher’s fathers and seeing them carry buckets with flashlights in their hands.

It sure sounds cliché but it is amazing what can happen if you put your head down, work hard, and try your best to do the right things along the way! It also helps to have people in your family like Sydney and I have had on both sides of our families that bless us with opportunities as well. This month, my hat goes off to everyone working to better their operation no matter what that may entail.

We are in the heart of bull and bred heifer sale season so, as always, do not hesitate to reach out to me or any of our team for your livestock purchasing or marketing needs.

God bless, Austin

Sorensen

712-310-3788

Livestock

Plus Inc.

aust.sorensen@gmail.com www.livestockplusinc.com