Rebecca Davis
AFA Journal staff writer
In photo above, meals are served on site for family and crew during the long days of a harvest.
September 2017 – Beau Froese of Froese Brothers Custom Harvesting says Galatians 6:8-10 (“Those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone.” ) “gives a basis for the work ethic that has made our business a success.”
The Froese harvesting business, operated by Beau, his brother Austin, and their father Ray, is a sought-after and well-respected third generation, family owned business based in Inman, Kansas. The Froeses harvest grain and silage for farmers, dairies, and cattle feeders across the Midwest, from Texas to Nebraska. But it is their faith, family, and eternal focus that set them apart.
Faith
“We do our best to follow Jesus instead of following the culture,” Beau told AFA Journal. “It seems as though our culture is slipping (maybe running) farther and farther from the way that God intends for us to live. Even in the agriculture community, which many regard as closer to God, becoming a servant to our Lord has become rare.”
Equally as rare is finding a business with owners and employees who truly care about their customers and their customers’ crops as if they were their own. In an effort to live out Colossians 3:23-24, the Froese Brothers make it a priority to provide excellent service to their customers because they realize that by serving others well they are actually serving and honoring a higher master – Jesus. (“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24)
“If I do all things with excellence and only some of those things get noticed, what have I lost? Nothing,” Beau said. “If some of those things do get noticed, I start creating customers for life.”
Not only is the pursuit of excellent service good for business, ultimately it points others to Christ and allows the Froese family to be an example of Him to others.
“We need to be and act like who we say we are,” Kristine Froese told AFA Journal. “We want to be Christ-like because we may be the only example of Christ others ever see.”
Kristine and her husband Gary, brother to Ray, subcontract hauling for Froese Brothers during spring and fall harvests. Gary and Kristine are parents of four boys, all of whom grew up harvesting. Two are still involved in the business.
Family
“Family is exactly what makes this job possible,” Beau said.
Harvesting in the Froese family began in the 1940s, and in 1946, a Froese man himself built the first ever self-propelled forage harvester.
“Harvesting was our life,” Gary said of his childhood a decade later. “We learned early how to work hard … and play hard.”
To this day, the Froese family not only continue harvesting, but they also continue building some of their own equipment including their own harvest trailers with the comforts of home: a living room, a kitchen with full-size appliances, two full-size bathrooms, and a second story for the children. During harvest season, the Froese Brothers travel with six trailers – three for the crew and three for their families.
“We all agree that if our families couldn’t travel with us for the long season, we would change occupations,” Beau admitted. “Our wives fill very large roles as mothers of our kids, cooks for the crew, and even as a mother figure to our crew as it is the first time away from home for many of them.”
Focus
The Froeses hire about 18 employees each season and most of them are men under 25 years old who become like family after spending six months harvesting together. Most of them come from homes where they were raised with good values, but some are from broken homes and know nothing of Jesus. Therefore, Beau and the leadership make it a point to have the crew in church on Sunday mornings.
“I have a unique opportunity to show these young men an example of a Christian boss, father, businessman, and hopefully friend,” Beau said. “I know that the eyes of my kids, my crew, my customers, and others are watching how I conduct business and that if I profess Christ, I need to be His ambassador in every aspect of my life.
“I haven’t always lived out my faith to its fullest extent, but have made God my number one priority for many years now. I have found that keeping Christ at the center of everything, including how I do business, makes decisions on how I do business easier.”
While the point of any business is to make a profit, Froese Brothers Custom Harvesting aims to do the same, of course. But at the end of the day, their goal is to get all of their team members back to their beds safely each night. The busyness and pressure of harvesting with heavy farm equipment can create dangerous situations at times, so the safety of their employees is as critical as the satisfaction of their customers. It is all about putting others before self, pleasing the Lord, and giving God the glory for any and all success that comes their way.
“I hope that when people think of Froese Brothers, they think of hardworking, efficient men of their word,” Beau said. “My grandpa, Waldo Froese, did a great job of starting a legacy of just that, and I want to set the bar as high as I am able so that if my kids choose to make harvesting their career, they will have a name that they feel fortunate to carry.” 
In photo, Brenton and Laura Froese with their daughters, (l to r) Katelyn, Amber, and Ashley
A match made in heaven … and at AFR
Gary and Kristine Froese of Kansas, subcontractors for Froese Brothers Custom Harvesting, are long-time friends of AFA and American Family Radio. They began listening to AFR in 1992, and their family of six has volunteered at countless Share-a-thons since then.
“AFR is family to us,” Kristine said – and she means that in every sense of the word. The Froeses’ son Brenton was 16 when he met Laura Sharp at an AFR Share-a-thon in 2003. Laura is the daughter of Randy Sharp, AFA director of special projects. Brenton and Laura’s long-distance friendship grew over the next five years through emails, instant messages, phone calls, texts, and eventually visits.
“We were so innocent, and there wasn’t any label on the relationship, although I think we both knew where it was headed,” Laura told AFA Journal.
They married in 2008 and now have three daughters and a son on the way. Brenton serves in the U.S. Air Force.
“It is still amazing every time we see how God works in our lives,” Kristine said. “There are so many blessings we receive from the choices we have made by following Him. Laura and our grandbabies are just a few of them.”
