A bond in agriculture: Schneiter siblings share Hay & Grain Show success, and more

   Siblings Reagan and Lincoln Schneiter have a lot in common. One of the most prominent similarities is their love of agriculture.

   Consequently, they find themselves doing things together, including showing animals at the Great Jones County Fair.

   “It’s a little bit of brother-sister bonding,” said Reagan, 18. “It’s fun to do that together. It’s something that we both like and are passionate about, so we get along when we’re doing this.”

   Not that they don’t have the occasional family spat.

   “We like to fight, too,” Reagan added.

   “We have our moments,” said Lincoln, 15.

   They had one other thing in common during the Monticello FFA Chapter’s annual Fall Fest; they were award-winners in the chapter’s annual Hay and Grain Contest. In fact, Reagan was the champion, and Lincoln was runner-up.

   “I thought it was really cool to see how good our products were,” Lincoln said, “and it was cool seeing how we placed first and second. My friends are picking on me, but …”

   He added, tongue-in-cheek, “I let her win.”

   Reagan said: “A lot of times we’re putting the same stuff in. It’s the same corn and the same soybeans that we all grow. So it’s kind of funny sometimes just to see how you place.

   “And it’s nice to have our dad (Ron) be rewarded for the hard work he puts into that stuff all year round.”

   Preparing for the contest involves finding ears of corn or other ag-related items that are then judged against those of their peers.

   “It was difficult because I knew I had to get a lot of entries in there to actually place pretty well,” Lincoln said.

   “The biggest thing for me,” Reagan added, “was finding what I wanted to do, because there are so many things you can put in, and then taking the time to make sure it’s all ready.”

   Some of the categories are novelties, including Ugliest Ear of  Corn.

   “It’s fun to find a really ugly piece of corn,” Reagan said. “We had some ears that had two kernels on them.”

   Reagan entered the contest all four years of her high school career, and finished second a year ago before winning this year.

   She achieved recognition in another notable way last summer, being voted Great Jones County Fair queen.

   That position hasn’t ended; Reagan and her mother Jackie have put together a special fundraising event, the Queen’s Gala father/daughter dinner and dance, set for Sunday, Jan. 29, 4-7 p.m. at Teddy’s Barn & Grill. Several county fair queens from across Iowa will attend.

   “It’s a fundraiser for the homeless and people in need around me,” Reagan said. “All the proceeds are going to those around me; there’s a homeless shelter in Cedar Rapids (Olivet Homeless Shelter) that is pretty dear to my heart.”

   Both Schneiters – Reagan is a senior at Monticello High School and Lincoln is a freshman – are extremely active in school. Both are in speech and drama, FFA, choir, and SODA (Students Opposed to Drugs and Alcohol). Reagan also belongs to the National Honor Society.

   “It gets busy,” Reagan said.

   They are also very sports-involved; Lincoln is a four-sport athlete in football, basketball, track and baseball; Reagan competes in volleyball, basketball and track.

   “I like to be active, so sports help a lot,” Reagan said.

   They enjoy the agricultural life, as well.

   “I just enjoy everything agriculture,” Reagan said. “It’s just something different.”

   Lincoln said enjoys working with livestock, including preparing animals for fair shows.

   “It’s really cool to bond with animals,” he said. “When the fair comes around, you know that they’re nervous; you can feel it. But then you know they can trust you, and they’re calmer when they’re around you.”

   Those shows keep them working together.

   “I’ve shown since I was really young, so I have my own little group that I keep showing out of,” Lincoln explained. “Now I’m just showing cows. They keep giving me calves. Reagan shows the calves, and I show the cows for (the) cow/calf (division).”

   Reagan said she plans to attend the University of Iowa in the fall, working toward double majors in business management and healthcare administration, with a minor in animal sciences. Lincoln said his future plans are undecided.

   They are the children of Ron and Jackie Schneiter, Monticello.