November 2026 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 21 Michael Dibbern | Wood River Tell us about your operation: We are a multigenerational family operation that has diversified into row crops, including corn, soybeans and alfalfa, as well as a commercial herd of Red Angus/SimAngus cattle. What is currently happening on your operation? We’re getting set for soybean harvest, and then we usually roll right into corn after that. We’ve got about 3,400 acres between the two to go through, so that’ll keep us busy for the rest of September and pretty much all of October. As soon as that’s done, we usually bring the cow herd home and start weaning. What is a state or federal issue that you are watching closely? Right now it’s federal mostly, and it’s really the Farm Bill. A lot of the main things, especially for a crop grower, got addressed in the One Big Beautiful Bill last year, but there were still a lot of loose ends. Some of those conservation programs are in limbo and really need to be revamped. And this new Farm Bill would do that but, unfortunately, it’s in limbo in the Senate. Building off of that, specifically for us as corn growers, the year-round E15 is something we’re hoping that can ride along with that Farm Bill and get passed here before the end of the year. David Schuler, Schuler Red Angus | Bridgeport Tell us about your operation: We are a registered seedstock operation, and we diversify the operation by feeding out different sectors of home-raised cattle to gather carcass data on the herd’s genetic potential. What is currently happening on your operation? We had quite a bit of drought in the Western Panhandle, predominantly in southwestern Moore County. If you look at the red spot on the drought map, that’s where we are. We started weaning about a month earlier than usual, and we are focusing on getting them healthy – ready to rock and be developed as bred heifers. We’ll be getting all the cows home here soon. We chopped a lot of feed and are planting a lot of cover crops; I’m pretty hopeful about grazing that. What is a state and/or federal issue that you are watching closely? Something to always keep our eye on is state budget shortfalls – what that will look like for the entirety of property taxes and things like that. I’ll be interested to see if there are some better conversations moving forward with the budget later. Then, at the federal level, diesel prices are out of this world going into harvest. What’s that going to do for corn prices? We’re buying these feeders in these sales with the hope that the market’s going to go up to make a breakeven. There’s nothing I can really do about that, but I will be watching that closely. Tanner Nelson, Riverview Feeders | Bertrand Tell us about your operation: Historically we have been a commercial and registered Red Angus operation. In 2024, we jumped feet first into the feedyard business. What is currently happening on your operation? The feedyard we bought needed some work, so we are working on a big project where we tore out pens, we’re putting in overflow water tanks and building those all new and putting in new bunks. So, that’s a big project that’s kind of ongoing throughout the year. What is something you are looking forward to? I’m looking forward to continuing to grow the business and network with other producers. I think we’re in a really good area for feeding cattle, but trust takes a long time to build up. Having been in a purebred operation, this gives a unique insight into cattle feeding in terms of carcass data. I’m looking forward to building relationships with commercial cattlemen, people who retain ownership and want to feed, and other cattle feeders. ~NC~ David Schuler. Tanner Nelson and his wife, Shelby. Michael Dibbern holds daughter, Tatum, with his wife, Rozy, holding daughter, Claire.
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