My Family Farm

As I begin this blog I feel that it is only appropriate that I start with my family’s farm in Central Illinois. My dad, Rick, and my Uncle, Ron, farm together. My cousin works at the farm-full time, two of my great uncles work at the farm part-time, my mom does the bookwork, and my sister and I help wherever we are needed from running the combine in the fall to picking up parts from the John Deere dealership when something breaks down. We truly are a family farm and without each person we would not run a successful operation.

We farm around thirty five hundred acres throughout a ninety mile span. We raise field corn, seed corn, sweet corn, popcorn, soybeans, green beans, pumpkins, and wheat. We sell our popcorn to Weaver, which is a popular brand of popcorn found at grocery stores and Walmart, in the microwave popcorn aisle. It is also often used in popcorn machines at sporting events. The green beans on the farm are produced for Del Monte and can be found everywhere. My family takes a great deal of pride in our farm; doing everything possible to make our grains and vegetables the absolute best for families, just like ours, throughout the world.

Our seed corn, sweet corn, popcorn and green beans are all raised in sandy soil. In order to hydrate our crops in the sand we run twenty six irrigation systems from May until September, when needed. This can make for an extremely busy summer! My Dad and Uncle spend many late nights in the fields turning the systems on and off or rotating them in order to keep our crops healthy.

Everyday agricultural engineers and scientists are finding new ways to better the technology used in the agricultural industry. I find it absolutely mind boggling that my Great Grandpa used a horse and plow to plant his fields and today with the GPS system built into our tractor the only thing I have to do is turn the tractor when I come to the end of a row; the tractor literally drives itself! My dad and uncle, similar to most farmers, love to keep up with the latest technology and are far from the stereotypical farmers wearing overalls with a pitchfork in hand.

My Dad has always said that farming is not an occupation, but a lifestyle and that truly is the way my family lives from day to day. Growing up on the farm has been an incredible experience and has taught me everything from responsibility to patience to the fact that when Dad is watching the weather my mouth is shut. I am currently a college student studying agricultural business with future intentions of managing my family farm. I have a strong passion for the agricultural industry and will do everything possible to make sure it is given the reputation it deserves. If you have any questions about my family's farm don't hesitate to e-mail me at: whosyourfarmer@gmail.com.