About Us

1960s

Chuck and Sharon Riegsecker were married in May 1960. For the first couple of years of marriage, Chuck helped his father (Clarence) farm just east of Wauseon before the couple moved to what is now Maranatha Acres in 1963. In those early years, their operation was quite diverse, with pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens all part of the farm, and Chuck also worked as a Pfister Seed dealer throughout the decade. During the 1960s, Charles and Sharon also welcomed three children — Shelly, Brenda, and Randy.

The family initially rented the farm on shares with the landlord before purchasing the farmstead and the 80 acres surrounding it in the 1970s. Sharon was a homemaker, while Chuck worked as a shipping and receiving clerk for Sterling Milk Company and managed the farm in the evenings after work.

It was a small beginning, but it laid the foundation for what would become Maranatha Acres today.

1970s

The 1970s were an important decade of growth for Maranatha Acres. Chuck and Sharon purchased the home farm, including the farmstead and 80 acres surrounding it, putting down roots that would become the foundation of the operation for generations to come. Their family also continued to grow, welcoming Beth and Brian during the decade.

They also began investing heavily in the farm’s infrastructure. On-farm grain storage and drying capacity were added, giving the operation more flexibility in handling its grain and creating room for the grain side of the farm to grow alongside the dairy. A silage silo was added to help with feeding the dairy herd’s rations, and the free stall barn was built during the decade as well (Pictured in the 1960 photo, as it was the first photo taken of the farm when purchased).

During the mid-1970s, Chuck also stepped away from his role as a Pfister Seed dealer and began selling seed for Select Seed, known at the time as SS Hybrids.

It was also during the mid-1970s that the farm found its name. While studying 1 Corinthians as part of a junior high quiz team at church, Shelly came across the word “Maranatha” and thought it would make a good name for the farm. Around that same time, the family was getting into breeding and registering Holsteins, and they decided to register their cattle under what is now Maranatha Acres.

As the decade progressed, Chuck and Sharon continued to acquire additional farmland and build the foundation of a larger, more diversified family operation. The investments they made during the 1970s would shape the farm for decades to come.

1980s

Chuck, Sharon, and Randy Riegsecker continued to grow the dairy operation throughout the 1980s, with Randy beginning to take on a larger role in the day-to-day work of the farm.

The 1980s were a difficult time for American agriculture. High interest rates, falling commodity prices, and financial pressure put many family farms under tremendous strain. For Maranatha Acres, maintaining a diverse operation was especially important during those uncertain years. The farm’s combination of dairy, grain, livestock, and Chuck and Randy’s continued work selling Select Seed provided different sources of income and helped the family navigate the challenges facing agriculture.

Randy began taking a greater interest in the genetics of the dairy herd, with an emphasis on improving production and milk quality. That focus began to pay off, as the Maranatha Acres herd earned awards for top milk production, high butterfat, high protein, and other measures of herd performance.

1990s

The 1990s brought continued growth and investment at Maranatha Acres. As the dairy herd expanded, the farm added a feed barn that brought the daily feeding operation into one central location. The family also began using silage bags as the herd outgrew the single silo at the center of the farm.

During this time, the family started working with a nutritionist to continue refining how they managed the herd. In the early 1990s, Chuck and Sharon also purchased Chuck’s home farm east of Wauseon — the same farm where Chuck had helped his father before Charles and Sharon were married.

Beyond the farm, Chuck and Sharon were active in the agricultural community, serving on boards with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and the local grain elevator. Their involvement reflected the importance they placed not only on their own operation, but on being part of the agricultural community around them.

2000s

The 2000s brought continued growth, with the dairy herd reaching approximately 78 milking cows while the grain operation expanded alongside it. The family’s focus on herd genetics, milk quality, and production continued to pay off, and the dairy earned awards for outstanding milk production and quality during these years as well.

Despite the dairy’s success, the family began to sense that God was calling them toward something different. In 2004, after decades of dairy farming, they made the difficult decision to sell the herd and transition Maranatha Acres to a grain-only operation.

The decision was about more than the direction of the farm. Selling the dairy created an opportunity for Randy to spend more time serving through the family’s church and becoming involved in worldwide missions. It was a significant change, but the family believed it was the right step for that season of their lives.

The dairy chapter had come to an end, but the grain operation gave Maranatha Acres a new direction. The same drive that had gone into building a quality dairy herd — years of attention to genetics, performance, and daily care — was now redirected toward the grain side of the operation, and the family began building the next chapter around grain production.

2010s

The 2010s marked a new chapter for Maranatha Acres as the family continued to build the grain operation. With the dairy behind them, the barns that had once been filled with cows, heifers, and calves were now filled with farm equipment, and the operation became increasingly focused on grain production.

Brian Riegsecker, the youngest son of Chuck and Sharon, returned to the farm after several years working as a commercial semi driver and began working alongside Chuck and Randy. Together, they continued to expand the grain operation and build on the foundation established through the previous generations.

The farm also continued to invest in its grain-handling capabilities. In the mid-2010s, the grain storage facility received a major upgrade with the addition of a new grain leg, computerized grain dryer, and another grain bin. These improvements gave the operation greater flexibility in handling and storing grain and allowed the family to take a more active approach to grain marketing.

During this decade, Select Seed — the seed brand Chuck and Randy had represented since the 1970s — was acquired by Growmark and became FS InVISION. Shortly after the transition, the family stepped away from seed sales to focus fully on the grain operation.

In recognition of his contributions to agriculture and the local community, Chuck was inducted into the Fulton County Agricultural Hall of Fame during this time. It was a fitting honor for someone who had spent decades not only building his own farm, but also investing in the agricultural community around him.

2020s

The late 2010s brought another season of change to Maranatha Acres. As Chuck experienced declining health, Sharon, Randy, and Brian began taking on more of the day-to-day responsibility of the farm. Chuck passed away in late 2020, leaving behind not only a family who loved him, but a farm that reflected decades of hard work and dedication.

After Chuck’s passing, Sharon, Randy, and Brian remained focused on carrying forward the legacy that Chuck and Sharon had built together. In 2022, after nearly 60 years of involvement in the farm, Sharon decided it was time to take a step back from the day-to-day operation.

That same year brought another important transition when Sam Riegsecker, Randy’s son, returned to the farm after several years working in corporate America. His return marked the beginning of the farm’s third generation working together and continued the family tradition that Chuck and Sharon began in 1963.

Today, Randy, Brian, and Sam continue to work together at Maranatha Acres, building on the foundation laid by the generations before them while looking toward the future.