Beery Family Tradition of Farming As Rich as the Soil They Farm

Back in the 1940s, Danny Beery probably never intentionally set out to start a family tradition that would stretch not only across the vast Montana farm lands, but also across generations. Yet, a half-a-century later, the Richey farmer is the second of four generations proud to call themselves farmers and ranchers.

Today, the Beery family is still farming the same soil, combining the same fields and running cattle through the same pastures as their family has done for generations.

The Beery’s farming roots took hold in Iowa long before the dust bowl era when Danny’s father, Harold, raised corn. But, it was in the 1940s that Harold moved out west to be closer to his brother Newell, also a farmer, and settled nine miles west of Richey near Sullivan Creek.

Today, Danny is assisted by his sons, Rondel and Jess, who also have farms of their own that are situated in a circle around the original farming homestead. His grandchildren are farmers and ranchers as well.

Rondel’s wife, Lanette, also assists. In fact, she’s given credit for seeding 95 percent of their spring wheat and winter wheat crops each year. After growing up in a farming family at Richey, it seemed quite natural for her to marry into one. For 25 years she has worked alongside her husband, assisting with everything from driving semi trucks and combines to feeding cows and pulling calves.

There was never any question about whether the tradition would continue with their children. Their son, David, 19, and daughter, Danielle, 21, have aspirations of continuing the farming tradition with their own land one day. After graduating from Richey High School in 2011, David knew he wanted to start farming and already has his own land and his own herd of Black Angus cattle. “I think I started working cows as soon as I was old enough to know what a cow was. It’s a lifestyle I have always known and I can’t imagine doing anything else,” David said.

Today, he is more involved on the cattle side of the family business and is responsible for managing the entire cattle herd. “He’s really something of a nerd when it comes to the genetics of cattle. But, it’s always been his passion,” Rondel said. David rents farmland as well from his grandpa Herb, Lanette’s father and plans to try raising dry land corn next spring.

Recently married, Danielle and her husband Seth, also take part in the family business with Danielle driving combine alongside her mother for seven weeks out of the year, cutting thousands of acres and knocking out some 450 acres a day when the going is good. She also recently graduated from Dickinson State and received a Degree in business and accounting.

Working together over the years, a silent system has developed with everyone knowing their role and anticipating what needs to get done. Although they admit it gets stressful during the busy season of simultaneously calving and seeding, it’s a lifestyle they wouldn’t trade for anything. Along with their own dry land farms, they also custom cut for others. “It seems like we are the first ones to start the season off and the last ones to get done. But we don’t complain. This is the best lifestyle there is and we love it,” Rondel said.

No farming family would be complete without a cow dog and, though retired at 17 years old, Spot, their black and white blue heeler, Border collie mix, is still an active part of the family.

There are other traditions in the Beery family as well. “We don’t miss the Sidney Fair no matter how busy we are with harvest. We just get in the pickup and head to town because it’s something the family enjoys doing together,” Rondel said.

With the family working side by side throughout the years they’ve had their share of mishaps that today they look back on and enjoy razzing each other about on special occasions. “When Danielle was 11 years old she was driving a combine and I was driving a semi and we collided and wrecked them both. It was fair time so Grandpa Danny said “we will fix it later” and they headed to town. We still argue to this day about whose fault it was,” Rondel said.

Although they share the chores that go along with farming and ranching, it isn’t very often they get all four combines in the same field together at the same time. But, at least once a year they try to just for the fun of it. Over the years, it too has become something of a tradition.

Through the generations, it seems the pioneering spirit of perseverance has not been lost. “Our winter wheat crop was good this year and our spring wheat crop was very disappointing. We cut thousands of acres of 50 bushel straw and wheat only yielding in the twenties. It was just too hot and dry in our area. But, prices were good so we aren’t complaining. We’ll just try again next year,” Rondel said.