Note to Editors: Photos to accompany this news release are available by contacting Mary Lou Peter-Blecha at 785-532-1164 or mlpeter@ksu.edu or Donise Osbourn at 785-532-5806 or dosbourn@ksu.edu.

Released: March 14, 2008

K-State Alumni Fellow Steve Irsik: “Education, Relationships Key to Success..“

MANHATTAN, Kan. – A would-be business partner’s reactions while shooting the rapids on a river raft or negotiating a ropes course will typically offer clues as to how he – or she – will react when pressured to make business decisions, said Steve Irsik, an agribusiness entrepreneur.

Irsik made the comparison during a recent visit to the Kansas State University campus as the College of Agriculture’s 2008 Alumni Fellow. The University-wide fellowship program invites successful graduates to share lessons they have learned in building a successful career.

He earned a degree in agricultural economics at K-State in 1969 and, since then, has developed an entrepreneurial career in agribusiness that includes crops and forage, a value-added cattle operation, and a dairy with 6,000 cows – in the middle of beef country, no less.

His career is far different than what he might have imagined as a student, he said.

Irsik had hoped to attend law school after graduating from K-State, but, with the Vietnam War going on, he chose the United States Air Force instead. When he completed his service, he had a wife and young family and chose to return to the family farm near Garden City, Kan.

The family has had its share of hard times, Irsik said. His Great-Grandmother Merck emigrated to the United States in 1880. She feared the ship would sink during a storm at sea, and later found out the captain had feared the same outcome.

Once in the U.S., she traveled to Dodge City, Kan., by stagecoach to begin a new life, married and had children, including Irsik’s Grandmother Allen who was born in a dugout.

The Irsik grandparents were down to their last dollar during bleak Depression days, when they loaded their nine children and a few possessions into a Model A Ford and Model T truck to seek opportunities father west, said Irsik, who credits his family’s success to a variety of factors.

“DNA matters,” he said. “I come from a family of hard workers. We’ve had our share of struggles and have worked hard to overcome them.”

His father advised him to “Do whatever you want to do, but never get yourself overextended,” and that advice still applies, said Irsik, who noted that the family has learned to recognize opportunities and do the homework before taking well-calculated risks to expand their businesses and create successful new ventures.

Growth and development is not without risks, said Irsik, who believes that education is a lifelong process – and a key actor in success.

“Education should not stop the day you graduate from college,” said Irsik, who advised students to “Keep learning. Apply for internships, fellowships and scholarships. And, if not successful the first time, keep trying.”

Irsik also advised students to volunteer, to choose from a variety of campus, civic and service activities that typically broaden personal interests and experiences, and may also bring unexpected opportunities.

As a businessman with an entrepreneurial flair, he also is supportive of programs such as the Kansas Agricultural and Rural Leadership (KARL) Program, which offers emerging leaders in agribusiness and industry skill-building study, training and travel opportunities to get acquainted with Kansas and the larger world.

Information on the program, which is based at K-State Research and Extension, is available at www.karlprogram.com, said Irsik, who recently completed a six-year term on the KARL Board.

In building successful agribusinesses, Irsik prefers to look at “the big picture.”

“Ask yourself: How can expanding the business in one area support – or enhance –profitability in another area?” said Irsik, who cited hauling 30,000 tons of manure from the dairy operation to use in place of more costly fertilizer on nearby cropland as an example.

The cost to haul the manure – about $70,000 – trims commercial fertilizer costs by several hundred thousand dollars, he said. Operating a commercial grain elevator facilitates cattle feeding, and owning a mill offers time- and money-saving opportunities in delivering fresh oats and wheat flour to food processors and consumers.

With ideas aplenty, Irsik advised students and faculty to be aware of the larger world and how they might serve it. His example? Mexico currently imports 30 to 35 percent of its food. Western Kansas farmers and ranchers might seem well positioned as suppliers, but the question becomes: How can we in Kansas work to fulfill the need?

Working together is key, said Irsik, who believes strongly in the value of relationships in any successful venture and also in rewarding loyal employees who work hard.

The family’s ranch and farm managers have, for example, been involved in the operation for more than 20 years, he said.

“Being able to delegate allows more time to look for more opportunities,” he said.

More information on the K-State College of Agriculture Alumni Fellow program is available from Don Boggs, associate dean, at 785-532-6151.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Nancy Peterson
nancyp@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News