During the hustle of harvest in central Kansas, Matt Splitter pauses to take in what’s coming off his fields, and even he’s surprised.
“We’re seeing really good yields,” says Splitter, who farms across three counties but calls Sterling, Kan., home. “These are the best corn and soybean yields we’ve ever seen, and the wheat yields this summer were just phenomenal.”
The strong production comes as a welcome bright spot in a year when margins are tight and opportunities to lock in profits are scarce. For Splitter, yield alone isn’t enough to carry an operation forward.
“Usually there are times when you can capture margins with forward sales and things like that, but we’re just not seeing that this year,” he explains. “We’ve had to trim our input costs tremendously and think outside the box.”
That means rethinking everything, from products to application methods.
“Instead of using a certain product, let’s think about using product B,” Splitter says. “How do we apply it? Do we need in-ground injection, or can we go over the top with a sprayer? What’s the lowest cost of operation? Those are the things we’re constantly evaluating.”
Growth Without a Conventional Playbook
Splitter Farms grows corn, soybeans, milo and wheat, but it’s not the crop mix that makes the operation stand out. It’s how the business has grown.
In 2021, Splitter received the Top Producer Horizon Award. At the time, they were in the middle of a transition and expansion plan with the goal to farm 10,000 acres. Five years later, the operation looks dramatically different.
“We farm about 12,000 to 13,000 exclusive acres, and then we custom farm another 6,000 on top of that,” he says.
That scale-up happened quickly. Just five years ago, Splitter Farms covered roughly 7,000 acres.
“Relationship building is the biggest reason,” Splitter says when asked how he’s been able to achieve such growth. “Janna has done an incredible job creating relationships, fostering them and following through.”
Some of the growth came from family members retiring, others from neighboring farmers stepping away from agriculture altogether.
“With the economy the way it is, some farmers are just deciding to get out,” he says. “We’ve been able to take on some of that ground.”
Splitter admits growth felt inevitable, but the pace caught him off guard.
“I believed growth was coming. I just didn’t know to what extent,” he says. “And I’m not sure we’re done. We might be. But it’s been a fun ride the last five years.”
A Sudden Start and a Steep Learning Curve
That growth is even more striking considering where the operation began.
When Matt and Janna Splitter started farming full time, the operation totaled just over 1,000 acres. Their decision to farm wasn’t planned, though. It was sudden.
“In 2010, my father passed away very suddenly,” Splitter says. “I was working for the National Sorghum Association out of Lubbock, Texas, but living in Kansas. After he passed, we were given the opportunity to farm. We weren’t given a whole lot of assets,” he says. “But we were given an incredible opportunity to come back and take over.”
With 1,200 acres and three landowners, the Splitters farmed part time for several years before committing fully.
“When we came on full time around 2012 and 2013, it still took extra income,” Splitter says. “Those winters were spent doing repairs, fixing fence, cleaning pastures, really whatever it took.”
The work ethic was there. What challenged them most was the learning curve.
“We had to ask a lot of questions,” Splitter says. “We leaned on accountants, attorneys, agronomists— really focused on surrounding ourselves with people who knew more than we did.”
The Right Mentors
That willingness to learn led to one of the most pivotal relationships in Splitter Farms’ history. After making a poor wheat marketing decision early on, Splitter knew they needed guidance.
“We just needed a little push and some advice,” he says. “That’s when we found Lee and Margaret Scheifler.”
Splitter approached Lee at a local meeting.
“I told him my father had passed and that I had questions,” he recalls. “That conversation turned into a relationship where we never once felt judged.”
The Scheiflers recognized something important.
“They saw we were willing to learn and willing to take a chance on the next step,” Splitter says.
In 2016, the Scheiflers asked Matt and Janna if they’d consider taking over their farm.
“We didn’t know how to answer,” Splitter says. “We had just come out of a really tough time, and we were asking ourselves how we could grow and do it right without letting anyone down.”
Eventually, they said yes, and then orchestrated a carefully planned transition plan, taking over about 1,000 acres per year.
What they couldn’t predict was how quickly other opportunities would follow.
“Other people saw how we were developing and wanted to be part of it,” Splitter says. “Five years turned into six, seven, eight. That transition is now complete, and we’re just pedaling the bike.”
Relationships as a Business Strategy
Today, Splitter Farms spans three counties in central Kansas. Matt is quick to credit much of the operation’s success to his wife, Janna, who is the co-owner and controller of the farm.
“Every relationship we build, we want people to feel like they are our No. 1 relationship,” Janna says. “Whether it’s vendors or landowners, we want them to feel that we go above and beyond.”
That mindset has helped sustain long-term partnerships and fuel continued growth.
One of the toughest decisions the Splitters made was relocating their headquarters from land Matt’s family homesteaded in 1878 to a newer farm 30 miles away.
“I knew that to grow at the pace that we needed to grow to get ahead of the curve was not where I grew up. The growth just wasn’t there. It will be, and we will continue to grow there, but at the time for us to grow, for us be mentored, for us to learn, it required us to make this move and move our headquarters here,” Splitter says. “And the mentorship side, being close to Lee and Margaret, being right across the road as neighbors to him now as well, that was so important to just be in close proximity to him.”
Culture, Efficiency and the Next Chapter
From moving to 100% no-till during downturns to operating two farming entities with one equipment lineup, every decision is calculated.
“There’s no playbook,” Splitter says. “We just know what the end goal looks like. There have been lifts and plateaus along the way, and this is probably one of those plateaus, until the next opportunity comes.”
Inside the business, professionalism and culture are non-negotiable. That philosophy is visible in their “dream” farm office the Splitters built nearly two years ago.
“The office is really the framework of what makes everything happen in the field,” Janna says. “It elevates professionalism, and it’s something we dreamed about for years.”
As the operation grows, Janna has watched Matt’s role evolve.
“We used to be the young people in the room,” she says. “Now we’re becoming teachers instead of learners.”
That influence is part of what makes Matt Splitter a finalist for the 2026 Top Producer of the Year.
“His ability to connect with people is what stands out,” Janna says. “He does it humbly, and he never seeks attention, but the impact he’s had on others is really special.”
Splitter may credit luck for some of the success, but those who know the operation see something else: disciplined growth, relationship-driven leadership and efficiency-focused decisions.
Congratulations to Splitter Farms, finalist for the 2026 Top Producer of the Year, which is sponsored by BASF and Fendt.
