Built by Family. Driven by Purpose.
The Van Regenmorter legacy traces back to the early 1950s when Jake Van Regenmorter began farming in Inwood, Iowa. Joined by his son, Peter, the operation evolved throughout the generations to adapt to new opportunities in agriculture. The early days were focused on poultry, initially raising chickens and expanding to turkeys in the 1970s. By the mid-1990s, Peter and the family phased out of bird production and briefly explored feeding cattle before realizing that their passion and true opportunity lay in another type of livestock production.
Now, third-generation farmer Chad Van Regenmorter is at the helm, growing corn, soybeans and oats alongside their farrow-to-finish swine operation. After high school, Chad earned a degree in farm management and then became the full-time hired man on the family farm and never looked back. “I just always knew I’d farm and that this is where I wanted to be,” he reminisces. Chad lives on the farm his parents bought in the 1970s, right across the road from his grandparents’ original place. He married his high school sweetheart, Jody, who stays busy at both the farm and at her Oak Street Station office, and they have two grown daughters, Rebecca and Emily. Growing up, the girls helped with chores around the farm, showed pigs in 4-H and were involved in FFA. Rebecca even went on to receive her American FFA Degree, a recognition that she completed at least 2,250 hours of agricultural work outside of classroom lessons.
Currently, Rebecca holds a degree in agronomy and works in grain merchandising, and though she moved off the farm, she comes back at harvest and helps with crop plans. She and her husband, Blake, who also works alongside farmers, just welcomed their first child, Lucy, introducing the fifth generation into the Van Regenmorter farm family. Emily started working on the farm around 14 and has since taken charge of their pig operation. She handles the purebred Berkshire records and is also the feedmaker. Uniquely, Emily has a degree in pastry arts and has her own at-home bakery business on the side. Her husband, Brett, also works in the agriculture industry and regularly helps around the farm.
The farm has been a labor of love as they’ve transitioned through different species and crops throughout the decades, finding what works best for them. When they decided the cattle business wasn’t for them, they settled into pigs, which had a faster turnover and created a strong income source for the farm. Their pigs were docile breeding stock that gestated outdoors—two concerns regularly facing producers at the time—making it a no-brainer to solidify their place in the swine industry. Now, they raise purebred Berkshires, a niche market that works great for their family and operation. This market has special labeling, which can equate to higher profit margins when processed and packaged properly. Plus, they take advantage of opportunities to sell pork locally. Beyond their on-farm work, the Van Regenmorters’ dedication to their community and industry has earned them honors like the Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award in 2010 and the Iowa State Fair’s The Way We Live Award in 2014.
Keeping it in the Family
Just down the road, and just as integral to the Van Regenmorter story, is Chad’s brother, Brent. He and his wife, Lisa, also high school sweethearts, paved their own path within the family operation—Oak Street Station. In 2001, the family saw an opportunity to diversify their operation by purchasing the gas station in town. Brent had farmed full-time for two years until the station came up for auction. As the family farm corporation looked for ways to expand, it seemed like a natural transition for him. With Chad’s passion resting in the farming side of business, they decided to focus on this new venture with Brent at the helm there. Officially established in 2002, Oak Street Station is proudly approaching its 25th anniversary.
Brent works full-time at the station’s tire center and is largely responsible for shop management, petroleum and maintenance, while his wife Lisa is an accountant. Lisa has an accounting job outside the family business but helps with both the store and farm books. They have three children—Ethan, Kendra and Cody—all of whom have been involved in the operation in some way. Kendra and Ethan showed pigs in 4-H and were in FFA, and like his cousin Rebecca, Ethan also received his American FFA Degree. Kendra has gone on to esthetician school and comes back to the store to help when she can. Ethan earned a degree in automotive and diesel mechanics and now works full-time in the auto side of the station. Their youngest, Cody, is still in high school and enjoys being responsible for all the mowing and landscaping around the properties—a chore that has been a tradition passed between all the cousins.
Not only balancing, but growing two family businesses is no easy feat, taking discipline, structure and a work ethic that the Van Regenmorters have seemingly mastered. When the family took ownership of Oak Street Station, they saw a need in the area. The local tire center and repair shop had closed, so their goal was to bring that service back to the community. In 2015, Oak Street Station built and moved to their new, expanded facility just up the street. This update allowed for greater growth and customer service. While the store always had snacks, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that the Van Regenmorters decided to expand their grocery section to provide fresh produce, meat, dairy, frozen foods and other household necessities. The town had long been without a true grocery store, and this change made it easier than ever for families that typically had to leave town to get such items.
In terms of where the shop started, Oak Street was initially a service station that offered select auto services like tires and oil. Since then, they have expanded to complete auto repair and diagnostics to meet the demands of their customers, including the addition of an alignment rack. The tire business is heavily ag-related, including plenty of farmer vehicles as well as actual machinery. “Changes in the shop have been made to accommodate the evolving ag industry, including investments in new tools to work on modern equipment,” Brent says. “Updates such as automated tire machines to handle the largest agriculture tires, as well as the addition of a new service truck with a tire manipulator to assist with the removal of large tire assemblies, have been incredible assets,” he adds, combining his knowledge of farming into his strategy to better the service shop.
The store assets don’t just stop at shop resources, but extend to the people who work there as well. While the business is very much a family affair, the Van Regenmorters rely on trusted employees to maintain the business and the respected relationships they’ve developed with customers. Aside from Brent and Ethan, the tire shop employs an incredible administrative assistant, Sarah, and two additional part-time techs. While Jody and Lisa like to spend their time in town at the store as the rest of their family is in the shop or on the farm, they are also extremely grateful for their store managers, who run the kitchen and daily operations in the convenience store.
Choosing Community
With such commitment to the community, it’s no surprise their efforts support local partnerships as well. Oak Street Station does regular pork promotions independently and in coordination with organizations like the Iowa Pork Producers Association, including upwards of 1500 pork coupons per year. They’ve received awards for their support of the industry and local pork production within their county and surrounding areas. Oak Street Station is a proud supporter of dairy producers, as well as a member of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. The store is also a renewable fuel promoter, including ethanol and biofuels, complete with blender pumps. Being located in the CFE territory, the repair shop also has the opportunity to work on CFE fleets. The Van Regenmorters appreciate this connection and enjoy having the ability to serve the cooperative that serves them.
When our values align with the people we serve, we create long-lasting partnerships that span generations. This is especially true about the Van Regenmorter family. Not only do our businesses cross paths currently, but the Van Regenmorters have ties to FEC and FCA, two of our legacy cooperatives, going back to the 1950s. Today, their relationship with our cooperative remains just as strong as CFE continues supporting their success. On the farm, the Van Regenmorters work with our agronomy team for their fertilizer and lime needs, as well as some seed and chemical. “We work with Deric Kruse, who is just fantastic. He extends his knowledge in any way he can and really looks at the whole operation, not just the parts he or CFE touches,” Jody says, highlighting how much this approach means to their family, especially with so many different avenues of business to consider.
Aside from the business they do with CFE, the Van Regenmorters stay active in various cooperative events. Chad and Jody fondly remember taking Land O’Lakes leadership classes that the cooperative helped facilitate. The Van Regenmorters attend various grower meetings and field days put on by CFE, and a family favorite has been the Women in Ag event. Jody and Emily have attended all three years and brought Lisa for the first time this February. All three ladies enjoyed the day, hearing from other women in agriculture and getting excited for what’s to come for the next generation. With several generations building the farm, and now involved in multiple family businesses, events like these are a great way to grow connections, gather new ideas and have a refreshed outlook heading into the rest of the year.
Deep roots, dedication and drive. It’s at the core of CFE, but beyond that, it’s at the core of many of our member families. Like many farm families, the Van Regenmorters are grounded in the hard work and careful choices that have carried their operation through the years. From humble beginnings and new business dimensions, the Van Regenmorter family has always adhered to a sense of community service, stewardship and leaving a lasting impact. <<
