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Partners at work, partners for life

North Dakota couple together
on and off the field

Ben Privratsky and his wife, Birdi, are partners on and off the field at their 100 year old homestead in South Heart, North Dakota. The Privratskys operate a 7,000 acre dryland cash grain farm where they grow spring wheat, durum, hay and oilseed crops.

"Birdi was a city girl from Dickinson (about 100 miles west of Bismarck) and knew nothing about farming until she married me. Now, Birdi drives tractors and trucks and is the main grain cart operator. She also keeps the farm inventories and records in order along with paying the bills. She took a real interest in the farm and that's really helped over the years. Many farm wives can't be actively involved," says Ben "I'm fortunate mine can."

Ben and Birdi Privratsky are partners both on and off the field.

The Privratsky's farm partnership also includes Ben's brother, Dan. "My wife, my brother and I have farmed together for about 25 years and I think we'd all say we have a good relationship. Dan, his wife, Melodee, and their three girls live in Bismarck where Dan works full-time as a nurse. He and I jointly own the land and all the equipment," Ben explains. "During the busy seasons of the year, he comes out here in full force to help."

Ben and Dan's parents, Albert and Anne, live nearby and are always ready to help when needed. "Even though they are retired, Dad is available to move seed trucks and always drives truck at harvest time."

Rob Ridl, a young farmhand who recently graduated from high school, rounds out the Privratsky work force. "Rob is an important part of our operation," says Ben, "he's willing to work the demanding hours that it requires."

Life in North Dakota desert

Although the Privratsky's 7,000 acre operation is in a semi-arid area that receives an average of only 12 inches of rain per year, the Privratsky's don't irrigate.

"Over the years, we've switched to no-till or minimum tillage," he says. "Since 1993, we've run a Flexi-Coil sprayer to burn down the weeds in the spring before planting. Then we use a Flexi-Coil 5000 air drill to deep-band our nitrogen fertilizer and place the seed in a paired row above the band. We try to conserve as much moisture as possible for our crops." Those crops include spring wheat, durum wheat, hay and oilseeds.

"Most of our spring wheat and durum goes to local elevators in Dickinson. The past few years, we've been using the futures' market to guarantee a good price on our wheat in December, but mostly I'm still a cash marketer." says Ben.

Left to right: Ben Privratsky; his brother, Dan Privratsky; and farmhand, Rob Ridl.

In addition to wheat, the Privratsky's raise 1,500 acres of hay, which they sell as a cash crop. The oilseed crops raised are canola, crambe and occasionally sunflowers.

“We grow crambe on a contract for Harvest States. It's an oil crop used for industrial purposes," Ben says. "One of the uses is as a slip agent for metal molds; another is the blue seal you find under the cap of a Coke bottle. Crambe does very well in our area because our weather is drier and heat doesn't affect it as much as canola.

"We run two New Holland TR™99 combines with 36-foot draper headers to harvest our crops," he says. "I like the New Holland TR99 combine for its high-capacity and its ability to save grain. The grain quality is excellent."

They originally ran two 860 Massey combines. "We demonstrated a New Holland TR97 and actually found it would just about do what those two 860s would do. We were really impressed with the capacity of the machine and I liked the dependability.

"We also run New Holland tractors, an 8670 and an 8970, plus an older Versatile 1150." Ben says these tractors are well suited to their operation. "We use the 8670 to pull a Flexi-Coil 114- foot sprayer. During the haying season, it's used with a three-point bale fork to move bales from the field." The New Holland 8970 tractor gets used for baling. "I really like the powershift on these tractors. The shuttle shift from forward to reverse is on the same lever. It is so handy for moving bales and for all the different jobs on the farm. The SuperSteer™ also makes it very maneuverable. They have good power and are very fuel efficient.

"The 8970 also pulls our grain cart during harvest. Birdi runs it most of the time. We have a scale on our grain cart and she keeps track of how many bushels come off the fields and which bins the grain is stored in.”

Life off the farm

When Ben and Birdi aren't working on their farm, you'll probably find them relaxing and fishing at their lakeside cabin.

"There aren't many things we don't do together," says Ben. "Family is very important to us. A few years ago, we bought a place at a nearby lake where we enjoy fishing and water skiing with our children, Sarah and Jeffrey. We make it a point to go there as many weekends as possible. You get a different perspective on life and it's good to take a break from the farm. Spending time at the lake rejuvenates us for the next work week."

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