A Visit with the Neville Family
Every family has a tradition whether it be meeting at a relative’s house for special occasions, an elf on the shelf, or even playing football in the park on thanksgiving. For the Neville Family of Andale, Kansas, family traditions are a little different: a family farm. The farm was originally owned by the great grandparents and has been passed down through the generations so that now Jackie and her older brother, Joseph, help their parents, who are the current owners of the land, with growing a variety of crops: soybeans, wheat, grain sorghum (Milo), corn, alfalfa hay, brome, prairie hay and as well as the livestock.
A variety of components can affect the planting of crops. Jackie and Joseph explain how important it is to look at all elements that impact their crops. “Kansas is very unique due to the multiple climates across the state, which limits farmers to what they can and cannot grow,” Joseph explains through an email. In the winter months, the Nevilles spend time in the shop fixing and maintaining the equipment for the year ahead and apply fertilizer to the upcoming crops; in the spring, they start calving the cows around March 1st and check in on the cows daily to make sure everyone is healthy. In the following months, the seedbed is prepared to make sure there are no weeds or pests to compete with the crops that will be planted according to schedule: April 1, May 15, and June 1st. Jackie explains that the process for planting seeds has been one of the bigger technological changes over the last several years: “There has been a big push for the no till technique, which means there will be less erosion of the soil while there is some plant matter left over that will help keep the ground in place while fighting blowing winds and rains that can take away fresh good ground.” She also describes a technique called strip till, which is a hybrid mixture of no till and conventional that helps with keeping the ground in place for other crops as well as water filtration, fights wind erosion and holds microbes in the soil.
Being a farmer comes with a roller-coaster of emotion from life’s ups and downs. Some of the downsides include the unpredictability. Jackie lists a few of the concerns they face: “Weather has a major impact on your harvest; it can completely ruin it. Did the crops get planted in time? Will we harvest in time? What will the markets for the crops be like? Will I get a paycheck at the end?” Her brother adds to the list by saying that one of the struggles includes having people misunderstand or not understand what they do, thinking that farmers are up to no good and working in a dangerous environment. Yet the siblings share their favorite rewards about their lifestyle. For Jackie, it’s watching the new calves being born and watching cattle going off to be sold. For Joseph, it’s being able to look back at the end of the day and seeing what you’ve accomplished, getting to work with family, teaching good values and work ethic, and finding solutions to all the new problems. The siblings both agree that at the end of all their hard work, the best reward would be seeing the effort come full circle so that they can enjoy what they’ve done.
Farming is a lifestyle that comes with a large amount of satisfaction from being able to do what you love. Jackie and Joseph love what they do so much that they can see themselves continuing their family tradition and running the farm themselves when it gets passed on to them. It’s important to see farmers for what they really are: humans with a passion for giving back to the community.
Interview and article by Friends University English Composition student
(Dr. Kassia Waggoner's class, Fall 2019)
Every family has a tradition whether it be meeting at a relative’s house for special occasions, an elf on the shelf, or even playing football in the park on thanksgiving. For the Neville Family of Andale, Kansas, family traditions are a little different: a family farm. The farm was originally owned by the great grandparents and has been passed down through the generations so that now Jackie and her older brother, Joseph, help their parents, who are the current owners of the land, with growing a variety of crops: soybeans, wheat, grain sorghum (Milo), corn, alfalfa hay, brome, prairie hay and as well as the livestock.
A variety of components can affect the planting of crops. Jackie and Joseph explain how important it is to look at all elements that impact their crops. “Kansas is very unique due to the multiple climates across the state, which limits farmers to what they can and cannot grow,” Joseph explains through an email. In the winter months, the Nevilles spend time in the shop fixing and maintaining the equipment for the year ahead and apply fertilizer to the upcoming crops; in the spring, they start calving the cows around March 1st and check in on the cows daily to make sure everyone is healthy. In the following months, the seedbed is prepared to make sure there are no weeds or pests to compete with the crops that will be planted according to schedule: April 1, May 15, and June 1st. Jackie explains that the process for planting seeds has been one of the bigger technological changes over the last several years: “There has been a big push for the no till technique, which means there will be less erosion of the soil while there is some plant matter left over that will help keep the ground in place while fighting blowing winds and rains that can take away fresh good ground.” She also describes a technique called strip till, which is a hybrid mixture of no till and conventional that helps with keeping the ground in place for other crops as well as water filtration, fights wind erosion and holds microbes in the soil.
Being a farmer comes with a roller-coaster of emotion from life’s ups and downs. Some of the downsides include the unpredictability. Jackie lists a few of the concerns they face: “Weather has a major impact on your harvest; it can completely ruin it. Did the crops get planted in time? Will we harvest in time? What will the markets for the crops be like? Will I get a paycheck at the end?” Her brother adds to the list by saying that one of the struggles includes having people misunderstand or not understand what they do, thinking that farmers are up to no good and working in a dangerous environment. Yet the siblings share their favorite rewards about their lifestyle. For Jackie, it’s watching the new calves being born and watching cattle going off to be sold. For Joseph, it’s being able to look back at the end of the day and seeing what you’ve accomplished, getting to work with family, teaching good values and work ethic, and finding solutions to all the new problems. The siblings both agree that at the end of all their hard work, the best reward would be seeing the effort come full circle so that they can enjoy what they’ve done.
Farming is a lifestyle that comes with a large amount of satisfaction from being able to do what you love. Jackie and Joseph love what they do so much that they can see themselves continuing their family tradition and running the farm themselves when it gets passed on to them. It’s important to see farmers for what they really are: humans with a passion for giving back to the community.
Interview and article by Friends University English Composition student
(Dr. Kassia Waggoner's class, Fall 2019)