Rendell Shira's wife, Jana, is from Vincennes, IN, which is also the hometown of comedian Red Skelton. They bought their farm from Rendell's parents, so he has never moved far from home, except for attending Ohio State University in the early ‘80s to earn his B.S. in Agriculture. He has raised registered Limousin beef cattle for 46 years and has an active 9-year-old son whom he coaches in baseball. They enjoy riding bikes together on Sunday afternoons.

Rendell worked in the biosolids industry for 18 years, handling all technical correspondence with the EPA. Before that, he served as the manure nutrient technician for the Knox Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). He has come full circle, now serving as the chairman of the Knox SWCD board.

He has been associated with Brookside/Amplify for 10 years, but his first exposure to the lab was in 1985 when he hired Richard “Dick” Psolla for guidance. Rendell wanted to flush embryos from one of his Limousin cows, and Dick had successfully worked with another cattleman he knew. He considers it a blessing to have had Dick as his introduction to Brookside.

Rendell specializes in soil fertility management and also scouts crops for several clients, most of whom are dairies, while the rest are cash grain operations.

He appreciates the camaraderie among the consultants at Amplify and values having access to one of the best labs in the business.

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