Kristie Swenson, a farmer from Tremont, MN, tried a new thing during harvest 2023: She drove her family’s combine through 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans. I live and work on our family’s 2,000-acre corn and soybean farm in Tremont, Minnesota. My typical day during harvest typically includes working my full-time off-the-farm job, making dinner for the kids and field meals, taking the kids to say hi to dad, helping with homework and handling bedtime. But then my role changed big-time in 2023. On Labor Day of 2023, a forklift on our family’s farm in Tremont, Minnesota rolled over my dad’s hand ..read more

How Carla Schultz Handles Meal-Planning for 50 Head of Cattle Most people know that cattle eat grass and hay. But how do they get the just-right amount of feed that they need all year? It requires planning, plus a contingency for the inevitable in farming: surprises. Every year, my husband and I crunch numbers to figure out how much hay we need in order to feed our cattle throughout the year. And then, of course, we get surprises throughout the year that impact our feed options. Here’s a glimpse inside how we make it all work to ensure our 50 head of beef cattle are well-fed here at Eigh ..read more

Learning From Their Beauty with Amy Cawley If you’re curious about the adventures of Christmas trees before they get cut and decorated for the season, here’s a little glimpse behind-the-scenes with Amy Cawley at Cawley Family Farm in Maryland. It’s that time of year again! Our first pre-cut trees have arrived. Dad has been drilling the tree trunks, setting up the tree stands and filling them with water. The train sets are ready. The wreaths are under construction. The parking lot spaces have been marked. I have organized the cash register. Families are already out here taking their annual Chr ..read more

Andrea Kientzy’s Holiday Advice from Years on the Farm Andrea Kientzy, a Missouri beef cattle and row crop farmer, has learned that being flexible is what can make things truly memorable. Food spills on the floor. The pie gets left in the freezer. Rolls get burned in the oven…again. Then dinner is held up because of farm chores. These things used to really irritate me during the holidays. I think most people can relate.  I grew up in San Bernardino Valley, California. Then I met my husband in Missouri and joined him on his family farm after we got married. We’ve been farming together now ..read more

Q&A with Kate Lambert Kate Lambert, a Missouri farmer and Vice President of Marketing at FCS Financial, has turned a passion for community-building into a local pumpkin farm extravaganza. Question: Did you grow up on a farm? Answer: No, I grew up in suburban Chicago, about 65 miles from downtown. I was a member of the National FFA Organization and loved working with animals. I never dreamed I would end up on a large farm. I met my husband through FFA as a teenager. Now, we are raising two kids on our farm in Missouri. I am the Vice President of Marketing at FCS Financial, while also helpi ..read more

Purpose-Drive Cattle Farmer Joan Ruskamp Mother nature can be cruel. Joan reflects on the extra measures that can prevent the grief and hardship of losing cattle. Our cattle have an incredible purpose: To nourish us and countless others as food. My job is to care for them on our feedlot alongside my husband and business partner, Steve. Together we have a specific, purpose-driven mindset on our farm: We are stewards of our animals. Every day it is our job to make them as comfortable as they can be. Yet mother nature can be very cruel. Whatever weather event is thrown our way, we want to be ..read more

Practical Gardener Kelly Kamyszek According to Kelly, anyone can grow a green thumb. You simply need good inspiration and a smart plan. As a child, I grew up admiring my mom’s resourcefulness when it came to putting food on the table. Every year she’d plant her garden. After harvest, I would help her to can and store all of the vegetables we would eat that year. These memories fueled my desire to start my own garden as an adult. My husband and his family once ran a roadside stand specializing in tomatoes, but we found it difficult to manage the demands of the farm while trying to keep one-hun ..read more

Conservation Farmer and Seed Tester Belinda Burrier Belinda Burrier and her husband are farmers who have been awarded several times for their focus on conservation practices. The duo consistently improve their conservation efforts by testing new things, including the testing of new seeds in “test plots.” Did you know that farmers have a tremendous variety of seeds to choose from each season? We have countless magazines and online resources available to peruse different features and benefits of each seed option. Often farmers will try different options on “test plots” to see how seeds perform ..read more

Kansas Entrepreneur and Lifelong Farmer Katie Carothers Today Katie Carothers is a farming entrepreneur in Kansas, but it all started with one lamb in 4th grade. Raising animals is an important part of who I am. I grew up learning how to raise sheep as a young kid in 4-H1. I remember buying my very first lamb back in the fourth grade and entering a “Ladies Lead” competition. That’s where each lamb wore an accessory (pretty cute) and I had to wear a 100% wool outfit in the dead heat of the summer. Whoa, Nelly! It was so hot! Looking back, I have so many great memories of those days. But more i ..read more

Cawley Family Farm There’s a story behind every fresh-cut Christmas tree you buy. And it likely centers around the unpredictability of summer weather. If you’ve ever met a farmer, you probably know that we talk about the weather a LOT. It’s because most weather requires us to take action to ensure we provide a great harvest. For farmers like my dad and me, you’ll find that we’re the most chatty about weather in the month of July. That’s because we raise Christmas trees.  July and August weather are the toughest for Christmas tree growth because of the heat and humidity. Our actions now i ..read more