Meet Your Director, Gerald Strobel
Gerald Strobel has devoted his career to agriculture, growing up on a dairy and poultry farm before establishing his own operation in Subiaco. After several years in the poultry industry, he became a full-time farmer in 2013 and now manages a diversified business that includes cattle, timber, and direct-to-consumer beef sales.
How did you get started in farming?
“I grew up on a dairy and poultry farm, and so did my wife Rachel. Right after I graduated from college, someone offered me a farm to rent so it wouldn’t get overgrown. I started with a few cows, and soon the neighbor next door asked if I wanted to do the same thing on his place. We started building in very small increments, a little here and there. When some of those farms went up for sale, we realized we needed to buy land if we wanted to keep raising cattle. That’s when I turned to Farm Credit.”
Tell us a little more about your operation and background in ag.
“I graduated from Arkansas Tech in 2000 and worked as a service tech for a poultry company for 13 years. During that time, I got the chance to buy a poultry farm that had been shut down for several years. We fixed it up and raised broilers there for 13 years. We sold it last year and are now strictly a cow-calf operation. Today we background our own calves and have several acres of timber as well.”
How have you seen farming change over the years?
“Farming will always be hard, honest work, but I’ve watched it shift over the years. There’s a lot more business planning involved now. With new challenges like higher costs, tighter margins, and new diseases, there’s not much room for error. If you want to be a farmer today, you really have to be a good business manager.”
Why is serving and advocating for agriculture important to you?
“I’ve always been part of organizations and boards because I want to give back to the people and groups that have supported me. Since farmers make up such a small part of the population, we need to speak up for all farmers. If some of us can go out and be a voice, I believe we should. Farmers work extremely hard, but sometimes we don’t do a very good job advocating for ourselves, so I’m just trying to do my small part.”
What do you love most about farm life?
“I love watching things grow. That’s always been my favorite part. Whether it’s the pastures, hayfields, or cattle, I love seeing them develop. It was the same when I raised poultry. I always liked going in and seeing my chickens grow.”
What does Farm Credit mean to you?
“Farm Credit has done so much for me. I always tell people that I wouldn’t be farming without them. When we saw that buying land was the only way to stay in the cattle business, we went to Farm Credit to see if it was possible. At the time, we both worked in town and only had a few cows, but they worked with us. Things grew from there. They helped me buy the poultry farm and expand my operation over the years. It’s a farmer-run organization focused on the cooperative principles. I believe in that, and Farm Credit has always believed in me.”
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