December 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 15 Pennsylvania where he and Jennifer work for the state park system in Pennsylvania. Son Jace and wife Carissa and their kids, Odette and Emmett, live nearby and both grandkids are student members of NC. Jace is a sales rep with Bill’s Volume Sales and Carissa is a schoolteacher. Jace also served seven years with the Nebraska Air National Guard and was deployed to Kyrgyzstan and Spain. He has a cow herd and contributes to the family operation as time allows. Daughter Tressi and her husband, Ben Baird, and their boys, Daxton and Finley, live in Sumner in Pierce’s dad’s old place. Ben is a route driver for Cashwa Distributing of Kearney, and Tressi is a stay-at-home mom to their boys. Pierce’s family is supportive of his involvement and always pitch in when needed, but he’s also very mindful to be supportive of all that they do. He and Janna also make time to support and attend their grandkids’ activities. COWS, GRASS AND FARMING Pierce’s father was a postmaster in Sumner for 31 years and farmed on the side with Pierce’s maternal grandparents. His father greatly enjoyed farming and cattle, and felt it kept his sons busy while also teaching them hard work. Pierce’s dad kept cows until his death at 94, long after he retired from the U.S. Post Office. “When you’re the older generation in farming or ranching and you have someone from the younger generation interested in it, it’s up to you to make it fun for them and give them something they look forward to. My dad never shared the financial struggles with me until later in life. Had he shared all the struggles with me, maybe I would not have gone into ag,” Pierce says with a chuckle. “Dad made it fun and something Cattle, farming and grass are prized commodities at the Pierce operation. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
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