S.D. Farmers Union Celebrates the Schiley Ranch Family

S.D. Farmers Union Celebrates the Schiley Ranch Family

By Lura Roti, for South Dakota Farmers Union

It’s a hot June day and Hope Schiley is on Chico, riding out past the tree belt. When her mom and dad drive out to check on their 5-year-old, she is smiling.

 “Just this summer she really started to enjoy riding. It’s fun to see her confidence,” says Karin, a fourth-generation cattle producer, who like her husband, Roy John “R.J.,” has been riding horses since childhood.

 Once Hope is safely home, Karin, 38, and R.J., 39, head out over the open range to check on a group of pairs grazing in a pasture nearby.

 “The best part of the ranching lifestyle is your kids are always with you,” Karin says. “We do rotational grazing, so most days the kids and I will go out to check mineral and water or move the cattle from one pasture to the next.”

 Married in 2001, the couple has five school-age children: Macy, 13; Cash, 10; Kate, 9; Hope, 5 and Anne, 4.

 A few pasture gates later, the cows come into view.  Content, they barely acknowledge the pickup.

 The bovines are clearly not concerned by the season-long drought which is top of mind for R.J. and Karin.

 It rained last night. The couple hundredths of an inch of moisture was welcomed with optimism that more will follow.

 “Water is the No. 1 thing,” R.J. explains. “When I planted crops this spring the soil was bone dry. It is hard to put those dollars-per-acre in dry ground. But, you always need to be optimistic. If we catch half an inch of rain at the right time – that may be all the crops need.”

 “You have to have a little bit of faith,” Karin adds.

 Optimistic and faithful, Karin and R.J. are also realists.

 The couple explained that the 2017 drought has dictated several management changes.

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