| The following is an
article written by Dave Hinton. It appeared in a special Fall
Farm and Country Life section that accompanied the Paxton Record
on August 26, 2009. The two gentlemen interviewed for the
article are Paxton High school graduates: Doug Vest and Kurt Edwards
who both graduated in 1979. Doug is married to
Tami Edwards (PHS 1982), and Kurt is married to Julie Thompson
(PHS 1980).
They don't drive their tractors in
three-piece suits, and they aren't all thumbs when it comes to
machinery repairs, but Doug Vest and Kurt Edwards bear some
similarities to Oliver Wendell Douglas of TV's "Green Acres"
fame. Like Douglas, Edwards and Vest left the city - OK, leaving
Paxton isn't quite the same as leaving New York City - for farm
life. Green acres was, indeed, the place for them.
Vest and Edwards
both enjoy the great outdoors, and each knew when it came time
to find a job, he didn't want to be cooped up inside. But
growing up in town, they faced long odds that they would one day
become farmers. Farming isn't an easy job. Finding a job as a
farmer is becoming even more difficult. Many young men and women
who grow up on farms opt for other vocations, often because they
see what their parents went through, that they're not going to
get rich or because the opportunity isn't there. As farms get
bigger and machinery gets larger, there aren't as many farming
jobs to go around.
Vest, 47, of
rural Loda and Edwards, 48, of rural Paxton both grew up in
Paxton. And both are successful farmers. Vest got a taste of
farm life early, having spent a great deal of time around uncles
who farmed. "I grew up wanting to be a farmer," Vest said. He
took ag courses at Paxton High School and worked for Melvin
Coulter, who owns a hog farm in rural Paxton, for 11 years.
"That's who got me started," Vest said. "Otherwise there wasn't
any way." Despite having two sons of his own, Coulter let Vest
farm some of his ground, renting about 75 acres beginning in
1981. He also continued to work for Coulter. Today, Vest farms
550 acres, about 140 of which he owns along with a house,
buildings and bins on a farm where he and his wife, Tami, live.
Edwards didn't
necessarily aspire to be a farmer when growing up. He just knew
he didn't want a desk job. "I've always been interested in
working outdoors," Edwards said. "When I was younger I had no
for-sure plans that I was going to get into ag." Like Vest, in
high school Edwards took ag classes and was a member of FFA.
Edwards, who is Vest's brother-in-law (Vest is married to
Edwards' sister) was able to get summer jobs working on area
farms. "Like so many kids back then there was always some type
of job you could get on the farm," said Edwards. "I had uncles
that farmed also, and I spent some time with them." Edwards
studied resource management at Illinois State University, after
which he went into the lumberyard-hardware business.
Every once in
awhile his father-in-law, Bob Thompson, would mention he would
be retiring in a few years. Thompson had only daughters, and
they didn't want to become farmers. Edwards broached the idea of
taking over the Thompson family farm. Eleven years ago it
happened, and Edwards hasn't regretted the decision. Edwards
farms 720 acres, 120 of which he owns. Part of the ground he
farms is owned by his father-in-law.
Many farmers no
longer tend livestock. Vest at one time raised hogs but sold
them when prices began to plummet in the early '90s. He now has
about 100 feeder cattle. Livestock farming "is a lot of work,"
Vest said, and it keeps the farmer tied to the farm. He said he
hasn't been on a real vacation in four or five years. Vest
figures that one factor in whether farmers have livestock is how
much ground they're farming. "If you have beau coups ground you
don't have time for it," he said. "When the crop prices are
good, you're probably as good going that way." But Vest can see
a benefit when crop prices are down. It means feed costs are
down as well. "When it's cheap, it's a cheap feed for the
livestock," Vest said. Vest is glad that his daughter, Emily,
was able to grow up on the farm. She showed cattle in 4-H for
seven years.
Edwards raised
hogs in his early years, but they were his son, Austin's,
responsibility, either for 4-H or FFA projects or as a
money-maker. The hogs were sold when Austin went off to college.
Edwards said his children enjoyed growing up on a farm,
especially his son. And Edwards' daughter, Ally, even more when
she started driving. "It's a great place to raise kids," Edwards
said. "Neither of them has complained (about growing up in the
country)." Austin Edwards seems to have caught the agriculture
bug, although he might not be a farmer. He is studying
agribusiness economics, while his daughter has her sights set on
becoming an occupational therapist.
Emily Vest,
meanwhile, is attending Eastern Illinois University to become a
teacher. "She seemed to like growing up on the farm," Vest said.
Neither man said he could support his family on just the farm
income. Tami Vest works for the Army Corps of Engineers. Edwards
works three days a week at Rademacher Building Center, Gifford.
"I always felt I needed a second job. I had to buy all the
equipment and what not," he said. "Now I have one in college"
and one who soon will be. His wife, Julie, is a teacher at
Fisher Grade School.
Like any job,
farming has its good aspects and its bad. The best part about
farming, Edwards figures, is harvest. "I truly enjoy harvest. I
love the time of year. I've always been a fan of fall because I
like to hunt, too." The worst part? "Probably marketing crops,"
Edwards said. "I can deal with the weather problem. That drives
some guys nuts, but the markets drive me crazy." Vest counts
"being my own boss" as the best thing about farm life. "That's
the big thing. I enjoy livestock and being out in the country."
The worst part about it: "Trying to make everything work." Vest
estimated he fixes 90 percent of his machinery. Both men wish
more people would be able to farm, but as years pass, farms
become larger and farmers fewer. Especially ones who grew up in
the city.
The PBL Education Foundation sincerely appreciates
Doug and Kurt being willing to share their story on the Alumni Spotlight page. |
