Located between a city lake and federally owned lands outside of Council Grove, Kan., the Sankey’s 6N Ranch, owned by Chris and Sharee Sankey, has a unique opportunity to educate the public on agriculture.
“It’s still a family operation.” Chris said. “Even with Cody and Lindsey living in Indiana, and Jeana and Dustin in South Dakota, it’s still them and us.”
Even though the family may be spread across the country, they all still tie their roots back to the headquarters in Council Grove. The Sankeys originally started out leasing most of their farm, running anywhere from 200-300 head of Angus and Brangus cattle. But once their kids moved on to running their own family operations, Chris and Sharee had to take a moment to look around, narrowing their focus to producing cattle that are top in the show ring and bridge the gap for the commercial market as well.
Chris and Sharee have a great passion for the show cattle industry, but their biggest passion is with youth. Their cattle provide the opportunity for kids to show at a national level, network, and stay rooted in agriculture.
“It’s such a reward to place these heifers and steers in places; to watch those kids to be able to bloom,” Sharee said.
As the genetics have changed over the years, the way Sankeys feed their cattle has also evolved. The DewEze line of products has had a significant impact on how they feed.
“For 15 years, we’ve had the DewEze bale bed.” Chris recalled. “That was the first thing that really changed our lifestyle.”
“Whoever designed that,” Sharee added, “it changed the feeding industry for us.”
As part of winning Supreme Champion Bull at the 2020 Kansas State Fair, the Sankeys won the use of a DewEze S3 Slicer for a year. Pairing the S3 with their small 65HP tractor allows the ability to maneuver catch pens and roll out smaller strips of hay, reducing waste.
“We don’t raise hay since we are limited on our acres,” Chris said “we are buying everything as hay costs have gotten higher over the last 5 years.”
While the cost of doing business continues to rise, the Sankeys appreciate technological innovations like the S3 that can help save on feeding cost. These savings support ranches like Sankey’s 6N as they continue to succeed–and allow the Sankeys to keep doing what they love: supporting the youth in agriculture.
The Sankey’s 6N Ranch Annual Fall Production Sale is September 25th at their headquarters just outside of Council Grove. Visit the ranch on sale day or their website at www.sankeys6nranch.com to view the sale catalog.