Travel with me to 1874. Kansas has only been a state for 13 years. The civil war ended less than a decade ago. There are no cars. Drought and the grasshopper plague have hit Kansas so the government and the rest of the country pitch in to help farmers. Hiram Hitchcock has settled along the Ninnescah river in the Sumner County township of London just south of Clearwater, KS. He is deeded the land by President Ulysses S. Grant. In the book “History of Wichita and Sedgwick County” published in 1910, it says “Everybody knows Hiram Hitchcock, the most genial man in Sumner County.” It goes on to mention his “fine farm”. Fast forward to June 2023.
Many things have changed since 1874, however, wheat harvest 2023 was not for the faint of heart. Between the rain, the weeds, the breakdowns, the thieves, and the poor yield from drought conditions, it’s not one we hope to repeat. I had the honor of joining Stonehocker Farms in Clearwater for day five of their harvest. By day, Tyler is a precision tech for South Central Precision Ag but any chance he gets he’s working for his family farm. For day-to-day operations, he farms alongside his dad Kevin with support from both Tyler’s wife Ann and his mom Monika. His sister Jenna helps with the agronomy and during harvests operates a combine or grain cart. His cousin Shaun is their harvest manager. Monika and Conner (Jenna’s boyfriend) drive semis. His Papa Dale (maternal grandfather) is their parts-getter and uber, helping move them where they need to go. Meme Sharyn (maternal grandmother), Margaret (mother-in-law), and Ann keep the crew fed. Ann runs the grain cart when needed and Monika operates the tractor. Truly a family operation.
We had planned on meeting at one field for pictures but like with anything farming related, that plan changed when they finished it quicker than expected. No problem, I drove on to their home farm situated near the Ninnescah river just south of Clearwater. I pulled up to the house and saw where Tyler’s family have farmed for 6 generations. I continued through the drive and found his Meme Sharyn and her dog Little Bit waiting in her minivan for the crew to arrive. As we waited, his wife Ann and son Beryl arrived with Sonic for dinner. Ann began to unload the car and set up a table with Beryl sitting snug on her hip. Beryl was named after his great grandfather, a 4th generation farmer who once lived in the home that is now theirs. Next, she got his Little Tike Cozy Truck and perched him to sit right next to the action as she unloads food from her car. Beryl has his own travel highchair that Ann set up and he relaxed as he ate his dinner waiting for others to arrive. Soon after she got a call and plans changed again. The harvest crew began arriving as we loaded up the table and food to take into the field just down the drive. Ann carried Beryl to Tyler as he pulled near the house. Beryl kicked his legs excitedly to go with dad in the combine.
The team worked with a sense of urgency as the forecast showed rain to begin in just a few hours. They immediately started cutting the outside rounds so the grain cart, semi and caravan of cars can park. Not wanting to slow momentum or get in the way, I try to get some quick photos while Tyler and his dad Kevin continued cutting and the others eat. Jenna and her boyfriend Conner took over for Tyler as he and Beryl climbed out of the combine. Shaun took over for Kevin.
While I was able to chat with Tyler, Kevin, and Monika, Kevin said something that caught my attention. “If he chooses, Beryl with be the 7th generation to farm.” If he chooses replayed in my head. If he chooses… As if there is any other choice. But there is. Many children that have grown up in a farm family have followed other career paths. Farming is not something to force anyone into. Demanding hours, tough work, hard years, and uncertainty aren’t exactly what you would want for any of your children. Yet there we were, surrounded by multiple generations that have chosen to farm and those that have married into the farm and chosen to help. It’s not just a career, it’s a way of life.
How could anyone choose this life? Not one day is the same. Many nights are spent in the cab of a tractor, combine or sprayer watching the sky burst with colors as the sun goes down. At least one month out of the year, dinners are eaten in the field without a tv nearby and the kids run and play before the crew starts rolling again. You are your own boss, and your success not only depends on your hard work but also on many variables outside of your control like weather, grain prices and cost of inputs. It takes grit and determination to keep going when the odds are stacked against you. But you persist.
This year was hard but there is beauty in the struggle. The Stonehocker’s worked hard, worked as a team and had lots of laughs despite how quickly they finished a farm or what the yield monitor was showing. They pressed on harvesting wheat, planting soybeans, and are grateful for the rain. It isn’t a year to remember for a great yield, but it is a year to remember. Regardless of all of this, Tyler said he knew from an early age he wanted to farm alongside his dad when he was older. Now in 2023, he lives on the farm of his great-great-great grandfather Hiram Hitchcock. A farm passed down through the generations. A farm that one day Beryl may tend to if he chooses. And if he does choose to farm, he will be able to look back at the difficulties in 1874 and 2023 and all the years in between. He can look back with hope that just like the six generations before him, he can make it through whatever he faces and pass down the farm for future generations.
