Vision Meets Fortitude In This Next Gen Cattleman
Mental toughness is not inherited. It is not given. It’s learned, practiced and performed. For Trey Wasserburger of North Platte, Neb., a seedstock cattle breeder and co-founder of Sustainable Beef, LLC, mental toughness is a pillar of his daily life.
As an entrepreneur, Wasserburger has spoken on global stages about agriculture and beef production, building a name for his family and business that’s recognized across the cattle industry. Wasserburger’s grit and determination lead him to be named the 2023 Top Producer Horizon Award winner.
From a young age, Wasserburger knew he wanted to be involved in the cattle business. However, being the youngest son and grandson in a large family, there was no room for him to return to his family’s ranch.
“At the time, I always just kind of had a chip on my shoulder,” he explains, upset about his situation and his opportunity to do what he loved.
However, as Wasserburger looks back at his younger self he says, “I wish today that 22-year-old Trey would work for me. I’d tell him to stop concentrating on being upset about your situation and use it for motivation to create a better life.”
Wasserburger explains how he never doubted his ability to work, to handle tough times and pursue his goals.
“I think it’s the way my parents, my dad especially, mentally trained us to be able to handle adversity at a young age,” he says.
When the Bank Called on His Note
Wasserburger recalls the fall of 2016 when as a young rancher, his grit carried him several hours to his bank’s headquarters.
“I had to, with my hat in my hand, by myself, ride the damn elevator up to the boss. They were pulling my note. It was over,” Wasserburger remembers. “I said, ‘You have to help me get out of this.’ I gave him my keys and said, ‘If you don’t want to help me, here you go, this is yours. You can have it and my business. I’m going somewhere else.’ And they said, ‘Pick those keys up and get out there and get to work.’”
And that’s just what he did.
When I drove back, I had never been more motivated. It’s the ability to have the highest highs and lowest lows in six hours; it’s mental fortitude,” Wasserburger says.
Door of Opportunity Opens
Only two months later, Wasserburger and his wife, Dayna, were presented with an opportunity of a lifetime — to buy Rishel Ranch, an operating seedstock and purebred Angus ranch near North Platte, Neb. For the Wasserburgers, it was their last shot. After many conversations, Bill and Barb Rishel sold their ranch and its assets to the family. Despite never owning a registered cowherd or running a seedstock business, the Wasserburgers dove in head first.
| Unique Road to Succession |
| For Bill and Barb Rishel, finding the right people or entity to take over the business was of highest importance. While a dispersal sale may have maximized the value of the assets of Rishel Ranch, for the couple, it was never about the money. “We felt like there was more value in the herd we had put together and where they were at the point in time to accomplish a lot more in the right hands,” Bill Rishel says. “So we had decided that if, at some point, maybe we could find a young couple who would want to take the thing over.” Rishel adds, they never once thought the transition might not work or meet the expectations of what they as a couple had wanted. However, to the Rishels good fortune, crossing paths with the Wasserburgers could not have been more perfect. Never having met Trey Wasserburger, a mutual contact who was a banker, whom Rishel trusted explicitly, encouraged him to reach out. Following their initial conversations and as more time went on, Rishel says he could tell how connecting with the Wasserburgers was a good fit. Today, Rishel believes the Wasserburgers have a special passion for the seedstock and purebred cattle business, influenced by their previous experiences in cattle feeding and commercial cow-calf operations. “They have totally captured what our philosophy and vision was for that herd of cattle,” Bill says. “Barb and I could not be more happy.” |
“I’m trying to figure this out every day,” Wasserburger adds. “And I’m going to do things a little unorthodox, because I don’t have a dad here, or my grandpa here, telling me how to do this or saying, ‘That’s the way we’ve always done it.’ Mine is ‘I’ve never done this before. How am I going to do this?’”
Mentors across the beef supply chain have provided invaluable advice, he adds.
Recalibrating His Compass
Early in his career, Wasserburger says, “If it made money, I did it.” At that time, his work revolved around his dreams and the life he wanted, with selfish intentions.
However, by age 25, Wasserburger’s mindset changed. He realized his life and work were for a purpose much greater than himself; it’s for his wife, family and their future.
Describing himself as loyal, passionate and committed, Wasserburger emits these qualities both on the ranch and with his family. Working side by side with Dayna, he acknowledges her value as a supportive wife, mother and business partner.
“We complement each other,” he adds. “She’s good at all the things I’m not,” — including the registration paperwork for 1,300 cows and expanding the outreach with social media marketing.
Additionally, he explains how all decisions are made with his family in mind. While he might have gotten into the industry for selfish reasons, his family’s happiness and future serve as his compass.
Intensity Brings New Focus
While a family man at heart, Wasserburger adds how he still brushes off his “killer mentality” sometimes when times get tough and odds seem to be stacked against him.
Specifically, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused issues across the global supply chain, Wasserburger remembers the downstream effect on the U.S. cattle industry. Cattle processing slowed, and many cattle feeders faced a time when packers weren’t buying, finished cattle had nowhere to go, yet feed costs continued to add up. TD Angus at Rishel Ranch was no exception.
Fueled by Wasserburger’s mental fortitude, the road to Sustainable Beef, LLC — a beef packing plant to be built within his own community — began to take shape.
For Wasserburger, Sustainable Beef, LLC, made sense, adding more packing capacity to the supply chain in the long term, serving as a local processing outlet for his cattle, and providing opportunities for his family and community for years to come. With a desire to serve the cattle industry from “conception to consumer,” this packing plant means his goal will become a reality.
Currently under construction, Sustainable Beef, LLC is on track to be operational by 2025. Forecast to turn $1 billion annually, the plant might be the fix to the closing of local schools and businesses, Wasserburger adds.
However, following Walmart Inc.’s investment in the plant, negativity flowed from numerous newspapers and social media. Rather than being disheartened by the nay-sayers, Wasserburger uses it as motivation to keep moving forward. As one example, he keeps an article in his office published in a national news source that he says he is nearly halfway through debunking and proving the writer wrong. It’s a consistent reminder to be mentally tough and committed to the long term, he adds.
Decisions Made With The Long term In Mind
It’s not an overnight fix, and with the downturn expected in the cattle cycle, it’s very possible the plant will start operating at a time where packer margins are limited.
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Wasserburger remembers being told growing up by his father and uncle JD Wasserburger, which has helped carry him through the unknowns.
Wasserburger acknowledges his business is not immune to inflation or rise in interest rates, which has challenged his mental toughness once again.
“I’m running 300 more head of cows and operating is up 30%, at least, so it’s damn tight. I mean, we’ve had to cinch up around here on a lot of things. Not cut corners, but just be sure we’re getting a little creative out here,” Wasserburger explains.
There’s not always clear-cut answers to the daily challenges, but he remains committed and leans on his unwavering passion to continue pushing the envelope on all aspects of his business.
With many irons in the fire, mental toughness continues to influence his success.
Wasserburger says, “I don’t quit. I won’t quit when I’m tired — I’ll quit when it’s done.”
A Day In the Life of Trey
- Wasserburger starts every morning doing something he hates — taking out the trash. Recalling a David Goggins podcast he had once listened to, there are psychological benefits to starting the day doing a despised task to condition mental toughness and as motivation knowing the worst job is done for the day.
- The most used application on his phone is Spotify. “I enjoy music of all kinds. You might hear [Disney’s] Mulan, for my kids, then AC/DC and everything in between. Machine Gun Kelly might pop up or Casey Donahew,” Wasserburger jokes. He also listens to podcasts, including “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “The Jordan B Peterson Podcast” and “Jocko Podcast on Leadership and Discipline with Jocko Willink.” He publishes his podcast, “The Most of the Best,” for ag entrepreneurs.
- His family prioritizes time together. “We firmly believe the family needs to eat together every night, so we make that a point,” Wasserburger says. “It might be at 6:30 or it might be at 9 p.m., but [Dayna] lets me know dinner’s ready. We try to do that; that’s one of my father’s rules.” Additionally, the couple includes their children as much as possible, whether it’s checking cows or preparing for sale day.
