Since 1958 when he was a junior in high school, Bob Hansen has been a farmer. His father and grandfather were both farmers, so he knew that was what he wanted to do. On his 1,000 acres in the Missouri River bottom near Crescent, Iowa, Hansen grows corn and soybeans. According to Hansen, Bluff View Farm is a “one-man operation,” except in the fall when he has some part-time help that assists him with the harvest.
 View entire case study in PDF format.
Keith Moore, along with his sons, Bryan and Kevin, farm 5200 acres in southeastern Illinois. Their main crops are corn, seed beans, and seed wheat. Bryan also operates a finishing floor for hogs.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Crawford Farms is located in Independence, Iowa, (population, 6,000), in the northeast corner of the state. Gary Crawford, owner, farms 1,500 acres each of corn and soybeans which he sells to Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill. Four years ago his daughter and son-in-law joined him. He lives in town and commutes to his nearby farm.
View entire case study in PDF format.
West Branch natives Helen and Ken Fawcett own
Fawcett Farms, which has been in the family for over
a hundred years. With their nephew, they farm 1,500
acres of corn and low-linolenic soybeans.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Since they became incorporated in 1978, Friesenborg & Larson, Inc. have been farming more than 5,000 acres of corn and soybeans in rural Winnebago County, Iowa. Gary Friesenborg, his nephews John and Joe Larson, along with two full-time employees, also offer custom crop spraying and oversee the sale of some farm equipment.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Harriman Farms is owned by Laurel, Dean, and DanaHarriman, three brothers who now run their late father's farm. Their father started out with 15 acre sand, as young boys, the brothers contributed by picking up rocks and sticks and cleaning out fence rows. “We've been working on the farm all our lives,” said Dean. Today, they farm corn, beans, and wheaton 3,000 acres, more than two-thirds of which they own.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Henry Farms is a contract seed producer raising
1,200 acres of seed corn and 400 acres of soybean
seed which they sell to retail companies. Joe Henry
owns the operation and has five full-time employees,
including Dale Gretebeck, production manager, who
has been with the operation eight years.
View entire case study in PDF format.
John Rutherford has been farming since he graduated from the University of Illinois in 1997. He and a partner farm a little more than 3,000 acres near Dalton, Illinois. Two-thirds of their acres are in corn and the remainder in soybeans. They rent about one-third of the land, share-crop another third and own the rest.
View entire case study in PDF format.
LNC Farms is located in Plainfield, which is in northeast
Iowa, approximately 150 miles from St. Paul,
Minnesota. Nathan Chester, who operates the farm,
leases 600 acres and grows 400 acres of corn and 200
acres of beans. He sells to Cargill and a local elevator.
He also is checking into a local ethanol plant to which
he may sell his corn.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Mike Loeffler and his father-in-law farm 3100 acres in southwest Nebraska. His primary crops are corn and wheat, with a small portion devoted to soybeans.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Mino Farms is located in Harris, Missouri, not far from
the northern border of the state. John Mino, owner,
sells insurance in addition to running his farming
operation. He grows 2,500 acres of corn and soybeans.
He sells his corn to Premium Standard Farms and his
soybeans to ADM. He also runs a cow/calf operation
with 150 cows, and he sells the calves to local feedlots.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Nolan Clark's fields in northwestern Louisiana are
spread out. Nolan, his father, and his brother farm
a total of 6,400 acres. Nolan operates 2,000 of those
acres as Nolan Clark Farms. He grows cotton, corn,
and soybeans. A third-generation farmer, Nolan sells
his grain to local elevators in the area.
View entire case study in PDF format.
The Plenert family, including father Ole and brothers
Brian and Chad, owns Plenert Farms, a furrow-to-finish
hog farm located in Forrest, Illinois, about 90 miles
southwest of Chicago. Brian and Chad's mother and
father both came from farming families, a way of life
that stretches back several generations on both sides.
The Plenerts own 300 sows and grow beans, wheat,
and corn on 640 acres.
View entire case study in PDF format.
RB Kent Farms is located in Algona, Iowa, 150 miles
southwest of Minneapolis. Bruce Kent, owner of RB
Kent Farms, farms 2,000 acres “leaning more to corn
than to soybeans.”
View entire case study in PDF format.
Sam Creed farms 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans in the northwest corner of Missouri with the help of two full-time employees, and a part-timer he utilizes during harvest. Creed's farm is a Century Farm, having been in his family for more than 100 years. He also operates a small trucking business, which primarily hauls grain.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Shady Bend Farms raises 6,600 acres of sugar beets,
wheat, barley and soybeans. The Browns, including
Kevin, Kelly and Rick, are the third generation to
farm the land on which they were raised. The Browns
have a combined total of eight children ranging in
age from 8 to 28 years old. Today, two members of
the fourth generation are already involved in the
operation.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Southern Accent Farms is located near Decorah, Iowa.
The business is run by the three Hovden brothers,
owner, Daryl; Dan, who manages the cattle operations
and Dave, the crops manager. They also have one
full-time employee. The Hovdens farm more than
2,000 acres, including 1,300 acres of corn, 650 acres
of beans and 200 acres of hay. They raise 320 beef
cows and calves.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Vaupel Farms is located in Racine, Minnesota, in the
southeastern part of the state. Owner Mat Vaupel
grows 1,400 acres of corn and soybeans which he sells
through All American Cooperative or Cenex Harvest
States. Vaupel has also started a feeder calf business
with 15 cows, which he sells through the Central
Livestock Association in Zumbrota, Minnesota, or
privately.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Warrington Seed is a seed farm that grows and
processes seed, and also sells fertilizer and chemicals.
They raise and process 1,000 acres each of wheat and
SoDak Roundup Ready® soybeans and 500 acres of
corn. Currently, their commercial grain goes out
through local grain buyers including South Dakota
Wheat. They also sell some of their corn to the
ethanol industry.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Roger and Bill Beck, father and son, are partners in
Welcome Home Farms. They raise 500 acres of corn,
wheat and soybeans which they market through their
local cooperative. Bill is the fifth generation in his
family to farm.
View entire case study in PDF format.
Farming has been a tradition in the Williamson family
for generations. It is their life, their history, and a part
of who they are. John Williamson started farming with
his father in 1985 — his father started farming in the
60's. Today, the family farms 2200 acres, primarily corn
and beans. Although he hires part-time help in the
spring and fall, John owns, operates, and manages
the family operation that has been passed down over
several generations.
View entire case study in PDF format.
|
12/22/09
