Shana Beattie and her husband, Bart, are fifth generation pork producers in Sumner. She grew up in north central Florida, the daughter of farmers, and studied animal science at the University of Florida. After her marriage to Bart, they moved back to Nebraska to farm with his family in the Sumner area. Today Shana, her husband, and their four children, Mekenzie, Mattison, Bart Jr., and Preston, run a cow/calf operation in addition to their pork operation. They also raise row crops, including corn, soybeans and alfalfa. Shana and Bart also have a partnership with Thomas Livestock in a sow farm and wean-to-finish operation housed in the Beattie family’s first pig barn, built in the 1940s. Shana has been active in the agriculture industry for some time, as a member of the Dawson County Cattlemen and the Nebraska Farm Bureau. Currently, she is a member of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association board of directors. As to the future, Shana believes the pork industry offers young people great career opportunities and encourages them to prepare themselves for serving in animal agriculture.
