Doug and Lara

Why we chose careers in agriculture

Doug: Like most kids who grow up on a farm, I loved farming and it seemed like a natural fit to follow that path. I attended Kansas State University and worked as an agronomist. When my father decided to retire, we took that opportunity to come home and take over the family farm.

Lara: I grew up on a farm as well, so it was nice to have the opportunity for our kids to grow up the same way we did. I started an agritourism business and it’s been so great to invite the public to come and share in all the things we love about agriculture.

What we enjoy most about farming

Lara: What I enjoy most about farming is being able to work with my husband. It’s been awesome to be able to be so family focused. Our kids can ride along with us and they get to see us working together.

Doug: What I enjoy most about farming is the challenge and the rewards that you get at the end of the year. We make mistakes, but the beauty of farming is that it’s a one-year cycle, so I get a chance to hit the reset button and try something new the next year.

Working with Frontier Farm Credit

Doug: I was an agronomist at a local university, and I was always really impressed with Farm Credit’s willingness to jump in and sponsor events. That was my introduction to them, so when we moved back to the farm it was an easy transition. I knew the loan officer and they understood our vision of what we wanted to do.

Our vision for the future

Doug: Like many operations, the vision for our farm is growth. We have a target size we would like to get to in order to be profitable, but we want to have a balance and not take on too much because family is really important to us and we have four kids to raise.

Lara: As far as the agritourism business, it’s been exciting to see it start from a small conversation and grow into something that we now share with others and use as a stream of income and enjoyment for our family. I hope it can be something for our kids to come back and do as we pour more into it.