My Family Farm

I grew up on a farm in south central Nebraska were we produce corn, soybeans, cattle, pumpkins, and specialty greenhouse produce.

On our farm we believe in hard work, loving what we do, and feeding the world, which is what we do everyday.  One amazing aspect of 98% of American farms is that they are family owned and operated (according to the USDA), and our farm is no different.  Our farm is operated by my father, my mother, my uncle, my cousin, my two older brothers, and two hired employees.  So take a quick tour to see the sights of an American Family Farm.

The guys that make it all happen: brother Dustin, helper Lyle, hired hand John, hired hand Duane, Uncle Ken, cousin Brad, dad Lyle, granpa Fred, (not pictured brother Brett) We may not all be blood, be we are all family!

Harvest time on the farm! We use combines to harvest the grain from the crops.

Our cows and their calves are put in pastures after caving season, and they are kept their until fall, then they are moved to corn stalk fields.

Green corn plants are chopped into silage, which is then used to feed the cattle.

Fall is a busy time on our farm with pumpkin picking.

After the corn is harvested using the combines, it is transferred into grain carts which then is moved to semi trucks to take to the local coop or ethanol plant.

It takes a lot of big equipment and a lot of workers to operate a farm during harvest time.

We have a large cattle herd where each cow is bred each year.  The cows give birth to their calves in late winter/early spring.

 

 

 

 

We use pivots (super big automatic sprinkles) to irrigate our crops.

Fall is harvest time on our farm.  We use combines to harvest the crops.

Once the combine harvests the crops, the grain is dumped into auger wagons which then takes it  and dumps it into semi trailers.  The grain is then taking to the local elevator or ethanol plant.

The pumpkin picking crew washing some pumpkins.

The amazing technology that helps plant our crops with extreme accuracy and precision.

Three generations of farmers work on fixing up an old tractor. (Grandpa Fred, Dad Lyle, Uncle Ken, Brother Dustin)

We use these large grain bins to store the grain after it has been harvested before we haul it to market.

Cattle are rounded up and moved to greener pastures for the summer months so they have plenty to eat.  We use 4-wheelers to move cattle but many farmers and ranchers also use horses.

Young calves are treated with shots before they are sent out to pasture to keep them healthy.

The greenhouse is used to produce tomatoes, cabbage, and cucumbers which are sold at a farmers market in Lincoln, NE.

We harvest soybeans in the fall with combines.

Vegetable plants are started in small pots and then transplanted into the soil inside the greenhouse.

The crew ready to round up some cows. (Uncle Ken, Cousin Brad, Helper Keenan, Brother Dustin, Helper Ted, Mother Deb, and Brother Brett)

We use large planters hooked onto tractors to plant our crops.

The Country Pumpkin is our retail store which sells our pumpkins, squash, gourds, and ornamentals in the fall.

Peyton enjoys her trips to check the cows and the crops.