Bigger Than A Business
Symens Brothers uses the Limousin breed to serve the beef industry and consumers .
by Megan Silveira
Lush grass paints itself across the green hills of northeastern South Dakota . The land sees all four seasons , from hot temperatures in the summer to snow in the winter , but the fertile ground is the perfect place to raise livestock .
It ’ s an oasis for cattle producers , a discovery made by the first generations of the Symens family in the early 1900s . Today , John Symens and his family raise registered Limousin cattle on that same ground where his grandfather built the family ’ s first cattle barn .
John ; his brother , Paul ; and John ’ s nephews , Warren and Brad , operate Symens Brothers . In addition to nearly 300 spring-calving cow-calf pairs , the four-generation strong partnership is also home to a feedlot and 1,500 acres of cropland where the family grows corn , soybeans and hay .
Paul is retired from the day-to-day activities on the farm . While John is slowly following his brother toward retirement , he is still active in recordkeeping and management decisions for the cattle herd . Warren handles the feedlot , and Brad manages the crops .
“ We all help each other out in the different areas ,” John said , but he adds that their true success lies in managing their individual strengths : “ We try to keep our areas of interest . We still make decisions across the board as far as everyone ’ s involved . We haven ’ t had too many problems , as long as we respect each other ’ s opinions and what we studied to do .”
Warren echoes his uncle . Though there comes the typical challenges of having so many close-knit people working together 24 / 7 , Warren said their family tree is the operation ’ s biggest strength .
“ It adds a degree of security and comfort knowing that it ’ s family ,” he explains .
That mindset stems all the way back to John and Paul ’ s childhood . The boys and their seven other siblings were raised on the farm and actively involved in 4-H , leading to a love for livestock .
28 • OCTOBER 2022