The Cowboy Way of Life Calls Skavdahl Home: Fifth generation rancher, Sam Skavdahl, uses college degree to make his journey back home.

by Mallery Schultz & Lana Hebda

November 26, 2024

Sam Skavdahl on horseback.

At seven years old, a little boy told his father one morning that he wanted to be a cowboy, but to do that, he needed a good saddle. After a family friend had made one, his father gifted it and that little boy received his first saddle on his eighth birthday.

From that day, he learned how to ride, how to rope, and how to work cattle. Thirteen years later, Sam Skavdahl is still riding with that same saddle, growing in his journey and becoming a cowboy. 

Skavdahl grew up on his ranch, backgrounding feedlot, pastureland and a cowherdjust outside of Harrison, Nebraska, a small village of less than 250 people located a little over seven hours west of Lincoln. From a very young age, Skavdahl was exposed to the operation as his father took him everywhere with him. 

“I had a little pillow that I would sit with in the corner of the tractor or pickup,” Skavdahl said. “I would usually take a nap, but it was cool to look out the window and see everything my great grandpa, my grandpa, and my dad had built.  I’ll be the fifth generation to take over and that’s pretty exciting.”

It was never a question of whether Skavdahl would ever return home to take over the little enterprise they had built, but the question was always -- when. Skavdahl knew he first needed to get a degree. 

“I want to go home and work because that is just what I have always loved. I love riding horses. I love working cattle,” he said. 

But being 463 miles away from home while trying to get a degree, it can be hard to get back as often as one would like. Throughout the school year, Skavdahl is able to make it home two or three times in the year, but usually only during breaks – fall, winter and spring break. Then, when the summer rolls around he packs up his Lincoln life to head home.

“I live in Alpha Gamma Sigma fraternity with 87 other guys and it’s sometimes hard watching them all go home on the weekends,” Skavdahl said. “But I knew that I needed to do something with my life and so now I work on a feedlot on the weekends and that has helped me see a different operation. It is also ultimately going to help me when I come back and want to be a boss too.”

It was not only working on a feedlot that helped Skavdahl stay busy, but also the Engler Entrepreneurial Program in CASNR. With the thought of dropping out crossing his mind more than once during the early stages of his college career, he credits Engler for being one of the main reasons he stayed. 

Looking back on his four years spent in Lincoln, Skavdahl is grateful to CASNR for the things he has been able to do and learn. 

“In class I have learned a lot about policies and regulations with different lawsuits that could potentially be filed against you and how to stay away from those,” he said. “I am also in a family business class that teaches how to have those hard conversations with your family about the future of the operation.”

Terrified at the idea of one day having to fill his father’s shoes, Skavdahl says his father is a smart man that has been able to pass his knowledge down to him. It’s not only the knowledge he has been able to gain from college, but also the lessons he has had the opportunity to learn that has made him feel more prepared. 

“I really care about working and being a steward of God’s creation and being engulfed in everything that He has given us as a human race,” Skavdahl said. “God has a plan for you and He’s not going to lead you down a dark path. You have to just keep looking to Him and Jesus to save you because they have a plan to prosper you and not harm you.”

Knowing everything his parents have sacrificed for him, Skavdahl wants to carry on that legacy that was once passed down to his father. 

“My father has worked hard his whole life and had to go home his junior year when my grandpa was having a little trouble running the ranch -- his fun got cut a little short because of that,” Skavdahl said. “That responsibility has always been thrown on me and you know, I have always accepted it with open arms just because that’s the life I love.”

 

Key Takeaways: 

  1. College can be hard and being away from home can be even harder, but Sam Skavdahl has been able to find motivation to keep going in school by surrounding himself with a good group of people at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 
  2. Being intimidated taking over the family operation was a feeling Skavdahl once felt, but as he grew older, he realized he had one of the best mentors growing up who taught him everything he knows. 
  3. Make the most of the time spent at home with friends and family.