How to make it through 50 cropping seasons

It’s a sentiment shared by Dick Clark of Clark Family Ag in Remington, Ind. With 50 cropping seasons under his belt, he’s staring at a farm transition to his sons on the horizon while also realizing that their entry to farming wouldn’t be possible without an existing operation.

Young folks wonder how their parents and grandparents were able to get their start in farming. Clark shared that it was just different back then. Today, he sympathizes with those who can’t work their way into an existing family operation.

“It’s very hard for us to justify, financially, starting farming today,” he said. “We want our kids to farm, and we’re going to set them up so they can. But they couldn’t begin to start if it wasn’t for parents or grandparents.”

The asset-rich, cash-poor lifestyle that comes with farming makes it difficult for young couples to enter the industry while also trying to purchase a house, grow their family and balance everything else. But Clark pooled his experience with area farmers Richard Siela and Ron Hathaway to create a survival guide of sorts for young folks entering the industry today.

Clark, Siela and Hathaway have a combined 150+ years of farming experience. The trio raise corn and soybeans around Remington. All had varying entrances to farming, and all are navigating transitions to the next generation as they approach the topic of succession planning.

With young farmers in their sights, they recommend folks follow this advice to make it another 50 cropping seasons.

Learn the difference between “want” and “need.” Determine how every purchase you make will affect the operation. Calculate the return on investment before purchasing something to ensure it will put money back into your pocket.

“If you’re going to invest in something, it’s got to pay its way,” Clark said. “If it’s not going to pay its way, you really don’t need it. Or maybe you should look at other options.”

However, some purchases and upgrades bring efficiency and convenience that can’t easily be tracked financially. Siela shares that the transition to a tractor with a cab is a prime example of one of those purchases. The extra $5,000 ensured he could work longer hours and in harsher weather conditions.

“You could not put a monetary value on it,” he shared. “But in your own mind, you could justify why you would spend that extra money.”

Have a side job or endeavor. Having another job or a side business is almost a nonnegotiable for young farmers today. This keeps options open and allows for supplemental income, which is a lifeline in tighter margin years. Siela shared that this used to come in the form of having livestock when he was younger. Today, with drones and other new technology, the opportunities are endless.

“This helps these young kids stay on the farm compared to what I faced,” Siela added.

Go to college. A college education or post-secondary training is key for bringing knowledge back to the farm, according to Siela. Degrees in business, agronomy and ag econ are all examples of pathways that will help students create the skill sets they need to improve the family farming operation. If you’re debating going to college or you have a college-age child or grandchild, know that it will only help you.

And this doesn’t have to come in the form of a four-year degree at a university, Siela added, echoed by the other two farmers. Attending a tech school or learning a trade is also extremely valuable. Learn something that will make you an asset to the operation.

“It helps to keep kids on the farm instead of going to, say, a factory job,” Siela said.

Keep accurate records. Chris Clark jokes that her husband would need a spreadsheet to organize his spreadsheets. But the pair keep accurate records of inputs, yields, purchases — you name it and they have a record of it. This not only allows you to see which inputs and management decisions have boosted yields, but it also helps navigate certain scenarios when they occur.

For example, the dust storm last spring that wiped out newly emerged soybeans in northwest Indiana was something even these veteran farmers hadn’t seen before. While Clark didn’t know what to do then, the records he kept will help him tackle that issue if it ever happens again.

Approach data with caution. The constant stream of data with each pass in the field can be daunting to tackle. It takes time to sort through and interpret that giant data pool.

“I could never get to the end of it,” shared Clark. “And trying to interpret what it means or how to correct it — there’s so many variables out there, you’re almost throwing darts at a dartboard trying to figure out the solution.”

While data can be helpful, and it’s important for young farmers to learn how they can use it to fine-tune their decisions, Clark explained that it should be taken with a grain of salt. Attend workshops or hire someone to help you understand the data, then use it to tweak some of your cropping practices or inputs. But don’t bet the farm on it. Stick close to what you know and rely on experience.

JUST TALK: Sharing your experiences and stressors with farmer friends is an unspoken piece of advice from farmers Richard Siela (left), Dick Clark and Ron Hathaway. Keeping stress bottled up will only hurt you and your operation.

Don’t cheat on fertilizer. In tight margin years, Clark recommends evaluating other areas where you can cut back before landing on fertilizer. Even in years with tight margins, you’ll want to prioritize fertilizer inputs. Perhaps you could make one fungicide pass instead of two if that second one is less likely to pay. Or maybe you experiment with seeding rates.

“Don’t cheat anything that would sacrifice yield,” Clark warned. “That’s the quickest way of reducing your income.”

Understand that every year is different. Once you think you’ve got a handle on the best management practices, inputs and rates, life throws you a curveball. Don’t let up on analyzing results and finding new and better ways to do things.

Hathaway shared that he’s seen a perfect stand of corn and soybeans one year, but that can look the complete opposite the following year. He advised not getting too settled into one routine but rather to always be reevaluating.

“You think you’ve got it made and figured out, then the next year you may end up replanting,” he added.