Meeting our Ag Pen Pal

By: Judi Roach's fourth grade students

North Elementary School

Over the past four years, Mrs. Judi Roach's fourth grade class has participated in the Farm Bureau Ag Pen Pal Program to learn about agriculture. In October, members of this year's class wrote their first letter to Jeff Huffman, the class's Ag Pen Pal. On Nov. 23, the class and five parents traveled from North Elementary in Sidney to Maxwell to meet Jeff and learn about his farming operation. As a follow up activity, the students worked together to write an article about their experience and what they learned.

The trip

We met Jeff and his crew at a cornfield that was being harvested. When we got there, Jeff was driving the tractor that was pulling a grain cart. Jeff hopped off the tractor and greeted our class. He showed us how the grain cart's auger filled the semi truck's trailer with corn. Jeff's father-in-law, Dale Wahlgren, was driving the combine. He pulled up and stopped near our group. We walked toward the combine and Jeff explained how the combine worked. The combine header goes inbetween the rows of corn and cuts the corn from the stalks. Their combine header can cut 12 rows at a time. The header shucks the corn and shells the corn off the cob. The cobs and the husks are thrown out the back of the combine as it goes through the field. After the corn has been harvested, it is dumped into the grain cart or into a trailer. Jeff's employees deliver the corn to North Platte or to the grain bins at the farm.

While in the field, we were able to ask Jeff questions about his farming operation. When asked, what is the biggest challenge of farming, Jeff replied, "The weather is the biggest challenge because you can't control it." A student asked Jeff what he enjoyed most about farming. His answer was, "What I like best about farming is farming with my family. I'm an independent kind of person and I can set my own hours. This allows me more time with with my family, but occasionally, I have some 14 or 15 hour days."

We also learned that Jeff and his father-in-law, Dale, have a Limited Liability Company named Island Farms, LLC. Dale has been farming since 1967. Jeff and his wife, Robyn, have been farming for 15 years. They have two full-time and two part-time employees.

Jeff taught agriculture in high school from 1995 to 2000. He grew up on a ranch near Burwell. He told us that he married the farmer's daughter, aka Robyn Wahlgren. Robyn grew up and lived on the farm where they currently live. They met while in college at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Robyn is also a former teacher who homeschools her younger sons, Cole and Levi. The Huffman's have a 14-year old daughter, Josie, and a 16-year old son named Will.

The product and equipment

Have you ever eaten a corn chip from Frito-Lay? Chances are good that it's made from the white corn grown by Island Farms, LLC. Most of their corn is contracted to the Frito-Lay Company, whose headquarters is in Texas. Island Farms ships about 500 semi trucks full of corn per year. Jeff and Dale received the Frito-Lay "Grower of the Year Award" in 2009. They traveled to Plano, Texas, to receive the award. They toured the chipping plant where the chips were made. When Jeff ate a fresh Dorito off the conveyor belt, he said, "These are the best Doritos I've ever had!" After the corn is delivered to the Texas plant, it is made into a chip in less than 24 hours.

They plant genetically modified corn seed from Pioneer. The seed is modified so that they don't have to use as many pesticides and it uses water better so less irrigation is needed. Therefore, they use less water. Island Farms has several center pivots that irrigate their crops with well water. They have many different wells that can pump anywhere from 300 to 1,100 gallons of water per minute. The corn has to be dry before it can be harvested, otherwise the corn will not fall off the cob easily.

Corn harvest takes about 40 days. Weather can have devastating effects on crops. About three years ago, 60 mile per hour winds blew the corn right off the stalks. The corn ended up on the ground with no way to pick it up. This past spring 200 acres of corn were damaged, or completely wiped out due to the flood waters from the Platte River. Hail and snow can also affect the crop yield. Last year Island Farms grew 300 acres of soybeans, 800 acres of yellow corn, 1,800 acres of white corn, and 200 acres of hay.

Having the right equipment is very important when it comes to farming. Jeff has two big tractors and three small tractors. They also have one combine and five semi trucks. All of the equipment is manufactured by John Deere. All of the tractors and combines have i-Pads in them. These i-Pads provide different types of information. For instance, it will tell how many bushels are on the combine or grain cart. Jeff can also access information on the amount of corn that is harvested in each acre of the field. During planting, they set their tractors on auto steer. The combines are also capable of auto steer. He has a sprayer that he sprays his crops with. The attachments for his tractors and combine include a corn header, a planter, a disc, a header for cutting wheat and soybeans, and a baler. They also own a bale mover which picks up the big round Alfalfa bales. They own a forklift that they use to move heavy objects easily.

An improvement that Island Farms has made is that they purchased new fuel tanks with secondary containment that are set above ground on concrete pads. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) put new rules into effect that have forced farmers to invest in these new tanks. In addition, Pepsi-co, the company that owns Frito-Lay, has required that this be done as well. The benefits of the new tanks are safety for the employees, ensuring good clean fuel for the equipment, and protection of the soil, groundwater and environment.

The farm

After we left the harvest field, we drove about seven miles to Jeff and Robyn's farm. They live west of Maxwell. When we got there, we met Robyn and their two youngest sons, Levi and Cole. We ate lunch in their sunroom and Robyn talked about growing up on the farm. Also, she handed out individual bags of chips from Frito-Lay. She told us to look on the back of the package and read the ingredients. Many of the chips were made from corn.

When lunch was over, we took a tour of the farm. The first building we went to was the shop. Jeff told us earlier that he was able to build this "dream building." It has a complete shop with a hoist and many types of tools that allow his employees to work on the equipment. The building is heated, so his employees can work in there year-round. Next, we saw a big storage building that is used to store seed and equipment. Then we saw three huge, silver grain bins. Robyn explained that there is an outside elevator to reach the top of the grain bins. Some of the grain is stored in the bins until it is shipped to Frito-Lay. Normally, the kids are not allowed near the grain bins for safety reasons.

We then toured the barn. It has a chicken coop where they keep their seven chickens. We were able to hold a chicken and some of us even gathered chicken eggs. The Huffman kids have had 4-H cows and pigs. They have five horses, including a mare that had a filly named Bella. Levi and Cole showed us how they feed the horses. They also told us one of their horses has asthma. Obie is their golden retriever dog and they have several barn cats. Finally, we toured the office where Jeff and his part-time employee completes the office work. This building also has a nice break room where everyone can eat.

Before we left, we had some recess fun with Cole and Levi. We played catch with the football and shot baskets. We had a great time at Island Farms. We learned a lot about agriculture and enjoyed meeting our super, awesome Ag Pen Pal, Jeff, and his family. We will never forget our wonderful Ag Pen Pal field trip.

To learn more about the Nebraska Farm Bureau Ag Pen Pal Program, contact the Courtney Schaardt, education coordinator, at [email protected].