93
Let’s hear the story of Nebraska, its communities, its number one industry Agriculture, and the people who make it happen. Sponsored by Nebraska's Law Firm® - Rembolt Ludtke.
93
Diane Perrin - Chile Flats Inc.
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In this episode we visit with Diane Perrin, owner of Chile Flats, a 5,000-head capacity cattle feedyard near Howells, Nebraska. Diane discusses the unique challenges female ag producers face as well as the strengths they bring to the operations they own and operate.
Nebraska, it's not just a place, but a way of life. It's 93 counties that are home to innovative individuals, caring communities, and a spirit that runs deeper than its purple story. It's a story that should be told.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to 93, the podcast. Welcome to 93, the podcast, where we talk about Nebraska, its communities, its number one industry agriculture, and the people who make it happen. I'm Mark Falson, your host for today's episode, brought to you by Nebraska's law firm, Remboldt Lutke. Today's episode, we're joined by Diane Perrin, owner of Chili Flats Feed Yard near Howells, Nebraska. We're going to talk about Nebraska, we're going to talk about ag, we're going to talk about the cattle industry and everything else related to it. Diane, thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER_02Well, thank you for the invite.
SPEAKER_00So give our listeners a little background on yourself.
SPEAKER_02I grew up actually where I'm living now and where the feed yard is located in rural Colfax County. Grew up here. My father was a rather big farm for the time. I've been in the ag industry for all but 10 years of my life. Went off to college, got married, came back, and we my ex-husband and I decided to start farming. And we started out by just backgrounding our own cattle. And then we jumped into the custom feeding. We're right now at a capacity of 5,000 head. And um my kids and I farm about um 1,100 acres.
SPEAKER_00So one thing we keep track of on this podcast is license plate prefixes. You said Colfax County, what's the license plate prefix?
SPEAKER_02It's 43.
SPEAKER_00That's another one we get to add to the list.
SPEAKER_02Awesome.
SPEAKER_00So custom feeding 5,000 head, that's a fairly significant operation. What would you describe as the biggest sort of opportunities in the near future for the cattle feeding industry?
SPEAKER_02Well, I think the the owners of the cattle are in the best position. They are right now, the ones that they currently own. I know the packer rates are extremely high right now, and so that's definitely a benefit to those that have already purchased the cattle. The downside to that is the um the replacement cattle have been extremely high, also. And um they're kind of hard to find right now. Replacement cattle are not as readily available as a lot of my customers are were hoping for.
SPEAKER_00One of the challenges challenges in Nebraska that is especially impacting agriculture is the ability to find and retain and to keep uh labor uh employees. Have you seen that? And if so, what types of things are you doing to uh address uh recruiting and retaining good employees?
SPEAKER_02We have been very blessed. I've got a great crew here. Um the shortest amount of time anyone has been here is um three years. So it's uh making sure that they're taken care of, they have what they need, and make it an enjoyable place to work.
SPEAKER_00And approximately how many employees do you have at Chili Flats?
SPEAKER_02We have seven.
SPEAKER_00Are you the sole owner of Chili Flats?
SPEAKER_02Yes, I am.
SPEAKER_00Have you faced difficulties or unique challenges being a woman owner, female owned, female owner of an ag business or an ag production business, uh either in Nebraska or just nationally?
SPEAKER_02Definitely. Um it's it's definitely a man's industry.
SPEAKER_00Um you're trying to change that, right?
SPEAKER_02I am trying to change that, yes. Um, trying to obtain as much information and knowledge and resources as best as possible, um, just to gain confidence and basically show that you know women can do this too. It's it's I have a a couple other female friends that also own a feed lot. So they um they've kind of been an inspiration and we we talk quite often and um it it is hard. It is hard because it's generally always has been a man's industry.
SPEAKER_00So what unique benefits, what unique factors do you think being a female owner brings to owning a feedlot or being involved in production agriculture that's different for men? And I don't mean that in a negative way. There's just the the reality is I think uh the sexes are different, and we bring we each have different strengths. What what strengths do you think females bring to uh the cattle feeding industry?
SPEAKER_02I think female, we've had female feeders here before. Um females tend to have a greater attention to detail. And when it comes to caring for the animal, I believe that there's a little bit more of a mothering aspect to that. It's kind of the the the care aspect and attention to detail. I think women bring a little bit more than that than what you get from a man.
SPEAKER_00So something I've seen, you may or may not agree, I'm sure some will not agree, but uh females, in my experience, are almost always better multitaskers than men. And uh it's an amazing gift, right? And I uh I I assume that's something maybe that you are able to take advantage of as you run this feedlot.
SPEAKER_02Oh, absolutely, absolutely, whether it's getting ready for planting the crop or you know, cattle coming in, going out, doing the doing the paperwork and you know, taking care of everything that comes about, plus having four kids, it's you gotta be able to multitask. And you're right, females generally are a little bit better than men on that.
SPEAKER_00I'd say a lot, actually. Much better. You know, one of the challenges family farms often face is making sure that there's a succession plan. So I assume you have met with your attorneys or at least have a plan in place that in the event you're able to get one, two, hopefully all four kids back in some capacity, that we avoid those avoid those fights down the road and everything's planned for in advance, and we're treating everyone equ equitably to the extent possible.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I've been um actually just working with with um getting things set up. Um yeah, so definitely succession plan is in process.
SPEAKER_00So that it's that that speaks well of you because many folks don't want to go through that process or think, well, I'll worry about it another day. And without a doubt, the thing that divides farm families more than anything is that that fight that occurs uh uh you know after someone passes, and with the appreciation of the value of land, uh those fights have become more significant to become more prominent. And so that pre-planning is always uh the the best way to solve that issue and make it not happen.
SPEAKER_02Right. I was very fortunate. Um my father passed in 2016, but prior to his passing, he had everything set up to where there were no questions on anything. Um very, very smooth process of of dividing things out, and um, we knew exactly exactly what his wishes were, and um we were very fortunate, and I want to make sure that I can do that for my kids too. So it's very important to me because it is a big issue. You hear horror stories of fights and and families just splitting and not speaking to each other anymore, and I I will do everything to make sure that that doesn't happen.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, one story I often tell is I was uh trying to buy some farm ground a couple of years ago, and I went to an auction in a small town and the VFW is where the sale was, and the place was packed, and the land was going for well beyond fair market value, in my opinion. And it turned out that the the room was com equally divided between two family members who were fighting over dad's estate because they hadn't done any planning, and this will permanently and perhaps forever divide that family between these two brothers because that planning did not occur. And it was such a sad situation to uh to watch. I was just a spectator, not intentionally, but once I found out the backstory, I thought that this can be avoided. This should not have happened.
SPEAKER_02Right, right. And that's why that's why I want to make sure that that succession plan, estate plan, everything is is lined up, and then we don't have any of those issues.
SPEAKER_00Howells, Nebraska. Most of our listeners have not been there before. Can you describe where that's in this in the state for our listeners and what Howells has to offer, why it's such a great little town?
SPEAKER_02Well, Howells is in northern Colfax County. It's a village of about 600 people. Um, and I am located about eight miles south of Howells. And it's just it's a very tight-knit community. Um, cute little businesses. Everyone, I mean, when there's a tragedy or anything, they're right there. Supportive of the people, and they're very welcoming in the town. You I mean, anybody can drive through town and they're gonna get waved at whether they've been in Howells ever in their life, they're gonna get waved out by somebody. That's just the way the town is, and it's very welcoming and a great place to live.
SPEAKER_00So the old joke is uh I does Howells like many Nebraska towns have two bars or just one?
SPEAKER_02Right now we only have one. Oh, okay. We used to have two.
SPEAKER_00For the listeners that don't know the joke, many small town Nebraska, uh many small towns in Nebraska have two bars. And the reason is if you're not getting along with someone, then you go to the other bar, but there's always two. So hopefully, hopefully the other one gets uh bought up and reopened again so everyone can be happy and we uh maintain the peace in howls.
SPEAKER_02So right.
SPEAKER_00So, Diane, uh something we ask of all of our guests, and you get one word, but what is one word that to you best describes this great place in which you run a feed yard in which you live in which you work, the stay in Nebraska? What's your one word that describes Nebraska?
SPEAKER_02Home. I would call it home because it's been my home. I mean, I've never lived anywhere else, but you know, I've I've traveled a lot of places in the United States, different states, and there's just nothing like Nebraska. I mean, people call it a flyover state, or you know, there's nothing out here but corn, but there's so much that Nebraska has to offer, and it's a great place to grow a family. And I that's just how I've always described Nebraska. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, even in the winter.
SPEAKER_00No, this is being recorded after the coldest week of the year, so it's much better weather now. It's gonna be a beautiful spring.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, right, exactly.
SPEAKER_00Diane, thanks for joining us today to talk about Nebraska, about uh what it takes uh to run a cattle feed yard, especially as a female owner, uh and the challenges that you have faced. Uh, thank you for again all that you do and all that you have done to uh create jobs in Nebraska and to uh put beef on people's tables.
SPEAKER_02So well, thank you, Mark, for the invite.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Folks, if you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing on Apple, Spotify, or whatever your favorite podcast app is. Also share with a friend or two. And please keep listening as we release additional episodes on Nebraska. It's great communities, Nebraska's number one industry, agriculture, and the folks who make it happen. Thanks.
SPEAKER_01This has been 93, the podcast, sponsored by Nebraska's law firm, Rembolt Bloodkey.
