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Yackley Cattle Company
In the early 1970s, Mike and Kerma Yackley, a pair of Stevens High School sweethearts, got married and made the fateful decision to purchase the family cattle ranch from Mike’s father and make a life of ranching. And while the couple admits there have been ups and downs, it is a decision they have never regretted.
“We just love the lifestyle,” says Mike. “It’s not always easy, but we love caring for the animals, especially when you see those new calves on the ground every year.” And there have been plenty of new calves over the decades. Mike and Kerma raise Red Angus cattle, and the Yackley Cattle Company is going strong today with a healthy herd of over 300 head.
Over the years, the Yackley family has had relationships with several national banks, but they never felt like the larger institutions understood their dreams for the ranch, so when they were finally told in the late 90s that agriculture was no longer something the big banks wanted to back, they knew it was time for a change.
In 1999, the Yackleys were persuaded by a hometown friend to bring their business to Pioneer Bank & Trust, forming a partnership that is still thriving today, twelve years later. “We feel like Pioneer Bank is a trustworthy friend who has been with us through thick and thin. They have stuck with us and brought our dreams into reality,” Kerma says. Mike adds that “Pioneer Bank understands the big picture, and they are always willing to listen to our ideas. And sometimes they have a better one. They’re more than a bank to us, they’re a friend we can trust. They’re like family.”
And the Yackleys appreciate that. In a business that takes hard work, dedication and perseverance, ranchers know the value of a partner they can trust through thick and thin, and the Yackleys have come to trust the partnership that has seen them to prosperity. “Pioneer Bank & Trust is truly a local bank,” Mike says, and Kerma adds, “that got our big idea.”
The Yackley Cattle Company is going strong, now nearing the end of its fourth decade in business, and a third generation of Yackleys is busy learning the hard work, dedication, and rewards inherent in the cattle business.
