He’s up and moving before most of us hit snooze. “I try to be out the door by 6:30 a.m.,” Curtis Berry says. “If we’re planting or harvesting, I get going even earlier.”
That kind of work ethic comes naturally to Curtis, who’s been walking pens and checking pigs since he was five years old.
Curtis farms just outside of Winterset, Iowa, with his wife Kaylee, who teaches agriculture and advises the local FFA chapter, and with his parents Randy and JoAnn. The Berry family raises corn and soybeans, grows hay and manages a farrow-to-finish hog operation with multiple barns in rotation. While their cow-calf operation has scaled back, they still mow pastures for grass hay and lease ground to other cattle producers.
After graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in Ag Business and a minor in Agronomy, Curtis worked for ag startup Ag Solver before realizing his heart — and his future — were on the farm.
“I didn’t think I’d return so soon,” he says. “But I missed the farm too much.”
That full-circle moment brought Curtis back to Winterset, where he and Kaylee are raising the next generation and diversifying the farm. He discovered Latham Hi-Tech Seeds the way many good ag stories begin — through a family connection.
“My father-in-law, Randy Miller, went to college with Shannon and John,” Curtis says. “I heard about Latham on (Iowa State University’s Cyclone Radio) Locker Room Report, then ran into (dealer recruitment manager) Bryan Rohe at an ISA meeting. We were just talking, and next thing I know, I was planting a few Latham products.”
That trial run made a big impression.
“From the first year until now, Latham has exploded in our operation,” Curtis says. “We really love the people. At every Sneak Peek meeting, John and Shannon are there and involved. If I have a question, someone always picks up the phone. That matters.”
When Curtis isn’t in the field or the barns, you’ll find him boating with family at Lake Rathbun, camping at the Iowa State Fair or cheering on the Cyclones — especially if the tickets come from his wife’s friends. (“They’ve got the good seats,” he laughs.)
Today Curtis is sharing a family favorite from Kaylee’s grandma: an old-fashioned strawberry shortcake recipe that’s perfect for summer.
Grandma “Across the Roads” Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 Cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- Dash of salt
- 2 Cups water
- 1 small box of strawberry jello
- Squirt of lemon
- 2 boxes strawberries sliced
Instructions
- Bake white cake mix as directed in jelly roll pan
- Mix together sugar and corn starch and add water
- Bring to a rolling boil
- Add a squirt of lemon juice and a dash of salt
- Add 1 small box of strawberry jello and let cool
- Add sliced strawberries and spread on cake
- Refrigerate