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The Green, Green Grass Of Home Was Too High
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Article
by Raylene Nickel
Photos by Mike Boyatt
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Affordable
land for the son to farm was far from the familiar fields he
knew.
Young Charles Hardy had deep roots in the dark,
rich prairie soils of central Illinois. He grew up learning
almost all there is to know about growing corn. But at age 20,
when he was ready to farm on his own, high land prices close
to home forced him to look beyond the horizon for ground he
could afford.
He found that more affordable land in western
Missouri, hundreds of miles away from friends and family. Nevertheless,
at age 20, he headed west, alone. That was 26 years ago.
“I started with just 260 acres of rented
land,” he said. “I bought my machinery in Illinois
and hauled it to Missouri with a pickup truck pulling a flatbed
trailer. I backed the equipment off the trailer and started
farming.”
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Starting Small
His initial stake in Missouri farming was about 70 miles
east of Kansas City. His parents and grandparents bought the land
to get the young man started. He eventually purchased the land from
his family and added to it over the years. He now owns 1,600 acres
and farms a total of 6,000.
On that land he grows 4,800 acres of corn and soybeans,
and puts the remainder in hay and pasture. He also runs 500 beef cows
which he manages on a share basis with Lou Ahlemeyer, partner and
long-time friend.
“I had farmed with my father in Illinois, but I
certainly didn’t know how to farm in Missouri,” Hardy said.
“My grandfather gave me some good advice, he said, ‘I know
you’re a good farmer, and you know how to farm in Illinois, but
just shut up and watch what your neighbors do. Learn all you can.’
”
What he learned about Missouri farming is that, “The
weather is fickle here. You have to be flexible. You have to try a
lot of things so you know what crops or practices will work in each
year’s unique growing conditions.”
Fall-Back Cattle
Cattle have been a big part of that flexibility to reduce
risk. “Originally, I just wanted to be a row-crop farmer,”
he said. “But given central Missouri’s erratic weather,
I found there were years when I had to mitigate my losses. It helps
to have cattle to fall back on. Furthermore, the cattle help provide
year-round jobs for the people who work for me.”
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From a small, daring start, Charles Hardy has used
diversity, risk management, and flexibility to grow from
260 to 6,000 acres.
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Hardy uses a “whole farm” style of cattle
and crop management in which there is a relationship in the
field between cattle and the growing crops. After harvest, he
grazes cattle on red clover regrowth in some fields and cornstalks
in others. This practice adds value to his crops while it reduces
the acre- age he needs for pasture and hay.
The 1,500 to 2,000 acres of corn he grows each
year are somewhat unusual in his area because he is just south
of the traditional corn belt. The hot, dry weather usually starts
just when corn needs rain the most, making it a risky crop for
his area.
In spite of the risk, he decided early in his
farming experience that drought-resistant varieties of corn
could actually be more profitable in the long run than milo.
Milo was once a common crop in the region, but one that was
sometimes difficult to market.
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Corn In Milo Country
“I decided to raise corn because I understood that
crop from having grown it in Illinois,” Hardy said. “And,
too, because of genetic improvements, there are now corn varieties
that will produce under much tougher conditions than they once did.”
Hardy gets 200 bushels of corn to the acre in good years,
but only about half that much in dry seasons.
Nearly 2,300 acres are planted to soybeans. The fall
after harvesting the soybeans, he plants 25 percent of that land to
winter wheat, mainly to provide a rotational break from the broad-leaved
crops of corn and beans.
The remaining 75 percent of his soybean ground is planted
to corn the following spring. Corn and soybeans benefit each other
through their symbiotic relationship, he points out. “Soybeans
leave nitrogen for the corn to use, and the corn leaves residue to
help protect against soil loss. The type of soil we have here is very
erosive.”
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The Alfalfa Advantage
Hardy plants alfalfa on 50 acres of his land that
is most susceptible to erosion. That land remains in alfalfa
for five to six years. The alfalfa helps rebuild fragile soils
and provides feed for the cattle.
He also grows 150 to 200 acres of red clover for
much the same reason, to protect rolling land from soil loss.
The clover regrows the second year, providing a hay crop for
cattle by early summer.
In its second year, the clover usually produces
a heavy crop of seed for harvest by mid-August. Sometimes his
seed brings 75 cents a pound. Usually, however, he keeps it
to replenish his own store of clover seed for the following
year.
Like soybeans, clover fixes nitrogen in the soil
that can be used by the next year’s crops. It also provides
hay and grazing for the cattle.
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The Charles Hardy family, left to right, front
row, Lissa, Vicki (Mrs. Hardy) holding daughter Vanessa,
and Amber Knoernschild holding her daughter, Emily.
Back row, Nathan, Charles, and son-in-law Barak Knoernschild.
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Handling Risk
While Hardy minimizes risk with his production practices,
he also manages risk by choosing marketing outlets that either pay
premiums or provide some form of price insurance. He may sell certified
seed from his soybean crop to the regional cooperative, the Missouri
Farmers Association (MFA).
“I buy the registered parent seed from the co-op.
The seed is cleaned, bagged, and distributed through various MFA local
cooperatives. The main advantage to marketing seed to MFA is that
the arrangement takes some of the fickleness out of the normal market.
Though the price I earn does indeed fluctuate, the market is based
on the Chicago soybean futures for the following May. I can ‘call’
my market at any time. It’s somewhat like hedging.”
Calf Marketing
Hardy gets premium prices for his weaned calves by marketing
them at the co-op’s White Tag sales. Calves sold in this program
must be managed beforehand according to “a specific set of rules”
relating to worming, vaccinations, and weaning practices.
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The Hardy farm crew, from left, Matt Hix, Tim Knoernschild,
Barak Knoernschild, J.C. Harbit, Nathan Hardy (on hood),
Kit Carter (black t-shirt) Mike Carter, Anthony Norton,
and
Charles Hardy.
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White Tag calves typically earn $10/hundredweight
more than calves sold by the conventional auction method. The
additional inputs required to treat calves amount to about $20
a head.
Now, 26 years after a bold move from his Illinois
homeland, Charles Hardy can say he is glad he came to Missouri.
His farm has become home to a new generation of family farmers.
It was here he married Vicki, “the greatest tractor operator”
on the farm.
The Hardys have four children: Amber, 22, who
has a daughter, Emily, 1; Lissa, 20, Nathan, 19, and Vanessa,
4. Amber’s husband, Barak Knoernschild, is a full-time
employee on the farm, as are Tim Knoernschild, Matt Hix, and
J.C. Harbit.
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Today, it’s difficult to imagine Hardy’s brash
start 26 years ago. “We’ve tried to stay very dedicated
to farming and do a good job,” he said. And his operation would
seem to prove how diversity, risk management, and flexibility in cropping
can work to put a farm on solid footing both now and for the future.
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