Schrock Farms in Nebraska: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Schrock Farms is a fourth-generation family farm in Phelps County, Nebraska, near Holdrege, that grows irrigated corn, soybeans, alfalfa and some wheat and runs about 450 mother cows. Ted Schrock, who serves as a District 6 director of the Nebraska Corn Board, farms land his great-grandfather first bought in 1908.
| Location | Phelps County, near Holdrege, Nebraska |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1908, when the first cropland was bought as pasture |
| Sectors | Irrigated corn, soybeans, alfalfa, wheat; cow-calf herd |
| Scale | About 450 mother cows; acreage not published |
| Why it is notable | Century-plus family farm; operator serves on the Nebraska Corn Board; diversified crop and livestock model |
| Ownership | Schrock family; Ted is fourth generation and his son Jacob plans to be the fifth, per the Nebraska Corn Board |
| Official website | Nebraska Corn Board family profile 'Proud Heritage' (association profile, not an operation website) |
History of Schrock Farms
The Nebraska Corn Board profiles Ted Schrock as the fourth generation on the land. His great-grandfather Sam bought the first crop land in 1908, when it was pasture. Ted's son Jacob plans to become the fifth generation after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The profile says Ted serves as a District 6 director on the Nebraska Corn Board, the farmer-led board that directs checkoff funds for corn research, markets and education. The farm once grew specialty white corn and now grows commercial field corn alongside soybeans, alfalfa and wheat.
What Schrock Farms Grows and Raises
Schrock Farms grows commercial field corn, soybeans, alfalfa and some wheat under irrigation, including engine-powered center pivots, with most fertilizer applied through the pivots. Applying nutrients with irrigation water is a common central Nebraska practice because it times nitrogen to crop demand and cuts trips across the field.
Corn goes to local ethanol plants and feedyards. Grain is split between on-farm storage and immediate sale, wheat goes to a co-op and soybeans to a local elevator, with some stored for winter processing. About 450 mother cows graze cornstalks after harvest, and calves go to a neighboring feedyard for finishing.
How Schrock Farms Makes Money
Corn and soybean sales
Grain is sold to ethanol plants, feedyards and elevators, with a portion stored on the farm so that sales can be timed. The profile does not publish prices or revenue.
Cow-calf enterprise
A herd of about 450 cows turns crop residue and forage into calves. Grazing stalks puts residue to use rather than leaving it idle in winter.
Alfalfa and wheat
Alfalfa and wheat diversify the rotation and spread labor and weather risk across more crops.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Schrock Farms
The first lesson is to let livestock and crops feed each other. Cows graze stalks after harvest, and the farm is near feedyards and ethanol plants that buy the grain.
The second is to use storage to gain marketing choices. A farm that can store part of its crop is not forced to sell at harvest. The third is to take part in commodity leadership: serving on a checkoff board brings an operator closer to research and market development.
A farm that has stayed in one family since 1908 has watched every irrigation system from gravity ditches to engine-powered pivots, and farm.FM has the utmost respect for anyone who can still find the right fuse. Corn country produces endless farm satire about the pivot that stopped exactly one tower short, and the best farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes from Phelps County revolve around cows who think the stalk field was set up just for them.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Schrock Farms
No official farm website, address, phone or email was found in this research, so the link is the best verified public page about the farm (November 2026). The profile is undated in the page text reviewed, so family roles and herd size may have changed.
Schrock Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Nebraska Corn Board: Proud Heritage - profile of the Schrock family and farm
- UNL West Central: Master Irrigator program - University of Nebraska irrigation education
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - national and county farm statistics, including Nebraska
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - searchable Nebraska crop and livestock data
- USDA Farmers.gov - federal programs for farmers and ranchers
Schrock Farms FAQ
Where is Schrock Farms?
In Phelps County, Nebraska, near Holdrege.
What does Schrock Farms grow?
Commercial field corn, soybeans, alfalfa and some wheat, plus about 450 mother cows.
When did the family start farming the land?
Ted's great-grandfather Sam bought the first crop land in 1908.
Where does the grain go?
The profile says corn goes to local ethanol plants and feedyards, wheat to a co-op and soybeans to a local elevator.
Schrock Farms shows how a central Nebraska family combines irrigated crops, cattle and storage across four generations. See our Nebraska farms guide for the water, markets and programs that shape row-crop farming across the state.