#109: Building a Future on the Farm: How One Rancher Found Her Own Path Home
” You have to bring value back to the family operation if you want it to be sustainable for future generations.”
There’s something about growing up on a farm that pulls you back, even when you think you’ll never return. Maybe it’s the land, the family history, or just the way life feels simpler when you’re working with your hands. But for a lot of people, moving back home isn’t as easy as just packing up and showing up. The farm has to be able to support another family, and that’s where creativity, resilience, and a little business sense come in.
That’s exactly what Lettie Nickell did when she found her way back to her family’s operation in Southwest Kansas. She didn’t just come home—she built something of her own to make it work.
The Road Home
Lettie’s story started like many others—going off to college with big plans. Vet school seemed like the future, but something didn’t sit right. She shifted gears, enrolled in the TCU Ranch Management Program, and started looking at the business side of agriculture. Then, life threw a curveball. Her dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
That changed everything.
“I knew I was supposed to go back to the operation, but the farm wasn’t big enough to support another family member,” Lettie said. So, she took a job at a feed yard instead—staying close enough to help when she could while building up the skills she knew she’d need.
But working for someone else wasn’t the long-term plan. The goal was always to come home for good.
Making It Work: Bringing Something to the Table
Farms don’t grow money on trees, and Lettie knew that if she wanted to be on the ranch full-time, she had to create something that made financial sense. So, she started a direct-to-consumer beef business.
“I bought my parents’ calves and sold the beef myself,” she explained. “That first year, I only sold two head, but it was a start.”
From there, she kept looking for opportunities to add income streams that fit into the life she wanted. She remodeled her house and put it on Airbnb, thinking she’d rent it out occasionally. It booked up so fast she was barely living in it. That led to a bigger idea—turning a grain bin into a full-fledged rental.
“I’d always envisioned a wedding venue on the property, but I figured it was years down the road,” she said. Then, her sister got engaged and wanted to get married on the ranch. That was the push to renovate what’s now The Round Top, a rustic wedding venue that also serves as an Airbnb.
Now, the rental business is what supports her. It gives her the freedom to work on the farm every day without pulling money from the operation.
Finding Balance Between Business and Family
Life on the farm isn’t just about work. For Lettie, it’s about family—both the one she grew up with and the one she’s building now.
“When I moved home, I was single and thought, ‘There’s no way I’m finding my husband in Western Kansas,’” she laughed. But, of course, she did. Her husband, an irrigation specialist she’d known for years, eventually convinced her to go on a date. The rest, as they say, is history.
Now, she’s navigating life as a wife, a mother to two kids, and a business owner—all while running a cattle operation. And if that sounds like a lot, it is. But she’s learned to let go of the things that don’t serve her and lean into the things that do.
“I used to believe I had to do everything myself,” she said. “But outsourcing things like housework has made a huge difference. It lets me focus on what actually matters.”
She also learned to shift her mindset—something she says is crucial in agriculture.
“What we say to ourselves matters,” she explained. “If you keep telling yourself, ‘There’s never enough time,’ you’ll believe it. But if you start speaking life over your operation and your family, things change.”
Advice for Those Wanting to Come Home
For anyone dreaming of coming back to the farm, Lettie has one piece of advice: find a way to bring something valuable to the operation.
“The days of just moving home and expecting the farm to support you are gone,” she said. “You have to create something that adds to the operation, whether that’s direct-to-consumer sales, agritourism, or something totally outside of agriculture.”
And most of all, don’t wait for the perfect timing.
“You’re never going to have it all figured out before you start,” she said. “You just have to go for it.”
Building a Life That Works
At the end of the day, Lettie’s story is about more than just finding a way home. It’s about building a life that makes sense for her family, her business, and her future. It’s about embracing the challenges, getting creative with solutions, and trusting that even when things don’t go as planned, they’re still working out exactly as they should.
And that’s something every farmer and rancher can relate to.
To connect with Lettie, you can find her on Instagram, TikTok, and her website.
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I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the future of production agriculture.
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