Cattle operations live on, a year after farmer’s passing

WASHINGTON — Grass on the Lukavsky family’s land in Washington County has fed cattle for generations. Farmed by Mark Lukavsky until his death in early 2024, the area south of Washington features a few corn and soy fields, but is otherwise full of sprawling pastures with rolling hills and a fair share of natural timber, making it unsuitable for row crops, but perfect for the large, grazing livestock.

Shortly after Lukavsky’s passing, most of his 60-head herd was sold off. Nonetheless, over a year later, cows continue to roam through the family’s pastures, albeit under the management of other producers.

A decent share of the land is used by Olivia Pacha, a young farmer featured in last week’s edition of the Beef Producer spotlight section. Barry Johnson — a neighboring cattle farmer who worked for Mark near the end of his life, and for the previous generation of Lukavsky farmers before that — rents nearly all the rest.

“I have a sense of pride, to carry on their family tradition,” Johnson said. “It’s been my family’s too. I can totally relate to it, and I believe in my heart that’s what Mark would have wanted, for it to carry on in cattle production and be farmed … we didn’t really spell out a plan or anything, but I like to think he would be happy that I’m carrying it on.”

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Johnson, 39, mourned Mark’s death, and would trade the land back for his neighbor’s company in a heartbeat. But given the realities of life, he said he was thankful his neighbor could offer a helping hand even after leaving this world behind.

“I had no plans of ever taking this over,” Johnson said. “But lo and behold, Mark’s health deteriorated, and I ended up having an opportunity to rent the pasture. And as a young person trying to get started in ag, I was super grateful for the opportunity. I had a little bit of row crop ground and a few cows, and now I’m able to expand on that.”

The growth has come with a few challenges. Johnson’s cow herd went from about 30 to 40 head with plans to expand more as time and money allow, and new acres of cropland have also upped the scale of his operation. Both developments introduced a new level of management decisions for Johnson, who hadn’t previously planned to farm on much more than his family’s property.

His guiding philosophy for the land is simple: he tries to do what Mark would do.

That means continuing with no-till techniques the Lukavsky family helped pioneer in Washington County, and thinking twice about any new fences or tree removals that might alter the landscape.

“That might sound dumb to some people, but I try to respect it, just because I’ve worked with him enough over the years, I kind of know how they would want it done,” Johnson said. “It’s just out of respect … I don’t want to disturb the land in any way, shape or form that Mark wouldn’t have wanted.”

Back on the Lukavsky home farm, Mark’s daughter Lauren Lukavsky has held onto her own show animals, and kept a small herd — four cows and a bull — of her father’s former livestock. Lauren said she helped with record-keeping for Mark’s herd at a young age, something that eventually inspired her to join 4-H and raise her own show animals.

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While she can no longer lean on her father for guidance with the livestock, Lukavsky said she sometimes sought input from Johnson, especially during calving season. Otherwise, she’s done what she can to keep the animals healthy and productive.

“Dad had everything down, he knew we’d move cows to this pasture on this date, when we’d turn the bull out, what kind of feed they need, and everything like that,” she said. “It’s definitely been a shift trying to make those decisions on your own … I know more about show cattle, so I can use that information to help make those decisions for my cattle herd.”

The younger Lukavsky farmer said she was proud to maintain the family’s tradition of cattle ownership. And while it’s been difficult to keep working with the animals without her dad’s expertise, she remains proud to uphold the Lukavsky line’s beef producing heritage, shaped by each generation of growers before her.

“That was something my dad and I really bonded over,” she said. “I’m trying to keep that alive, and keep part of him here.”

A senior at Washington, Lukavsky plans to attend Iowa State after graduating this year, seeking a degree in an ag-related field.

Once finished there, she hopes to return home to continue the farm’s legacy of beef production, though she’s unsure about the scale she wants to operate at. In the meantime, she said she was glad to see the family’s pastures still in use by local cattle farmers.

“It’s keeping the tradition, I don’t really know how to explain it,” she said. “We’ve always had cattle … and seeing someone else take over, and not necessarily do it exactly the way he did it, it can be kind of hard to watch, but just knowing someone is continuing that tradition, it’s worth it.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com

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