Knee High by the 4th of July

The 4th of July is the perfect time to celebrate our country’s independence, show off some patriotism, spend time with family and friends, watch fireworks — and, of course, check crops.

Celebrating National Ag Day with a Farm Kid Q&A

National Ag Day is a time to recognize and celebrate the vast world of agriculture. As a 5th generation farm family, we live and breathe agriculture every day, and I thought it would be fun to get my kids’ perspectives on what farm life means to them. So, I sat down and asked them questions about growing up on the farm. Their answers were simple, honest and a reminder of why we love this way of life.

My kids helping this past fall during harvest
K (13), R (8), L (9) and A (11)

Knee High by the 4th of July

The 4th of July is a great time to celebrate our country's independence, show off your patriotism, spend time with family and friends, shoot off fireworks and check crops. It's been tradition for decades that farmers check their crops, especially corn, to see if it is "Knee High by the 4th of July." Now while knee high isn't the benchmark for farmers anymore due to hybridization and improved genetics, it is still a fun tradition for our family to benchmark our corn (and family's) growth every year. In fact, our family has been taking an annual "Knee High" photo for over a decade (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012).

10 Things I'm Grateful for this Harvest

In honor of National Farmers Day and going on week four of Harvest 2023, I took some time to write down what I'm grateful for this harvest. This time of year is very busy, but it is a good practice to take some time to reflect and be thankful for the blessings this season brings.

Knee High by the 4th of July

The 4th of July is a great time to celebrate our country's independence, show off your patriotism, spend time with family and friends, shoot off fireworks and check crops. It's been tradition for decades that farmers check their crops, especially corn, to see if it is "Knee High by the 4th of July." Now while knee high isn't the benchmark for farmers anymore due to hybridization and improved genetics, it is still a fun tradition for our family to benchmark our corn (and family's) growth every year. In fact, our family has been taking an annual "Knee High" photo for over a decade (see 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012).

Knee High by the 4th of July

The 4th of July is a great time to celebrate our country's independence, show off your patriotism, spend time with family and friends, shoot off fireworks and check crops. It's been tradition for decades that farmers check their crops, especially corn, to see if it is "Knee High by the 4th of July." Now while knee high isn't the benchmark for farmers anymore due to hybridization and improved genetics, it is still a fun tradition for our family to benchmark our corn (and family's) growth every year. In fact, our family has been taking an annual "Knee High" photo for the last decade (see 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012).

Family Farm or Farm Family?

Are you a family farm or a farm family? To some, this may seem like the same thing, but for me there is a difference between where your priorities lie.

We're raising kids who raise livestock

Our kids watching the sheep and goat livestock auction

It has become a rite of passage in our family that when you turn five you get to raise your first animal on our farm. You get to pick it out, you get to feed it, you get to clean up after it in the barn, you take care of it, you bond with it and eventually, like today for our kids, you get to sell it.

Knee High by the 4th of July

The 4th of July is a great time to celebrate our country's independence, show off your patriotism, spend time with family and friends, shoot off fireworks and check crops.  It's been tradition for decades that farmers check their crops, especially corn, to see if it is "Knee High by the 4th of July."  Now while knee high isn't the benchmark for farmers anymore due to hybridization and improved genetics, it is still a fun tradition for our family to benchmark our corn (and family's) growth every year (see 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012).

What it Means to Grow Up on the Farm: An Interview with my Kids

Raising our kids on the farm is one of my favorite parts of our livelihood.  I am proud to be raising the 6th generation of farmers in my family.  My husband and I work hard everyday so our farm is sustainable for our children to continue on our family's farming legacy.  In honor of National Ag Day, I thought it'd be fun to interview the next generation (aka our kids), about what it means to grow up on the farm.  Enjoy!

5 Reasons I'm Grateful to be Farming

Today is National Farmers Day and I went back and worth on what to do, what to say and how to celebrate, but last night as my Farmer and I laid in bed, tired of talking about the harvest that really has never gotten going, I made him think of five things he's grateful for, to appreciate the little things and the big things in his life.  So this morning I figured what better way to celebrate National Farmers Day than by writing down why I'm thankful to be farming.

The Gamble of Farming

Yesterday on my Facebook Page I shared a post from Dairy farmer, Dairy Carrie.  She wrote a wonderfully written post about the hard times facing the Dairy industry right now.  I had several followers comment on the post about how they had no idea, and to one I responded that "farming can be a gamble".

Why is farming such a gamble?

We work hard to make our farm is sustainable by investing in conservation and technology to ensure we are using the best practices.  But even if we are doing everything right, we are still at the mercy of things we can't control like the weather and the markets.  We try to harness those risks through investing in certain seed traits for our crops, by spraying during times of insect and disease pressure, and doing different market strategies to hopefully create a safety net.

But sometimes, like right now, no matter how you play your hand the cards aren't going to win you money and you're just hoping you leave the table (or each year) at a break-even.  Not too long ago we had strong commodity prices and were on a hot streak.  On our farm we used that time to build up assets, pay off long-term debts and build a buffer to help us ride out the low times till the odds were more in our favor.

Some farmers are starting to reach their limit of being able to stay at the table and unfortunately are going bust.  It is so sad to see all the hard-work and dedication of these individuals through the years, if not decades, and even generations have put forth to stay in the game that they love.  This is one reason why I've had such a high interest in mental health in the farming community lately.  In fact, I read the other day with things so hard in the dairy industry right now, that some dairy cooperatives were sending suicide hotline information out with their bills.

So why would you farm?

It may sound silly, but my husband and I farm because we love it.  We love that everyday is "bring your child to work" day and that our four children are learning life skills of hard work, dedication, respect and empathy.  I love that I am carrying on my family's tradition of farming as a 5th generation farmer.  I love that our children get to see multi-generations working together daily.  I love the community of agriculture and that everyone is willing to help one another.

Farming is special and there is no other place I'd rather be than right here on our farm, building on both my husband's and my family's legacies for the future generation, our children.

I hope you all have a great National Ag Day and I would love to hear any of your questions you have about farming.  As always, be sure to Comment for a Cause.

Harvest of Thanks to our Farm Family

Tonight My Farmer and I get recognized as a finalist for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmer Achievement Award.  This recognizes young farmers, ages 35 and under, for their growth and progress of their farm and leadership achievements through the start of their career.  We are both honored and humbled to be finalist this year and we can't wait to find out tonight how we place!

Being a finalist for this award wouldn't be possible without our farm family.  We have been very fortunate to have such a great support system behind us.  Both of our families, neighbors and community members have backed us in different ways.  I wanted to recognize a couple members of our farm family to say thank you.

We would first like to thank my father-in-law.  He is the one who gave My Farmer the foundation and inspiration to farm starting at a young age.  He also helped My Farmer get the resources needed so he could build his pig barns in college.  Today, we work daily with each other.  As My Farmer describes in the video, we farm in parallel with each other; while it isn't a partnership, we trade labor back and forth, as well as share equipment.  Working with an established farmer, like my father-in-law, has been a huge asset for us as young farmers, as capital can be hard to get initially.  I also know that my father-in-law works hard to give us the opportunities to succeed, just like we as parents are now doing so for our children.

Next we'd like to thank our neighbor, friend and landlord Merlin.  Merlin has been a long-time family friend and neighbor.  I can't say enough of how great a man he is.  When My Farmer and I were dating Merlin was one of the first people I met from the community.  We instantly connected.  I think at some community events early on some people wondered "who is that girl with Merlin?" rather than "who is that girl with My Farmer?" 😉  Merlin too wants us to succeed.  Besides helping us out seasonally with field work, he is also one of our landlords that we rent crop acres from.  Most importantly, he really is like family.  He is like an extra grandpa for our children and we do fun things outside of the farm with him like going to Nut Frys, Church and Saturday Night Pizza.

The last member of our farm family I want to thank and share with all of you is Rusty.  Rusty is one of our long-time farm workers and I don't know if it is his favorite job, but it is probably the job he does the most, and that is drive semi, like he is seen standing in front of here.  The thing I appreciate the most about Rusty is his hard work ethic and fun attitude.  Things can get stressful on the farm, especially during our busy seasons of harvest and planting, but Rusty knows just what to do calm everyone down and make everyone laugh.  I guess you could say that Rusty helps keep our whole farm family sane during tough times.

This list wouldn't be complete without also thanking both sets of our parents, our sisters, our landlords, Cole, Tom, Hunter and Jared.  It takes this entire crew, this entire farm family, to make what we do everyday possible.  So thank you to our entire farm family. 😊

Do you have extra "family" members or a "tribe" that helps you succeed?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Planting a Seed this Earth Day

When we think of Earth Day we most likely think of planting a tree, or picking up trash, or your city's local clean-up day where you can finally get rid of that old TV or couch.  For me, I've been thinking of a couple things, planting literally millions of seeds in a day, and sustainability of our farm.

Planting a Seed - Literally

My Farmer planting corn this spring
Follow me on Instagram (@PlaggeVal) to see more pictures of #Plant16

It's easy to be thinking of "planting a seed" this time of year, as we are busy with our corn planting season and next month will be switching to soybean planting.  Every day, as long as fit planting conditions persist, we plant over 10 million corn kernels a day.  Our rate of planting for corn is an average of 34,500 kernels per acre (about the size of a football field) and we plant an average of 300 acres a day.  We make decisions all year long to make sure that we are taking care of our land and resources.  Conservation is a daily aspect of our farm.  We review and analyze the production of our land throughout the year so we can make the best choice for the use of our land.  We have acres that are used for corn and soybean production, while others are enrolled in conservation programs like CRP and the Wetlands programs.  We are also continually looking for new practices and technologies to help us better our farm.

Planting a Seed - Figuratively 

A family selfie taken last spring during planting
We haven't fit all of us in a single tractor cab yet this year ;)

We are a family farm.  Both My Farmer and I are 5th generation farmers and we feel honored to be carrying on our great-great-grandfathers' trades and traditions.  We're thankful that the generations before us took care of our land, so we, as the current generation can continue their work and efforts.  We also are "planting a seed" with our children, the 6th generation, in hopes that they will want to continue our farm.  All three of our kids love being outside and helping in the field especially.  Our oldest son, LP, tell us he wants to be a farmer when he grows up.  He loves the idea of farming like Dad and Mom, and of course tractors and pigs are pretty cool aspects of the job too ;)  My Farmer and I work everyday to make sure that our farm is not only sustainable for our family, but for future generations too.

What are you doing today to celebrate Earth Day?  What does Earth Day make you think about?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

We are a FAMILY farm

What better way to start off my 31 Days From A Tractor Seat series than to give you a little background of our family farm!

My Farmer and I farm in North Central Iowa (where the land is flat and the dirt is black) where we raise, as my blog title shares - corn, (soy)beans, pigs and kids.  We primarily rent fields from landlords that we rotate corn and soybeans on from year to year and we own two hog barns that we raise pigs in for my Father-in-law.  Speaking of my Father-in-law, he is an important part to our family farm.  We share equipment and labor with him when it comes to our cropland and pigs.  Our partnership really has helped My Farmer and I get started and establish ourselves in farming.

My Father-in-law, LP and My Farmer
counting a new group of pigs as they enter the barn

It is a privilege to have three generations working together on our family farm.  My Farmer and I are proud to be 5th generation farmers and we work hard every day so our kids can be the 6^th.  I think it is really neat that the business of farming is so family focused.

The truth is our family is not the only ones who have made farming a family tradition.  In the United States 98% of all farms are family-owned.  So why do families make farming their heritage?  Farmers pride themselves on putting food on the table and preserving the land.  Through these goals, generations have learned a powerful work ethic and respect.  Because of this, the next generation feels a purpose to engage in farming and continue their family’s farming legacy.  Both my husband and I have always wanted to farm since we were little kids.  We are both so proud of farming today and feel fortunate to be doing so.  I can already see this sense of purpose to farm with our 3 year old son LP and 16 month old daughter MP.  They love helping on the farm!

MP, My Farmer, LP and me - continuing our family's farming legacy

What questions do you have about being a FAMILY farm?  If you are interested in learning about some of my family's farming heritage check out my Farming - A Family Tradition post.  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post and by liking the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page.)