Growth is coming in a multitude of ways for Brian Lundell.
Over the past few years, Lundell has seen not only his farming operation grow, but also his family and his business portfolio.
Lundell and his wife Lisa farm near Kiron in Sac County, Iowa. They have two sons — Noah, 5, and Caleb, 1.
The couple contract finishes hogs for AMVC. They also grow corn and soybeans on their Western Iowa farm, and work with Brian’s father, uncle and brother in various aspects of the farming operation.
Lundell, 36, started farming about five years after graduating college. He first worked for his uncle’s plastics business in Odebolt, but had a chance to build a hog finisher and work with AMVC like his brother.
“He had two buildings and had a great relationship with them, and this was an opportunity to be able to farm full-time,” Lundell says.
Brian and Lisa built two, 2,400-head buildings on a site not far from their home. Prior to that, they had purchased 80 acres of ground, which included their home acreage.
In 2020 they put up two more 2,400-head finishers. Lundell has also purchased more farm ground, and continues to work with his father and brother as well.
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“We all help each other out as much as we can,” he says.
Lundell was named a 2018 Master Pork Producer by the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
Pigs arrive on the farm at around 13 pounds. Lundell says marketing is staggered to make sure pigs that are not ready to market stay on the farm.
“AMVC is very specific about everything, including pig health and management,” he says. “They want to make sure every pig gets to market, and I really like that about them. They have really been awesome and are willing to work with you to help you improve.”
The couple has also been busy off the farm in recent years. They had a chance to purchase and renovate an old ice cream shop in nearby Ida Grove, and now run an ice cream and coffee shop known as The Farmacy Soda Fountain and Coffee House
“It was my wife’s dream to one day have something like that, but the plan was for that to happen 20 years down the road when our sons were a little more self-sufficient,” Brian says. “But we could not pass up this opportunity when it became available.”
Lisa manages the day-to-day operations of the coffee shop, while Brian works more behind the scenes. He says all of this could not happen without the help of his farmhand, Derrick Redenius.
“He has just been so much help on the farm, and we really appreciate it,” Brian says
Lundell also places a priority on being active in his community. He is a member of the Kiron Volunteer Fire Department, and serves as president of the Ida Grove Chamber of Commerce.
“I worked an 8 to 5 job, and Lisa worked at the bank until we had Noah,” he says. “She wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and having the hog buildings allows her to stay home, and for me to be around more. It’s worked out really well for our businesses and our family.”
