Producer Profile

Generations – The Fickes of Nebraska

By Eric Grant

    Johann Ficke first laid eyes on American shores in the winter of 1860. He came to a country on the verge of civil war, but found peace on the prairie of Wisconsin. He left behind all he knew – the comforts of his family’s 200-year-old farm, and the traditions of his native home, the German village of Klethen.

   For nearly 10 years, Ficke toiled in the fields and pastures of the upper Midwest. His dream was to scrape together enough cash someday to buy his own land and livestock. It was hard-scrabble living, punctuated by cold, hungry winters and long summer days.

   He journeyed to Nebraska in 1869, liked what he saw of the open plains, and filed on a homestead a mile west of Pleasant Dale. When he plowed the rich soil for the first time, he set in motion a cyclical livelihood – and a commitment to family and the land – that remains intact today.

   “Our family has always had the ability to weather change because family was always put first,” says Del Ficke, 38, who is Johann’s great-great grandson and the fifth generation of his family to raise cattle and crops on the original homestead.

   “Each generation coming into the operation is expected to be in it for the long haul and have the ability to embrace change,” Del says. “You can’t be afraid of failing or of being too complacent to ask questions of others. We’ve learned to use all available resources to succeed.”

   Today, farm and cattle management responsibilities fall squarely on the shoulders of Del and his father Ken. Both are sharp business people, conservative to the core, but also open to trying new practices and technologies.

   The two are also complementary. Each has his own style. Each has his own way of doing things. And, each respects the other.

   “I think what always impressed me about the Fickes is their ability to work together,” says Frank Padilla of Denver, Colo. Padilla and the Fickes produced hybrid seedstock together for nearly a decade. “Del and Ken go about things differently. But they always come together with the same result. Both are forward thinkers. Ken was years ahead of most people in the areas of conservation, and the use and marketing of hybrid seed corn. They’re people who want to know what works the most efficiently and cost effectively, and they always move in that direction.”

   While the Fickes farm about 500 acres of row crops, primarily corn, there’s little doubt that their first love is cattle. They raise about 200 cows, have a small backgrounding feedlot, and produce both composite bulls and feeder calves for customers across the Midwest.

   “In 1888, H.F. Ficke formed Ficke Cattle Company,” says Del. “He specialized in quality animals at good prices, which allowed him to begin raising Hereford and Shorthorn cattle.”

   For nearly 100 years, the Fickes raised commercial cattle, primarily Hereford and Red Angus. In the early 1970s, they added registered Herefords to their operation to raise seedstock for their commercial cow herd.

“   The registered Hereford cows eventually replaced our commercial cows, and we began selling seedstock into several states. For several years, Dad marketed bulls for Pioneer Beef Cattle in Iowa,” says Del. “This is where he began to see the benefits of hybrid cattle. In 1984, the decision was made to use a composite bull from Schroeder Cattle Company of Palisade, Neb., on a group of Hereford cows. These first matings proved to be the beginning of our composite seedstock program of today.”

   The composites – which are primarily a blend of Hereford, Red Angus, Gelbvieh, Tarentaise and Salers genetics – fit perfectly into the Fickes’ breeding objectives: “Our cattle must be fertile, functional and efficient.” 

   “This is where composite cattle exceed,” says Del. “They must be adaptable, consistent and possess hybrid vigor. Our females must breed in 50 days, raise a calf every year and basically be problem free.”

   Although the Fickes continue to produce registered Hereford cattle through a lease agreement with Delaney Herefords of Lake Benton, Minn., they believe the key advantage to raising composite cattle is heterosis, or hybrid vigor.

   Heterosis provides a genetic boost for health, performance and reproductive efficiency. Research shows that hybrid vigor, when managed carefully, can result in a 15- to 18-percent increase in productivity over straightbred cattle.

   “That’s a free lunch for cattle producers,” says Del. “And everybody knows there aren’t many free lunches in this business. The swine, poultry and seed businesses have all come to recognize the competitive advantages of hybrid genetics. This is what we’re accomplishing with our cow herd through disciplined breeding selections and perpetuation of hybrid cattle.”

   To ensure continued high levels of heterosis in their cow herd, the Fickes added a little-known cattle breed called Aubracs to their breeding program this year. Aubracs are efficient foragers, with masculine, heavily muscled bulls and feminine, angular females. Produced in the mountains of France, they have been developed for more than a century for grass-fed beef production.

   “Aubracs are the kind cattle that you look for all your life and seldom find,” says Del. “We plan to add this breed as an option to our composite cattle. I think our biggest opportunity lies within the Aubrac breed of cattle. These cattle will put us in the position possibly to offer a different type of genetics.”

   The Fickes also believe in targeting moderation in their cow herd, and they don’t chase extremes. They don’t want the heaviest calves in the county, nor do they want the biggest cows. They want cattle suited to their environment that are efficient foragers and produce a healthy, productive calf every year.

   Ultimately, the Fickes believe the key to their success has been their unwavering commitment to sticking to their original objectives to raise quality cattle and crops in an efficient manner. They’re an honest, blue-collar outfit, with hard-working cattle and people who stand behind their product.

   “We have pride in whatever we do,” Del says. “There is a world of difference between integrity and image.”

   Del believes his biggest challenge will be finding ways to remain economically competitive as a small producer. A big part of that will be finding creative ways to expand their operations – without having to buy high-priced land or additional cattle.

   This is especially important given the fact that the farm rests just a few miles west of fast-growing Lincoln. Each year, much of the land surrounding their farm has been purchased and developed for housing, which has resulted in skyrocketing land values and lots of new neighbors who have little connection to agriculture.

   “We’re looking into starting some cooperator herds with other people in Nebraska and other states,” Del says. “This will allow us to sell more seedstock but not have to buy land or cattle. We’re also looking at aligning with larger producers who have some type of value-added program,” Del says. “These things need some exploration on our behalf, but we know we need to work harder at adding value to our production and reducing costs of producing it.