OWNER SPOTLIGHT: Kyle Berck

Pictured above: Kyle Berck with his kids Abby, Kaity, & Ryan

Meet KYLE BERCK, a farmer from Marquette, Nebraska, where he currently resides in his childhood home with his wife Stacey and their three children Abby 11, Kaity 9, Ryan 8. Kyle grew up farming alongside his father, Gary, where they share a love for two passions: farming and racing. What started as a small individual operation, has grown into two full-time businesses where they raise corn, soybeans, and popcorn for Preferred Popcorn, while also building cars from the ground up and racing for championships.

“There are a lot of parallels with farming and racing,” Kyle said. “When you start from nothing and put in the hard work and sacrifice its really gratifying watching it all come to fruition. I am very blessed to have a career that has allowed me the flexibility to also pursue the things I love to do.”

Berck’s family relationship with Aurora Cooperative goes back about 50 years.

“Since my dad has financially retired, I have started taking more of a role in ownership. It has been a lot of fun to make the decisions on who I want to work with and what seed I’d like to plant,” Kyle said. “When I heard about Aurora Cooperative bringing Prairie Valley to the marketplace, I couldn’t wait to try it.”

Part of the excitement for Kyle was the name and the reputation of the old trusted Prairie Valley.

“The identity stayed true with the logo and just the nostalgia that goes with it. Prairie Valley was a main name in the area back in the day. It performed well, and my dad used to plant it on our farm,” he said. “The other part in my wanting to plant Prairie Valley this year was you guys, Aurora Cooperative. If Aurora Cooperative is bringing this to the marketplace, you can trust that they spent a lot of time to get it right through testing and research before they would bring it to the farmer.”

Kyle said he has been very fortunate to work with some great people at Aurora Coop.

“I always tell people that you have a team working along with you, it’s not just a company. I have daily conversations with Rick (Goertzen), and Al (Perry) plays a significant role in my operation both on and off the field, and Dan Karr is always looking out for me even when I don’t yet know it,” he explained. “They help me from seed selection to seed dept, through all weather conditions, to chemical choices, to irrigation and after harvest follow through. Aurora Coop has played an intricate part in both of my passions, and I look forward to continuing our partnership for another 50 years.”