Our Friends in the Field: Profiles in Farming

For lifelong farmer, succession more than business—it’s continuing a way of life

In the fall, Merlyn Hegland spends more than 700 hours in his combine, harvesting fields in central Iowa. Catch him at the right time and you might find one of his six grandchildren riding with him.

While the technology may have advanced over the years, the experience itself is similar to what Merlyn enjoyed as a boy. Some of his earliest memories involve riding on a tractor with his father, who grew up on a farm in Norway.

Read more »

Involving children early helps smooth succession plan for family farming

This summer, you might run into Kevin Vierkandt at a tractor pull somewhere in the Midwest or the Great Plains. Tractor pulling ranks as one of his favorite hobbies.

The Iowa farmer has more time to devote to his hobbies lately because of the succession plan he and his family mapped out a few years ago. Every succession plan has its challenges. But Kevin says starting early made a big difference.

Read more »

© 2012 Pfister Seeds. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement