About Us
The Greckel's
The Greckel's
Shane & Kate with Jenny and Ted
Lonnie and Jolene with the restored John Deere 70
In the United States of America, our Greckel name dates back to 1891 when our great great grandparents settled here on 887 Road, north of Bloomfield Nebraska. The farm has always had cattle and horses roaming in the pastures along with many different crops being grown, year after year.
Lonnie and Jolene (Stark) have operated the farm from 1966 to the present. Their labor has been fruitful but not without hard work, dedication and grit. Their hobby included raising American Quarter Horses. They both operate their own row crop acres and feed cattle daily. Lonnie and Jolene are a vital part of the next generation taking over the operation by helping us continue to grow what was built by them, offering words of encouragement and sharing lessons learned. Whether or not the next generation always listens, that’s another story… But sometimes lessons have been learned the hard way.
Being the 5th generation to live on the homestead, Shane began his own row crop operation apart from his parents, Lonnie and Jolene, during his last year in high school in 2003. With an operation involving both crops and livestock, having family around is vital for making day to day activities run smoothly. Shane has expanded to include off-farm business enterprises: Greckel Farms Transport LLC, Greckel Enterprises, SJ Grain LLC… to name a few.
To expand the farming operation, we need more people to operate equipment, check on livestock and move our commodities. We do offer various employment opportunities. We have created and grown a commercial transportation through our entity, Greckel Farms Transport LLC which primary hauls grain as well as rock and sand. We have a fleet manager who is a 2018 Bloomfield. Check out our Transport page and give us shout if you or your business needs a commodity hauled - we drive through South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and handle grain commodities including organic with the necessary inspections.
The most popular to the public is our Registered Clydesdale herd. Shane purchased Ted at a local South Dakota sale barn before he met his wife, Kate. It was Kate that was insistent that they show Ted the Clydesdale at the Iowa State Fair in the draft horse show (Kate grew up exhibiting at the Iowa State Fair... It's one of the best fairs in the nation!). After the first show, Shane purchased a younger mare, Jenny from Lincoln Nebraska. From then on, Shane and Kate have been able to show together.
The Clydesdale herd has expanded to a small breeding operation along with training and offering breeding to outside mares. We have three broodmares, Katy and June who are full sisters and Registered Clydesdales. Red, our Jockeys Club registered off the race track, Thoroughbred mare is also a broodmare for the Sport Horse cross. Finn, the 2016 Registered Clydesdale Stallion is a great proven producer and is very easy on the eyes! He has the brains, the looks, and the moves to throw high quality foals. Check out our Clydesdale page for pictures and more information on our horse herd.