“It’s not a business. It’s a way of life.” These are the words of Jeff Enger, one of two Enger brothers carrying on the Enger Grain and Livestock operation their dad started in the Litchville-Marion area in 1945. Jeff joined his dad in 1970, followed by his brother, Delray, in 1985. They pool their talents with Jeff and his son Justin carrying the grain farming and equipment maintenance responsibilities, and Delray and his son Brandon managing the livestock.
Both have children and grandchildren involved in the family-owned business. Jeff shares this about continuing the legacy, “When you treat it as a way of life, you just really live it, and you don’t want to be some other place. This is your life, so that’s what you do. That gives you the passion and desire to do what you do. I think heritage is really important to carry on that legacy.”
In the ongoing effort to remain viable, Engers exercise forward-thinking mindsets and keep up with industry trends with research and by serving on ag-related committees. They recognize the crucial need to diversify and change with the times. For example, the livestock side of the operation started with hogs until the dynamics of the industry changed. Today, they focus their efforts on growing the cattle feed operation.
To accomplish this, they recently invested in hoop barns and a slated-floor finishing barn that allowed them to triple their livestock volume.
Building the finishing barn opened possibilities for them to not only increase their cattle volume, but with 3,000 head of cattle, the manure is plentiful. The Engers are considering the value of using that manure on their own fields and eventually offering it to neighboring producers. This could help to reduce need for commercial fertilizers, which is a volatile market. They are also positioned to use by-products with a nearby ethanol plant and future soybean facility.
Mark Oberlander, senior agricultural banker from Dacotah Bank, explained, “We have a long-term relationship with the Enger family and see this [the finishing barn] as a way to get to the next generation. This is an area of very competitive land renting, and it’s a way for them to expand their operation without having to get additional land involved too. It’s a real nice fit and probably the best diversification because you have a cattle feeding aspect and a grain production aspect. Usually in ag, when one area is a little weak, the other one is stronger, and they’ve been able to leverage that.”
Finding the best funding option is key. The Engers worked with Oberlander to access Bank of North Dakota’s BioFuels Partnership in Community Expansion (PACE) Loan program to finance the big barn. He continues, “The assistance on the interest buydown was crucial to get this off the ground. The idea is to get them established with the big barn, which was extremely more expensive than the first and the hoop barns. Providing the interest buydown on the front end allows time for them to get their feet on the ground with the feeding operation. After that, full payments will kick in. We were able to get a better interest rate because of this program.”
Jeff added, “To have a livestock lender that understands you, is at the table, and understands your operation as much as you do is really important. That’s been a great asset and in growing the industry.”
This sentiment is why BND is so appreciative of the local lenders who deliver its loan programs. “No one understands their customer’s needs better than the local lender. They serve as a conduit to deliver opportunities that impact main streets and gravel roads across the state,” states BND Business Banker Andrew Tweet. “Maintaining that local relationship is critical to ensure we are meeting the needs of the agriculture community.”
The Engers have a front-row seat in the challenges of being an ag producer today. Jeff shares, “The price of land and facilities is getting so expensive that eventually it could eliminate a family farm. Nostalgia doesn’t do it. How do we keep that opportunity there for younger people?”
Fortunately, the Engers’ passion for keeping their operation going into future generations is evident and they pass that spirit along in the industry.
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