Building big: Cattle barn project clears path for next generation
Before the end of the year, the first load of feeder cattle will fill the newly constructed barn on the Smit farm in southeastern South Dakota’s Turner County. It’s a major milestone for Kaleb Smit, 25, who is starting a cattle feeding enterprise, and it’s been a long time coming. Kaleb, his wife Liz, with their 6-month-old son, Nash, are the fourth generation to join the Smit family farm north of Centerville. Kaleb and his dad, Phil Smit, spent the better part of two years planning, working with different government agencies, lenders and engineers, and penciling out how he could come back to work on the farm where he grew up. Expanding a farming operation by purchasing land is a daunting prospect for many farmers, young or old. Average land values in Turner County were $10,750 per acre in 2025 and cash rents averaged $284 per acre, according to South Dakota State University Extension’s South Dakota Farm Real Estate Survey. That’s a big reason why the Smits chose to expand the cattle side of their operation. Investing in livestock barns involves more than a small chunk of change. Kaleb’s project is paid for through a mix of grants, low-interest loans
