BATESVILLE, Ind. – Scott Kreuzman, named 2021 Outstanding Young Cattleman of the Year by the Indiana Beef Cattle Association (IBCA), was raised on his family’s farm, which includes a beef cattle operation. The farm has been in his family since at least the 1930s, but probably much longer.

“My family has raised livestock for several generations,” noted Kreuzman, 38. “It’s been a way of life.”

The family operation – Kreuzman Farms – is run by Scott, his dad, uncle and brother. “As my brother and I get older, we’ve taken on more responsibilities,” Scott Kreuzman said. “It’s neat and fulfilling to continue the family legacy. We’re probably following the footsteps the older generation was hoping for, hoping to see it continuing on.”

He said he was surprised to receive the IBCA honor, which was announced at the organization’s banquet in late January.

“One of the first things I asked myself was why was I chosen,” Kreuzman explained. “I know there are a lot of people around the state qualified (to be honored). I think it was a combination of our family operation, my consulting business and the contacts I’ve made along the way. I try to be active with a lot of organizations. I’ve met a lot of people. It’s very humbling.”

In the family farm’s earlier days, it was a sustainable operation, Kreuzman said. There were cows for milk and meat for the family’s needs; there were also a few hogs. Today, it’s cattle, and about 500 acres of corn, soybeans and hay.

The operation has a herd of about 40 cattle, he said. He and his brother decided to raise show stock; they sell quite a few animals to be used as 4-H projects. They have a small feed lot that holds 80-100 animals. Most of their cattle are crossbred.

“We’ve also expanded our freezer beef market,” Kreuzman said. “We sell about 20-25 freezer beef a year to local customers. We’ve downsized our herd to focus on the 4-H animals, halter training all the cows, and increasing the freezer beef sales.”

Their calves are sold to 4-H members at about six months old, after they’ve been weaned from their mothers. “We halter break them so they’re safe for the kids. We get a lot of repeat customers. We’ve sent cows all over the country. We’ve routinely sent them to Texas, New Mexico, California and to the east coast, to Maryland. It used to be word-of-mouth (about their business), but with the internet and social media, word spreads faster. It feels good to have people trust us to buy an animal without ever seeing it (in person). They’re buying off a photo, video and phone conversation.”

For people who visit the farm in person, the family tries to make a good first impression, he stated. “When you pull up to our operation, you can tell that we care. We try to keep our operation clean and neat; we upgrade things when they need upgraded. We try to make our operation look nice when people pull up to it.”

Kreuzman’s off-farm business – Kreuzman Consulting – specializes in livestock facility permitting and compliance work. He started the company in 2018 after working as a livestock compliance manager for Gordon Ag Group near Connersville, Ind.

“I was really the only one at the company doing that work,” he recalled. “In order to keep the farm moving, I needed a more flexible schedule. I asked the owner to sell me that part of the business and he did. I continued to expand it from there. I largely work with large-scale operations with confined feeding permits through IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management). I work with permitting, manure management. I’m certified to write nutrient and pesticide management plans.”

Kreuzman works with the beef, dairy, hog and poultry industries.

“Currently, I’m the sole employee of the business. It’s a juggling act. It does give me a level of flexibility. With the size of our operation, everyone does work off the farm. I have the most flexibility, so I take on the emergency role.”

When an emergency arises, he said it helps that his consulting business is in agriculture. “Because my career is related to farming, I work with a lot of customers who are understanding (if something comes up at the farm). That certainly helps out. It’s a lot of hours. It is nice to have four (people) in the operation. Some just have one or two.”