Moving on from meat

There's no telling how many animals Bryan Nelson has processed during his 40-plus years at Nelson Locker, he just knows it's a lot.

"The cutting is always the same," he said "One time I even butchered without an apron on to see if I couldn't get dirty. The only thing I got blood on was a little on my boots. You've gotta know when to sashay, I guess."

All that accumulated muscle memory from slicing meat will be put to more leisurely pursuits soon. As of April 1, Nelson and his wife, Jodene, sold the Hartley business to Josh and Jennifer Paskert, of rural Everly.

The Nelsons were happy to pass the locker on to somebody with a vision for the future.

"[Josh] is somebody that's young and ambitious and willing to work, so that's good," Jodene said.

• A family affair

The Nelson Family has operated Nelson Locker for almost six decades. Bryan's father, Jim, and his brother, Hermie, purchased the business from Carl and Blanche Thiessen in 1963, co-owning the locker for two years before Jim took sole ownership.

Bryan has worked at the locker for as long as he can remember. He did cleanup, dealt with customers and packed lockers as a kid, eventually transitioning to full-time butcher in 1976.

"I seemed to like working with my dad," Bryan recalled. "He always said, 'You'll find a nickel rolling down the hill.' "

Bryan and Jodene took full ownership from Jim and his wife, Ila, in 1998. Jodene wore many hats during her career at the locker, from cutting and grinding meat to customer service and paperwork.

"She's the C.E.O. and she's my boss," said Bryan.

Ila noted the family business had one key requirement for its crew.

"We always said it took a strong back and weak mind to work here," she said with a laugh.

• The only constant is change itself

The industry has changed drastically since the 1960s. Bryan said animals are much larger nowadays, and the business must always stay up-to-date on regulations to keep the doors open.

"It's something we really need because you just can't be slouchy," he said.

The biggest adjustment for the Nelsons came in 2020 during the pandemic. The coronavirus upended the American meatpacking industry, sending many livestock producers scrambling to find local butchers to process their animals.

Bryan estimated the locker has been processing between 4-7 beef cattle and 3-4 hogs a week for the past two years.

"For a small little mom-and-pop operation, that's a lot of hours," he said.

The Nelsons received calls from as far away as South Dakota, Minnesota and Texas during the height of the pandemic.

"She was calling for Hartley, Texas and got me, but she was still wanting a locker," Bryan said.

The Nelsons' customer base has changed as well. At one point there were more than 700 butcher shops in Iowa, but that tally plummeted to around 100 after the 1980s. Accordingly, the business owners were forced to take on more clients and up their workload to fulfill the need.

"It's constantly changing," Bryan said. "You lose one customer and think, oh man, but then you get two in its place."

• Scars are stories

The abundance of hooks, knives, saws and other sharp objects proved as constant reminders to the Nelsons that their line of work came with plenty of hazards. Bryan and Jim are proud they still have all their fingers, but their careers haven't been injury-free by any means.

Both men have several scars on their arms and hands from past accidents. There have been more gruesome mishaps, too, with both father and son logging emergency room visits due to abdominal injuries.

Bryan accidentally shot himself in the stomach with the stun gun four years ago when an animal moved at the wrong time on the kill floor. The gun didn't damage any organs, but it left the butcher with quite an injury.

"I looked underneath my apron, and oh crud! There was a big hole in my gut," Bryan recalled.

Jim's injury occurred when he was boning out a set of ribs. He was trying to cut through some gristle when the knife slipped and entered his navel area.

The accident landed Jim a hospital stay so doctors could observe him overnight to ensure no organs were damaged.

"Oh, that was something else," he said.

• Time to move on

Bryan and Jodene didn't have to think twice when the Paskerts approached them about buying the business. After five decades in butchery, Bryan was ready to hang up his apron.

He killed his last animal on April 1.

"It's such a load of work and it's a young man's job," he said. "It's a nice feeling to have somebody that wants to come in and fill your shoes."

The Paskerts are keeping the Nelson Locker name under their ownership. Ila and Jim were happy to see the business stay open and were proud the locker will remain a staple in the Hartley area.

"It's just great," said Ila. "We never thought we'd live long enough to see this."

Bryan and Jodene plan to do more gardening, woodworking and enjoy other hobbies during their retirement. The couple was grateful to their customers and excited to see the business evolve under the Paskerts' ownership.

"This business has been good to both me and my dad," Bryan said. "At 63 years of age, Josh Paskert comes and wants to know if I'm interested in selling it. I looked at my wife and thought, you know, I think now is a good time."