August 2026 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 13 dynamics they can bring back to the operation, if they decide to return. Looking to the future, Josh sees the workforce being one of the biggest challenges. “The next generation wants a 9-to-5 job, and that’s hard to do with farming and feeding cattle,” Josh says. “It will be difficult to find those young people who want to work hard.” He also has concerns about the presence of positive imaging in social media. “It’s easy for misinformation like screwworm, hormones, nutritional value and labeling to be put out for the masses by individuals who don’t understand our industry, let alone work in it,” he says. “As hard as it is to defend yourself personally on social media, it’s harder to defend and correctly inform an entire industry. We need to continue to be better stewards on the social media platforms.” Josh remains positive about the industry and the global demand for beef. “We have the highest demand for the world’s best protein,” he says. “That’s why we look forward to coming to work every day on the feedlot – to help serve beef around the world.” Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future Growing up in the feedlot industry, Adam Guenther, West Point, found himself in Texas working for a construction company after studying construction management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). After being in Texas for about six years, he visited with his parents about returning to the family farm and feedlot operation. “I liked who I worked for; it just wasn’t my passion, and it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Adam recalls. It was actually a call first to his mom to see how his dad would respond to him coming back. “She laughed and asked if I really wanted to do this, and my response was, ʻIf I don’t ever try, I won’t ever know’.” Adam made the move back to the family business, Ulrich Cattle, Inc., in 2015. Upon his return, he and his dad, David, set out guidelines for themselves. “We started with a two-year trial basis that at any point during that time, either one of us could say, ʻThis isn’t working, and there will be no hard feelings,’” Adam explains. “We had several grown-up conversations that helped us start back up to be able to work together.”. There was a steep learning curve for Adam returning to the cattle feeding business. While he knew the basics from growing up in it, he needed to learn the industry business – procuring, feeding and financial. His dad taught him a lot in the first year. Sadly, David passed away in a car accident the second year Adam was back. Adam felt like he was thrown into the deep end, but it didn’t cause him to quit. The cattle community pulled together and helped Adam and his mom get through. “I can never give enough thanks for how many people were willing to hold my hand and answer questions that were probably pretty routine, but to me they were a big deal,” Adam remembers. It’s been 10 years since Adam has been back on the farm. He says the business is night and day different now. “I’ve learned a lot by failure, but I’m not scared to try new things. It’s just amazing what you can learn,” Adam says. “The more people you talk to and learn from and the more you read about, it’s definitely an industry that is ever evolving.” The business has transitioned from 50 percent custom fed/50 percent owned to 80 percent owned cattle currently, with Adam’s dream to be 100 percent owned. He is happy with where they are for head count, but his version of expansion is to financially own all the cattle as his customers start to retire or slow down in feeding cattle. The operation includes his mother, Jean, who is a loan officer and is involved in running the farm’s finances; cousin, Sam; uncle, Tim; and several employees, including Duane Throener, who has been with the operation for more than 30 years. Adam, and his wife, Hannah, have one daughter, Charlotte. Adam emphasizes the importance of community support and involvement. In 2016, he had the opportunity to participate in the Young Cattlemen’s Conference leadership development program. “It is important to get involved in some form,” Adam says. “It’s amazing the people you meet and what those connections can do down the road.” Turning Opportunity Into Ownership Preston Franzen grew up in the Brady/Gothenburg area on a family cattle operation. He went to college at Nebraska Adam Guenther with his wife, Hannah, and daughter, Charlotte. Adam operates the family feedyard, Ulrich Cattle, Inc., in West Point. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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