By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Grant Glaser of rural Marion grew up around Ellsworth and decided to strike out on his own after graduating from Kansas State University in 2018 with a degree in ag economics.

He purchased a small farm northeast of Marion almost five years ago and lives on a ranch east of Marion near the Marion/Chase county line. He has been married to Marissa for 2 1/2 years. She works as a nutrition expert at Countryside Feeds in Hillsboro.

Glaser played around with auctioneering for a while but is no longer pursuing it. He has a small cow-calf operation and manages his own grow yard, where he feeds calves for 125 to 150 days before selling them.

He has been a member of Kansas Livestock Association since graduating from college. Last year, he attended the Young Stockmen’s Academy sponsored by KLA and Merck Animal Health.

Glaser took part in four seminars throughout the year. The first was in Topeka, where he visited the capital and saw how KLA advocates for animal agriculture and how the legislative process works. He also learned about services provided by KLA and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

In May, the class visited Kansas City, where members learned about the retail side of the industry during stops at Costco, Whole Foods, and a small packing facility.

In September, the group toured beef and dairy operations representing various segments of the cattle industry, including feedyards and a large packing plant operated by National Beef.

The final session was at the KLA convention in December. The three-day event gave participants additional industry knowledge and a chance to interact with other KLA members from across the state.

Glaser cherishes the connections he made with his classmates and the things he learned about KLA. He plans to remain active in the trade organization.

Glaser’s cowherd is comprised of black Angus and black baldies that calve in late spring. He takes time to have some fun, too.

He participates in a calf-roping team that has performed in several ranch rodeos.

He likes the diversity of his lifestyle.

“Every day is a challenge,” he said. “There’s something different every day.”

On Tuesday, he was planning to build some gates after feeding cattle.

”I’m my own boss,” he said. “I’m responsible for whatever happens, whether good or bad.”