The Jon and Emily Kerschen Family
2019 Kansas Farm Bureau Farm Family of the Year
2019 Kansas Farm Bureau Farm Family of the Year
Farmer Perspective
What do you enjoy about farming?
“About everything. It’s being outside. I’ve always liked watching things grow. From planting in the garden when I was little to now it’s just on a big scale. It’s just a big garden out there. It is fun watching stuff grow. I’ve always just liked being outside. It’s fun."
Why is soil health so important?
“It is about the most important thing we have on a production scale. If you don’t take care of your soil, you’re not going to grow anything. If you don’t grow anything, you’re not going to make a living out of it. So, you’ve got to take care of the soil.”
How many generations has your family been farming?
“We’re been farming here for four generations. I am the 4th generation. Grandpa was born in that house. Grandma was in the farmhouse right across there. They could see each other.”
More thoughts…
“There’s just something about the work on a dairy that grew a pretty close family. To say, yeah, it’s your birthday, but you’ve got to get up and milk cows. It’s Christmas morning, but you still have to go over and milk. And if you weren’t going to do it, then someone has to cover for you. There’s always something for you to do, between feeding little calves and you can start at a young age.”
Young Farmer Perspective
What do you like about soil?
Abigail “It gives us food.”
Jenevieve “It helps our crops grow.”
William “So we have food and so we can get bread.”
Otis “People get big"
What do you enjoy about farming?
Abigail “I get to ride in the semi.”
Jenevieve “I get to ride with Dad in the tractor during harvest.”
William “Most of our tractors have two seats and one is for the grownup to drive and ones’ for the extra person to sit in.” “I like to ride in the combine.”
Otis “Me too.”
More thoughts…
Abigail “When the wheat is bigger, it’s fun to play hide and seek in the wheat.”
Jenevieve “We lost a ball in the wheat.”
William “If you see any yellow out there that would be like bad plants out there.” "I run around across like the whole entire field.”
(Information and soil sample provided by Jon and Emily Kerschen Family in interviews on March 30, 2021 by Brenda Matson, Sedgwick County Conservation District)
What do you enjoy about farming?
“About everything. It’s being outside. I’ve always liked watching things grow. From planting in the garden when I was little to now it’s just on a big scale. It’s just a big garden out there. It is fun watching stuff grow. I’ve always just liked being outside. It’s fun."
Why is soil health so important?
“It is about the most important thing we have on a production scale. If you don’t take care of your soil, you’re not going to grow anything. If you don’t grow anything, you’re not going to make a living out of it. So, you’ve got to take care of the soil.”
How many generations has your family been farming?
“We’re been farming here for four generations. I am the 4th generation. Grandpa was born in that house. Grandma was in the farmhouse right across there. They could see each other.”
More thoughts…
“There’s just something about the work on a dairy that grew a pretty close family. To say, yeah, it’s your birthday, but you’ve got to get up and milk cows. It’s Christmas morning, but you still have to go over and milk. And if you weren’t going to do it, then someone has to cover for you. There’s always something for you to do, between feeding little calves and you can start at a young age.”
Young Farmer Perspective
What do you like about soil?
Abigail “It gives us food.”
Jenevieve “It helps our crops grow.”
William “So we have food and so we can get bread.”
Otis “People get big"
What do you enjoy about farming?
Abigail “I get to ride in the semi.”
Jenevieve “I get to ride with Dad in the tractor during harvest.”
William “Most of our tractors have two seats and one is for the grownup to drive and ones’ for the extra person to sit in.” “I like to ride in the combine.”
Otis “Me too.”
More thoughts…
Abigail “When the wheat is bigger, it’s fun to play hide and seek in the wheat.”
Jenevieve “We lost a ball in the wheat.”
William “If you see any yellow out there that would be like bad plants out there.” "I run around across like the whole entire field.”
(Information and soil sample provided by Jon and Emily Kerschen Family in interviews on March 30, 2021 by Brenda Matson, Sedgwick County Conservation District)