34 Better Farming | September 2024 Follow us on @BetterFarmingON “What we do on the farm would not happen without the support of our wives. I couldn’t do what I do without my wife Sherry, who also works on the farm doing a lot of bookkeeping and desk work, which allows us to focus on the cropping aspect – and who puts up with a lot when we are busy or angry or have late nights.” What is your favourite part of being a farmer? Joe: My favourite part is the business – how you grow a business, how you progress, and that kind of stuff. Curtis: I also like the business aspect. I like progressing and building. I also like growing crops – mostly corn. I like the seasonality of farming and seeing the whole thing through. I find that fascinating and enjoyable. What’s your crop rotation? Curtis: It’s mostly corn, corn, beans. You can’t grow wheat on the sandy ground. Well, you can, but it’s not profitable. What has your biggest challenge been in farming? Joe: Cropping has challenges, but the biggest challenges come back to the business side. It’s figuring out the amount of money it takes to grow crops and investing in equipment, fertilizer, and land rents – and how much it’s all going up. The biggest challenge is money and how much you should put into the crop. I can grow a crop all day long, but are the returns there? Does it make sense to grow the crop or instead take money and invest it? Curtis: The weather and figuring out how to grow sustainably while growing grains. Even when you listen to the market reports, you don’t know what your profit will be at the end of the year. The unknowns are the hard part along with growing a farming business and not getting stagnant. Growing sustainably is our biggest challenge. What technology would you like to add to your farm? Joe: I try to stay on top of new technology as much as possible. The next step would be something autonomous or semi-autonomous. I’m not saying we’d implement it 100 per cent but as technology comes out, we like to try it to see if we can incorporate it into full production or not within the next few years. Technology doesn’t always mean fewer people, but usually means being more efficient with people. People can work longer and more comfortably with a better overall experience. In a short labour market, maybe it’s a good fit to take some pressure off the staff you do have. It all comes down to cost. There’s a lot of stuff I don’t do UNPu tCrLiOeSnEt L o s s Curtis with his wife Sherry and their children Camilla, Cyril, Conrad, and Cecelia. Photography Beitz photo
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