Meet the Ag Team: Kenzie Holste
Growing up I was always the truck driver’s daughter, witnessing the agriculture industry from the passenger seat of a Freightliner and in my back yard. As my dad hauled countless loads of corn and beans, I left far too many fingerprints and nose smudges on the window.
Fast forward 10 years as I dove into the industry head first, taking leadership roles in our FFA Chapter and 4-H programs. I graduated and headed straight to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to earn my Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science and Ag Business.
While attending school, I met my now husband. We actually grew up just roughly 7 miles apart, but our paths had never crossed until I moved away for school. Funny how that works…
His family has been operating their dairy farm since 1866, on the original farm in Rock City, IL. You either learn to love the dairy industry and the lifestyle that comes with it, or you despise it. From the very beginning, I chose to see the beauty in the way he cares for his livestock day in and day out. It has not always been easy, and comes with new challenges each and every day. Our first few dates didn’t start until after chore time and I thought the man was crazy for eating dinner at 9 p.m. His idea of quality time was the two of us riding around picking up hay bales together… and I LOVED it. We quickly moved to lunch time dates because I have come to learn that is the most important meal of the day for dairy farmers.
We decided to get married in the fall of 2022, between corn silage and harvest season of course. Quite literally planning our lives around what is happening on the farm… and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I started with Citizens State Bank (CSB) shortly after we got married in the spring of 2023, after working a 2 year career in grain marketing and fuel sales for a cooperative based out of southern Wisconsin. CSB has been my bank since I was a child. My parents had opened up a Junior Citizens account in my name, and bringing spare change in on Saturday mornings always meant we got to stop at FS for a donut! When I decided to enter the banking industry, there was nowhere else I wanted to be.
Just this past spring we welcomed the first of the next generation of farmers; a little boy. Getting to raise him on the farm is a blessing I will never take for granted… even though I am pretty sure his first words will be cow and tractor instead of Mama!
Working in my role as an Ag Banker, I am able to help farmers and businessmen with a passion for agriculture, just like myself and my family. This passion makes it enjoyable to come to work every day. You’re sure to find me at different events going on throughout the area, and I am always up for farm visits! I find joy in any way that I am able to help, from a first car purchase, to that dream piece of farm ground. You can reach me at (815)373-8609 or stop into our locations in Freeport or Lena.
Kenzie Holste
