From City to Farm: Olivia Essig Experiences Life on Chad Schooley’s South Dakota Farm
Having open conversations about food and farming with South Dakotans—and the farmers who grow it—is what we do. In fact, that’s what Hungry for Truth is all about. We had the opportunity to connect Olivia Essig, with Chad Schooley, a fourth-generation farmer from Castlewood, SD. Together, they explored Chad’s day-to-day life on the farm, his passion for agriculture, and the legacy of generations that continue to shape his operation. From caring for cattle to growing crops and embracing innovation, their conversation highlighted the dedication, resilience, and family values at the heart of farming. Below, Olivia shares her reflections from a day spent on the Schooley family farm.
The wind yanked my car door open the moment my feet hit the gravel at Cabin Still Cattle Company in Castlewood, South Dakota. We hurried inside the shop, escaping the relentless gusts while I tried to tame my windblown hair with my fingers.
Once I caught my breath, I was introduced to the man behind the land: Chad Schooley. A fourth-generation farmer, Chad carries both the history and the future of this place in equal measure. Within minutes, he had pulled out a worn binder filled with photographs of the very ground we were standing on, some dating back to his great-grandparents’ time.
He flipped through the pages, pointing out how much had changed. None of the original buildings remain, he explained, though he paused at one image. The house he and his wife, Heidi, moved into when they were first married. While it no longer stands, that home once sheltered four generations of the Schooley family.
It’s just one of many markers of a legacy Chad knows by heart, each story rooted as deeply in the land as the crops it continues to grow.
I grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota. Some people might laugh at me for calling myself a “city kid,” but compared to Castlewood, my hometown is nearly twenty times the size. I spent plenty of time on family farms growing up, though my memories are less about the work and more about playing with barn cats, riding four-wheelers through pastures, and wrinkling my nose at the smell of the pig barn.
Now living in Sioux Falls, my days look a little different. I spend most of them in blazers, and every pair of boots I own has at least a three-inch heel. So while it’s nearly impossible to drive a mile in South Dakota without seeing fields of crops, my understanding of the farming industry remains, at best, surface-level.
We pile into a side-by-side, and Chad takes us on a tour of the farm. He points out a gated area holding cattle delivered from a sale just the night before. A bit farther up the road, we pass an impressive structure nearing completion.
Chad explains that it’s part of a years-long effort to expand the operation, adding housed lots and a new deep pit barn to increase capacity. He shares the challenges along the way, including the many late-night conversations he and Heidi had as they navigated the hurdles required to get the project approved.
As he talks, I realize I’m seeing a side of the farming industry I had never truly understood and didn’t even know existed. That theme continues throughout the tour as Chad points to intentional landscaping and grasses planted throughout the farm with a focus on conservation and water quality. Nothing on this land is a product of flippant choices. Each blade of grass serves a purpose.
We continue on down the road where we meet Chad’s son Beau to tag calves that were born just that morning. Chad’s pride is unmistakable as he talks about his family. While his middle and youngest children haven’t shown much interest in the farm, he says Beau seemed hardwired for it from the very beginning. In fact, Chad credits much of their growth and willingness to embrace new technology to Beau’s natural curiosity and skill.
That fatherly pride is a Schooley family legacy in its own right. Chad describes his father, who operates as the CKO (Chief Knowledge Officer) these days. When Chad was not much older than Beau, his father encouraged him to see the world beyond the farm. Chad took that advice to heart, enlisting in the military and serving multiple deployments before eventually returning to Castlewood to take over the family operation. Today, Chad’s global perspective continues through his work with the South Dakota Soybean Association, where he travels internationally and meets with embassies to promote trade.
At one point, I ask him, “You’ve been all over the world. And you still choose this? Castlewood, South Dakota?”
He doesn’t hesitate.
“It’s home,” he says. “South Dakota is the greatest place in the world. I try to keep it a secret.”
And standing there, watching a new generation quite literally take its first steps, it starts to make sense. What I once saw as simple fields and open space is something far more complex: a place shaped by resilience, innovation, and deep-rooted pride. The Schooley farm isn’t just land passed down through generations, it’s a living story. One that continues to grow with each season, each decision, and each new pair of hands willing to carry it forward.
