Nieder Livestock Company is working to build its herd and name recognition
AMSTERDAM, MO. – The Nieder Livestock Company in Bates County, just outside Amsterdam, Mo., is proudly operated by Josh and Brittany Nieder.
Josh grew up on his parents’ dairy farm, where he helped milk 80 to 100 Holsteins for “much of his life.” Brittany also grew up on a farm near Fayette, Mo., where her family had both Angus and Charolais cattle and raised row crops like corn and feed crops for their cattle.
Today, they raise registered Red Angus together, keeping about 30 cow/calf pairs on 45 acres and leasing another 80.
“My father, Les, and the rest of my family — my brothers, uncles and cousins — still all farm just up the road where I grew up. These days, they are raising beef cattle and doing row crops, corn and beans, so we are looking to establish our own niche with the Red Angus. We are still relatively new at this, so we sell primarily by private treaty off the farm. We also received a lot of help from others getting started, so we are trying to do the same, helping youth get started with show cows. We raise and sell three to four heifers a year to local 4-H and FFA kids for their projects and also work to bring others into the industry.
Josh grew up showing club calves, and Brittany’s youth included showing Angus cattle, so the couple raises show calves for sons Brayden (14) and Brigham (7) and daughter Brielle (11).
The Nieders also purchase pigs for all three of their children to show.
“The breed of pigs changes year-to-year, depending on what is available,” Josh added.
“The kids show locally at county fairs, the Ozark Empire Fair in Springfield, and the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. They show cattle and pigs. We’ve also been to the American Royal Livestock Show in Kansas City and the Red Angus National, which rotates each year. So far, we’ve been to that one in Oklahoma and South Dakota. We’ve not been at this real long, but we’ve gotten in with a good group of other families at the shows, and that makes it a lot of fun.”
Cattle receive a custom-made feed ration made locally, and show animals receive a show mix.
The family tries to put up their own hay each year and fertilize hay and pasture ground annually.
Nieder Livestock Company utilizes both AI and ET in its breeding operation, striving for both spring and fall calving.
“We sell our calves born in the spring, each fall and vice versa, selling the fall calves in the spring, heifers,” Josh said. “We have just started developing a few bulls within the last year or two. We have a handful for sale by private treaty throughout the year. We do all our vaccines twice yearly, worm them regularly, do all the processing with our calves at birth, like black leg, and tag them.”
The Nieders hope to keep growing and improving their herd.
“Our ultimate goal is to raise a cow family profile that is highly sought after. The idea is that when that family is mentioned, people know exactly where they originated, making the Nieder Livestock Company name and profile sought after for years to come, and so, leaving our own genetic footprint.”
Both Josh and Brittany work outside the farm and work with their own cattle. Josh works as an agent for American National Insurance, and Brittany serves as a school counselor for the Midway K-12 School District. “For many of us, that is what it takes to make farming pay these days,” Josh added.
While Josh and Brittany are second-generation farmers, Josh says he’s already getting a strong indication they will not be the last in their family.
“I can’t speak for that youngest 7-year-old as yet, but Brayden and Brielle are already making it clear they have aspirations of owning their own farm operations one day,” he said. “My 14-year-old spent a good part of the week on the tractor here and just loved it.”
