National Farmer's Day 2019: Our favorite farmers

<p><span style="color:#333333">I remember riding along on David Brandt’s Polaris utility vehicle zipping through a cover crop while he explained its value. He stopped, retrieved the shovel he carries in the back and&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:#222222">pulled a quick inspection on what he calls “the livestock underground.”</span></span>&nbsp;<span style="color:black">I’ve never had a better explanation of how to build soil health.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:#333333">He truly is the no-till and cover crop king and has invested a tremendous amount of time to share his successes and failures with anyone that will listen. He was named a <a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/story-meet-master-farmer-brandt-rooted-soil... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">2016 Ohio Master Farmer</a></span><span style="color:black">.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:#333333">David farms 1,150 acres in central Ohio's Fairfield County. He began no-till farming in 1971 and has been using cover crops since 1978. David has participated in yield plots for corn, soybeans and wheat into various covers, which has been invaluable to seed growers, county agents and universities to encourage other farmers to adapt no-till practices.</span></p>

<p><em><span style="color:#333333">Submitted by Jennifer Kiel, Ohio Farmer</span></em></p>

<p>Tyler Burkey, along with his wife Megan and their two children Sidney and Luke were featured on our May 2017 cover and spread. The Burkeys raise cow-calf pairs on their farm near Milford, Nebraska – just west of Lincoln – in what is traditionally corn, soybeans and feedlot country. However, the Burkeys have taken a different approach to raising pairs: they use a combination of hoop buildings, perennial pasture, crop residue and annual forages, as well as rotational grazing to provide flexibility in his system while also boosting soil health. One big takeaway is how operations like this could potentially break down different field operations and practices, allowing different producers and service providers to focus on one specialized area (i.e., grazing, custom planting/seeding, growing cover crop seed, growing cash crops), bringing more families to rural communities. I've visited Tyler's farm multiple times, talking with Tyler and consultant EJ Habrock on how the system has developed and how it's constantly evolving – Tyler now plans to bring more perennial grasses and legumes into his crop rotation to further improve soil health. Tyler and EJ have pointed out that the system is dynamic and constantly growing and changing, and following this growth has been an ongoing learning experience.</p>

<p>Read more about the Burkeys and their farm:</p>

<p><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/grazing-systems/cow-calf-system-lays-ground... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Cow-calf system lays groundwork for flexibility, growth</a></span></span></p>

<p><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black"><a href="http://:%20https:/www.farmprogress.com/livestock/raising-pairs-under-roof-provides-flexibi... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Raising pairs under roof provides flexibility </a></span></span></p>

<p><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/grazing-systems/designing-grazing-system-fe... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Designing a grazing system with a feedlot in mind</a></p>

<p><a href="http://:%20https:/www.farmprogress.com/livestock/how-raising-cow-calf-pairs-benefits-rural... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">How raising cow-calf pairs benefits rural community </a></p>

<p><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/livestock/perennials-needed-best-benefit-so... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Perennials needed for best benefit to soil, grazing</a></p>

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<p><em>Submitted by Tyler Harris, Nebraska Farmer</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Glenn and Casey Cox introduce the Flint River, which runs through southwest Georgia, like it’s a member of their family. Casey is the sixth generation to farm the family land in area, where Casey is also a leader in soil and water conservation efforts and a champion regionally and nationally for agriculture, including her vibrant social media presence and many TV, print and radio campaigns for the industry.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">I have known them for many years. They are quick to smile and easy to talk to, and it is always a pleasure to catch up with them.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Read more about the Cox family: <a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/soybeans/passing-farm-and-land-heritage-his... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Passing the farm and land heritage to his daughter</a></span></p>

<p><em><span style="color:black">Submitted by Brad Haire, Farm Press</span></em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Maria Cox, who farms with her father Ethan near White Hall, Ill., was harvesting corn in the early days of #harvest19, seeing better-than-expected yields. “In this part of the country we are blessed,” she said. <a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/author/Maria-Cox" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Cox writes the Millennial Manager blog at FarmFutures.com.</a></span></p>

<p><em><span style="color:black">Submitted by Mike Wilson, Farm Futures</span></em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Ty DeWitz and his son Justin process cattle at their farm near Tappan, N.D. The operation includes a 500-head backgrounding feedlot, 500 mama cows and a farming operation that includes several thousand acres of corn, soybeans, milo, hay and other crops. &nbsp;</span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Burt Rutherford, BEEF</em></p>

<p><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:black">This is a snapshot of Kristy Foster Seachrist's favorite farmers.&nbsp; It's her dad, Glen Foster in one combine, her brother GW Foster in the second and in the grain buggy is her other brother, John Foster. It's her favorite photo of the three working together to get the harvest completed late one night.&nbsp; It's very rare that the three of them are in the same field.&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Kristy Foster Seachrist, Corn+Soybean Digest</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Elizabeth Hey is a cotton, corn, and soybean farmer in Greenwood, Miss., and she is also my best friend since middle school. Unlike myself, Elizabeth knew what she wanted to do after she graduated, farm. As someone who likes to be outside and keep busy, the profession is the perfect fit.</span></p>

<p><em><span style="color:black">Submitted by Alaina Dismukes, Farm Press</span></em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">In honor of National Farmer’s Day, I would like to honor my farmer and spouse, Preston Huguley. My farmer doesn’t like the lime light and honestly, doesn’t even like his photo taken. What he does love is agriculture, his family and his Lord. In this photo he is checking his seed depth for a crop he would later plow under due to weather damage. I am amazed by his endurance and determination, moved by his faith, challenged by his perspective, swayed by his commitment and thankful I can say that he’s mine. Thank you, Preston, for being a loving husband and father and one of the hardest-working men I know!</span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Shelley Huguley, Southwest Farm Press</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Chris and Judy Isbell maintain a five-generation rice farming operation in Lonoke County, Ark. Chris is an accomplished guitar, fiddle, and mandolin player in addition to being an excellent rice farmer who uses zero grade practices which requires 30 percent less water.</span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Brad Robb, Farm Press</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">My favorite farmer is my grandpa. Jerry Johnson was a life-long farmer in the Norseland, Minn., area. He also spent many, many summers as a seasonal employee for Green Giant. Farming was in his blood, and he wouldn’t have had it any other way. We lost our family patriarch in May 2019, closing in on 91 years old, but his life lessons, compassion and memories will stick with us forever.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-life/how-farm-circa-1948" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Learn more about Jerry and his farming in our gallery, How to farm, circa 1948.</a></span></p>

<p><em><span style="color:black">Submitted by Jen Koukol, Farm Progress</span></em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Tom Kestell of Waldo, Wis., in Sheboygan County is Fran O’Leary’s favorite farmer. He is successful, he knows a lot about how to get top milk production from cows and he is a genuinely a nice man with a great family.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Tom, his wife Gin, their son Chris and his wife Jennifer milk 130 registered Holstein cows and farm 600 owned and rented acres at Ever-Green-View Farms. Their current rolling herd average is just under 45,000 pounds of milk – nearly double what an average cow in Wisconsin produces.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">In 2009, Ever-Green-View My 1326-ET, a four-year old registered Holstein cow, set a world production record producing 72,190 pounds of milk in 365 days. She held that record through 2015. Her daughter Ever-Green-View My Gold-ET became the top producing cow in the world in 2017 producing 77,480 pounds of milk in 365 days.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">While their milk production is impressive, Tom says, “Milk is a by-product of our business.&nbsp; Embryos are our main focus, but milk production is very important.&nbsp; We have to have milk records on our cows to sell their genetics.&nbsp; Seventy-five percent of our farm income comes from the sale of genetics."&nbsp;</span></p>

<p>The Kestells have sold as many as 200 cows, 100 bulls and 2,800 embryos per year with many embryos being exported. From 2009-2016, the Kestells exported over 7,400 embryos to many countries including Russia, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, Japan and India. In fact, the Kestell herd exported one-third of all U.S. dairy embryos in 2015 alone.</p>

<p><span style="color:#44555f">Meanwhile, maintaining a Breed Adjusted Average (BAA) of 111.4 ranking among the nation’s best for herd size. That includes 52 Excellent and 72 Very Good cows. Also, the herd has owned 353 cows that have produced over 100,000 pounds of milk in a lifetime. The Kestells have bred 39 Gold Medal Dams and 19 Dams of Merit.</span></p>

<p><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/story-kestells-develop-top-herd-registered-... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Read more about Tom and his family.</a></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Fran O’Leary, Wisconsin Agriculturist</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Interviewing new Master Farmers is always a pleasure. Getting to know David Lee, Salem, Ind., this year was a special treat. He and his family have carved out a large, successful farming operation in an area of Indiana known more for rolling hills and pasture land than row crop farming. At the same time, he hasn't forgotten his roots. This picture was snapped on the original farm where he grew up in neighboring Lawrence County. He still farms land in this area, although his base of operations is now in Washington County. He's eager to share what he's learned in a long farming career. Spending half a day with him was almost like hanging out with my dad, who passed away in 2010. He was also a farmer who too loved to talk about farming.</span></p>

<p><em><span style="color:black">Submitted by Tom Bechman, Indiana Prairie Farmer</span></em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">This is Robert Mills, who with his wife, Karen, and four children own and operate R&amp;K Orchards in Corning, Calif. They grow peaches, apricots, nectarines, cherries and prunes and mostly sell direct-to-consumer through their shop on their farm and at farmers’ markets (they do sell prunes to Sunsweet). They have a reputation for growing the best peaches in Northern California; at the Saturday morning farmers’ market in Redding, the line for their booth in mid-July has been known to snake halfway around the block.</span></p>

<p><em><span style="color:black">Submitted by Tim Hearden, Western Farm Press</span></em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">My favorite farmer is my dad, Walter Mohr. He died a decade ago-- August 2009. He passed away doing what he loved: farming.</span> <span style="color:black">He worked hard all his life, dairy farming full-time as well as working for General Motors in Flint, Mich. for 30 years.</span><span style="color:black"> I m</span><span style="color:black">iss his wisdom and laughter.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">I took this black and white photo of him with the Surge Step-Saver around 1976 for my photojournalism class at Michigan State.</span></p>

<p><em><span style="color:black">Submitted by Paula Mohr, The Farmer</span></em></p>

<p>Carie and Jason Moore, of Rock Lake, N.D., are doing the opposite. Jason works fulltime off the farm and Carie currently works full time on the farm.</p>

<p>“I switched to fulltime at home last spring. It’s worked out better for us this way,” says Carie, president of North Dakota AgriWomen.</p>

<p>The Moores farm on shares with Jason’s parents, Lanny and Dianne. They operate about 650 acres and grow soybeans, wheat, barley and canola.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-life/role-reversal-helps-family-make-e... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Read more about Carie and her family farm.</a></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Lon Tonneson, Dakota Farmer</em></p>

<p>My favorite farmer is Pat Murphree, my dad. Our family farmed in Arizona for 90 years. He is retired now, but knows every crop and who is farming it within a 20-mile radius of his place. He still talks shop with his circle of friends, a round-table of flying farmers, who fly to breakfast and lunch at various rural airports around the state. This photo is of Dad in our last crop of cotton.</p>

<p><em>Submitted by Brent Murphree, Farm Press</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">This is Mark. Mark is a sixth-generation farmer with a story many of you can relate to. He is a part-time farmer, a full-time ag banker and a guy who is passionate about raising quality Angus cattle. He’s a valued member of the family farming team and spends many early mornings or lunch breaks in management meetings.&nbsp;He often has&nbsp;his&nbsp;five-year-old farmer in the buddy seat next to him during harvest and always has his wireless earbud in his ear so he can work through client issues during his fall and spring “vacation days” in the tractor. He is raising his family in the old farm house home his dad grew up in, his grandpa grew up in, on the property his family homesteaded in the late-1800s.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">It's a classic American farm family story. And everyone who is living it knows it’s never as perfect as it sounds. But even with the challenges, he’s hoping the seventh generation&nbsp;has the same opportunities as those given to him to carry on the rich family tradition that is agriculture.&nbsp;</span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Jamie Purfeerst, BEEF</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">This is Jenny Rhodes, a poultry farmer in Centreville, Md. Jenny really inspires me because of her tenacity as not only a farmer, but as a mother. I was raised by a single mother, so I could relate to Jenny as she raised her two sons as a single mother while at the same time running a farm full time.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/master-farmers/jenny-rhodes-embraces-techno... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Jenny is also a 2019 Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer</a>.</span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Christian Torres, American Agriculturist</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Frank Rogers, III of Bennettsville, S.C. has earned the reputation as innovative farmer. More than that, he has earned the reputation as a strong cotton industry leader. And more than that he has earned the reputation as&nbsp;true Southern gentleman, a great communicator and a friend.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Frank is the 2019 Farm Press High Cotton winner for the Southeast. All who know Frank will agree that he is worthy of the honor.&nbsp;&nbsp; In nominating Frank for the High Cotton award, fellow farmer Steve O’Neal of Blenheim, S.C., credited him as a tireless worker for the cotton industry.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">&nbsp;“He is an outstanding farmer and innovator and is at the cutting edge of technology on his farm. First and foremost, Frank is a southern gentleman who loves his profession and his country,” O’Neal wrote in his nomination.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">Frank is an industry leader.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:#222222">He&nbsp;serves on the board of directors of&nbsp;</span></span><em><span style="color:black">Staplcotn,</span></em><span style="color:black">&nbsp;one of the oldest and largest cotton marketing cooperatives in the United States. He is a past president of Southern Cotton Growers and served as a producer director of the National Cotton Council. He currently serves as a director on the South Carolina Cotton Board.</span></p>

<p><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:#222222">Frank is also a great communicator. He does a great job explaining what he does to be a successful farmer and he is always willing to share his thoughts to help others. He truly is&nbsp;a gentleman, who does all he can to make you feel welcome and appreciated.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:#222222"><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/cotton/frank-rogers-innovation-brings-cotto... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Read more about Frank.</a></span></span></p>

<p><em><span style="background-color:white"><span style="color:#222222">Submitted by John Hart, Farm Press</span></span></em></p>

<p>My favorite farmers today are those that remind of my dad. And large among them is Carl Seeliger who farms near Winfield in Cowley County with his son, Mike.</p>

<p>Carl’s legacy is that he is a pioneer in the creation of the modern Kansas cotton industry. But it is his creative mind and his engineering spirit that remind me of my Dad. When he needs a part, he thinks first about how he can make it in his amazing farm shop. When he has a problem with a piece of machinery, he doesn’t look at replacing it with a “new generation” piece of equipment. He thinks about what he needs to modify to make it work.</p>

<p>When the cotton industry in Kansas reached the point where farmers really needed a gin, Carl led his neighbors in locating an out-of-operation gin, buying it, disassembling it and moving the parts to a piece of land just outside of Winfield where they laid out the parts on a concrete pad and proceeded to assemble the first cotton gin in modern Kansas – a gin that (after many, many modernizations) – is still operating some 30 years later.</p>

<p><em>Submitted by P.J. Griekspoor, Kansas Farmer</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">This is the late Elmo Snelling, Hale County, Texas. Mr. Snelling was 98 and still farming every day in April, 2013 when I interviewed him. According to his grandson, he was still farming until just before his death at 102.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">The day I talked with him, he was spry, energetic and anxious to plant another cotton crop. He was alert and well-spoken.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">The last question I asked him before we went outside to shoot photos was:&nbsp;<em>Are you going to make another cotton crop this year?</em>&nbsp;He grinned and said, “I’m going to plant one.”</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">I still believe that was one of the best interviews I ever did and one of the most interesting stories I have written. It was just a matter of letting Mr. Elmo tell it himself.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/cotton/elmo-snelling-has-no-desire-retire/g... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">Learn more about Elmo Snelling.</a></span></p>

<p><em><span style="color:black">Submitted by Ron Smith, Farm Press</span></em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">My favorite farmer is an easy choice:&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/blogs-40-year-old-farmer-3705"><span style="color:#954f72">my husband, John</span></a><span style="color:black">. He’s up early, up late, carrying the stress and burdens of operating a 21^st&nbsp;century farm in 2019. He serves our community on (currently) three boards and in a thousand volunteer capacities. And he reads nearly everything I ever write and tells me what doesn’t make sense. But most of all, he’s the best partner for raising three kids in the barn and on a tractor, where he encourages, he teaches, he corrects, he leads. He loves. If he yells, it’s so infrequent that they know they’re in real and significant trouble. Like that time they had to spend a snow day last winter waxing the combine. Or the day pictured here in June 2019, when our youngest delivered his supper and they stopped to check the beans they were replanting. He always makes the time.</span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Holly Spangler, Prairie Farmer</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">My favorite farmers are Otha and Charlene Tedford, my parents-in-law. They grew cotton, rice and soybeans and ginned cotton in Bolivar County, Miss., from the time of their marriage in 1947 until around 1986. As with many farming couples, Charlene did office work for the farm and gin and supported their business in other roles out of the field. Otha died in 2013. Charlene lives in Cleveland, Miss.</span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Ed Phillips, Delta Farm Press</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">You’d be hard pressed to find a single sole in Sanilac County that doesn’t know Ken and Ida Wadsworth. Their reputation of being exceptional farmers and human beings is known, respected and appreciated not only by those in the agriculture industry, but throughout the community and state. I was thrilled to honor them as <a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/story-wadsworths-hard-work-lands-master-far... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">2017 Michigan Master Farmers&nbsp;</a>and the interview I conducted with them to write the story and tape the video was one of my favorites of all time. They’ve worked hard and instilled productive work ethics in their children. At the same time, they mix that determination with laughter. They are both in their 80s, but have sharp minds and memories. It was one of the longest interviews of my career because the stories flowed freely and kept my feet planted and my mind intrigued. They are self-made successful farmers and at the time of my interview, they were farming 5,000-plus acres of corn, sugarbeets and dry, edible beans with their family.</span></p>

<p><span style="color:black">I remember Ken saying the luckiest break he ever got was when the well went dry and he had to sell the cows, which allowed him to buy what other farmers thought was an over-priced 200-acre chunk of farmland. They were high school sweethearts and have been married for 67 years. They raised six children and all are farming. It was a pleasure to get to know them and to bestow an honor they clearly earned and deserved.</span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Jennifer Kiel, Michigan Farmer</em></p>

<p><span style="color:black">There wasn’t much in agriculture in the Tulare, Calif. area that the late Mark Watte wasn’t either involved with, knew about, or had a hand in as I came to learn. As our 2015 High Cotton Award recipient, a member on various agricultural boards, including chairman of Cotton Incorporated until the time of his death in 2016, Watte left a lasting impression with me when offered his candid input on issues of agriculture and water as a confidante and mentor. Through his time as a volunteer in the media center at the World Ag Expo I came to lean on his knowledge of issues and people to point me in a positive direction with my stories. It’s relationships like this that I will always cherish and covet as an ag journalist.</span></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Todd Fitchette, Farm Press</em></p>

<p>“Having your 100^th birthday on Thanksgiving Day is something to be thankful for,” Jim Wright told me last November. Jim and wife Hazel, along with family and friends were gathered at a church in Collins, a small town in central Iowa to celebrate Jim’s 100^th birthday, Hazel’s 93^rd birthday and their 70^th wedding anniversary. Jim is our oldest living Iowa Master Farmer, a program sponsored by <em>Wallaces Farmer</em> that began in 1926.</p>

<p>After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, Jim returned to Iowa and began farming on a rented farm. He and Hazel got married in 1948. They were named Iowa Master Farmers by <em>Wallaces Farmer</em> in 1965. Their son and grandson are farming the family farm today. Jim and Hazel have seen lots of changes in farming over their 70 years of farming.</p>

<p>Read more about Jim and Hazel Wright, <em><a href="https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-life/70-years-farming-yields-many-memo... style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">70 years of farming yields many memories</a></em></p>

<p><em>Submitted by Rod Swoboda, Wallaces Farmer</em></p>