Like many boys who grow up on a farm, Landon Aldinger was fascinated with equipment. He enjoyed it so much that he earned a bachelor’s degree in Ag Engineering from Iowa State University and then worked nearly seven years, as a Senior Design Engineer, for the Toro Company in Minneapolis.

“I really enjoyed my time and my career in the cities,” says Landon. “But when I turned 30, my priorities started to shift. I was ready to head home and become more involved in the farming operation.”

Since 2008, Landon had been assisting his father with their seed, chemical and consulting business. He was driving “home” as much as possible to assist with planting, harvesting, tillage and consulting. Landon and his father, Mike Aldinger, are growing the services they offer through Precision Farm Management business by continuing and implementing more precision agricultural services like variable rate seeding and variable rate fertilizer, including variable rate nitrogen.

“We’ve been proponents of variable rate (VR) fertilizer and nitrogen applications,” says Landon. “For the past eight-plus years, we’ve been big on VR corn, so we vary the planting rate depending on soil type, hybrid tendencies and other factors. The past three years we’ve been planting soybeans at variable rates, as well.”

“Variable nitrogen is also a large part of our expansion on precision agriculture,” adds Landon. “We plan our nitrogen applications on corn hybrids, taking into account the organic piece that soils produce. We’re getting positive results from writing prescriptions like we would for plant population.”

Once all their crops are harvested, the 2018 crop has been planned and the seed orders have been written, Landon will spend more hours working on projects related to his Aldinger Engineering LLC consulting business. He’s currently working on creating 3-D images to give his client an online equipment parts presence.

This fall has been an especially busy one for Landon. He and his wife, Kinsey, welcomed their first child, Grady Michael Aldinger, on September 29. In addition, the first group of pigs were delivered to their new wean-to-finish hog building the first of October.

“My parents built the first hog barns 11 years ago with the intent of building another one since the property was zoned as a two-barn site,” says Landon. “It just made sense for me and Kinsey to build the second hog barn now. Our goal to diversity our farm income. Producing cattle and pork, the seed dealership, chemical sales, plus consulting helps us diversify.”

The coming year is all about watching Grady grow and experience so many “firsts” like holidays. You can bet the family celebration will be featured around either the meat the Aldinger family produces. In honor of October Pork Month, today they’re sharing one of their favorite pork recipes on The Field Position.

Steve and Jodi Roelofs live in a garden spot of Minnesota.

Jodi’s passion for gardening and re-purposing vintage furniture and equipment is evident from the moment one pulls into their yard. Pots and gardens filled with lush, color flowers look inviting. Her vegetable garden is a work of art. The backyard looks like something from a Country Living or Better Homes & Gardens photo shoot. It’s the type of setting that makes a book worm like me want to curl up with a novel, sip on a glass of cold lemonade and read while the water feature provides a calming effect.

The couple raised their family in the farmhouse next door, where Steve grew up and still raises hogs. That house serves as Steve’s farm office and Jodi’s workshop. The former kitchen and living room are filled projects in various stages of re-purposing. Chalk-painted chairs will be sold at Hilltop Florist and Greenhouse in Mankato, where Jodi has worked for more than 20 years. She retired from managing the greenhouses and special planting projects.

Jodi studied graphic arts at South Central College in Mankato where she met Steve, who studied ag production. She says she began working part-time at flower shops when her kids were small because it allowed her to enjoy adult conversation and provided her with a creative outlet. The scale of Jodi’s gardens has grown as her children grew.

The Roelofs are the proud parents of four sons:

• Tony, 31, worked at ADM. He started in Lloydminster, Canada, and then moved to Red Wing, Minnesota, before getting transferred to Valdosta, Georgia. He’s moved several other times. Tony now works for Columbia Grain and calls Portland, Oregon, home.
• Christopher, 30, works the night shift for UPS. When the trucks come in, he repairs them before the next day. He also has his own shop to work on cars.
• Bryant, 26, has farmed for six years with Steve.
• Matthew, 19, is a freshman at South Dakota State in Brookings where he’s studying history and political science.

Jody also served as a 4-H leader from the time their oldest son was 10 years old until their youngest son graduated in May 2017. During her tenure as a 4-H leader, she shared her passion with New Horizon 4-H Club members. They won an award from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for the bird feeding station they built on the Blue Earth County Fairgrounds in Garden City, Minnesota.

“We had so much fun at the fair with our kids,” said Jody, who grew up on a Minnesota dairy farm and belonged to 4-H.

Steve and Jody say they particularly enjoyed staying at the state fair with their kids, who showed pigs. Adults stayed in camper, while the kids slept in tents or in the hog barn.

“Last year it started to rain, so we had 11 of us in a 27-foot camper,” Steve says with a laugh. “We had to make room for everyone. We had people sleeping everywhere!”

While that night of sleep might not have been best, it made for great memories. Another highlight of the annual affair is playing State Fair Bingo. Cards are available online, and the Roelofs says they’ve had hours of enjoyment. Kids would take photos of items on the Bingo card like a triple stroller, a guy with an eye patch and a woman wearing a country music t-shirt.

Instead of attending the 2017 Minnesota State Fair, Steve and Jodi moved their youngest son to South Dakota State University. These empty nesters are embracing this new chapter of life. They’ve learned to adjust and adapt through the years.

When Steve and Jodi’s oldest son went to college, the family stopped farrowing. Jodi had been working in the farrowing barns, so this change gave her the opportunity to return to working in a floral shop. Steve and his brother, who had been farming together in a family corporation, decided to split the operation. Steve raised feeders and his brother raised the finishers.

A market crash prompted Steve to reevaluate the pork operation. For the past seven years, he has leased his pig barns. Steve and his middle son do the daily hog chores.

“This arrangement works well for us,” says Steve. “We’re responsible for the day-to-day care of the feeder pigs but we don’t have to assume any of the risk. Each month we know exactly what we’ll make.”

Raising pigs, as well as selling Latham® brand seed, complement the family’s grain operation. Both enterprises allowed the Roelofs to cut expenses while increasing income to allow their son an opportunity to farm.

“We went to FarmFest and spoke with a few different seed companies about dealerships,” says Steve. “We really liked the idea of working with a family-owned seed company. When we realized one of our neighbors was a regional sales manager for Latham, that helped us make the decision.”

Steve and Jodi look forward to fall harvest. In addition to bringing in the corn and soybeans, Jodi will be harvesting fall produce. She sells pumpkins, squash, gourds, broom corn and other items through Hilltop Florists.

Once the fall field work is done and the season changes, the couple looks forward to snowmobiling. They enjoy outdoor activities all year long from driving around and looking at crops to spending time at their cabin where they enjoy pontooning, water skiing and jet skiing with their kids.

The Roelofs family also enjoys family dinners. In celebration of National Pork Month in October, today they’re sharing with us one of their favorite recipes for Chinese Pork Chops.

Just shy of 30 miles from where they originally met, Mike and Mary Beth Jackson are carrying on a legacy of the land. They’ve made their home in the house that Mike’s great great grandfather built in 1908, and they’re proud to be the 6th generation living on their family’s 125-year-old farm.

Like most little boys who grow up on a family farm, Mike wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and farm. He grew up east of Oskalooa, Iowa, which is about 60 miles southeast of Des Moines. Mike was involved in FFA through high school, where he raised sheep for his Supervised Agriculture Experience (SAE). As a large believer in the SAE program, he explains that the experience gave him and other classmates a good dose of the reality in the agricultural industry.

Mike graduated from Muscatine Community College with a degree in Feed and Fertilizer Management. Knowing that would provide him with practical knowledge, he knew it would help him pave his way back to the farm with a unique skillset.

Following graduation, Mike didn’t hesitate to put his degree to work. He built his first 1,200 head SEW (segregated early wean) swine building and began farming with his father, Mark and Uncle Tom. He and his family knew that expanding their operation into the swine industry would help present the farming opportunity for more family members.

Mike farms with his wife, father and uncle. He raises corn, soybeans and run three custom-fed swine buildings. Mike is also a Latham® Seed dealer.

“We have always been familiar with the Latham® Seeds brand as being one notch above the rest,” Mike said. “Aside from their superior products, I wanted to work for a family owned seed company located in the area I would serve.”

Initially attracted to the idea of cover crops for yield bump, Mike explained that he quickly learned that building soil health and building yield went hand in hand.

The Jacksons started using cover crops in 2015. They wanted to experiment to see what best fit their land, so they started with a few small trials. They liked what they saw and flew rye on 290 acres of standing corn. The positive impact on erosion and nutrient control peeked Mikes interest. In the winter of 2015, he bought a drill and drilled nearly 600 acres. Mike started a trend as he started custom drilling cover crops for other area farmers.

“In the short-term, we have noticed the most benefit of cover crops with erosion and nutrient control,” Mike said. “I am looking forward to seeing the positive results continue and translate into a yield bump.”

Mike and Mary Beth met at the city square in Pella, Iowa. Mike smiles and says, “Like most small towns in Iowa back in the 90s, our weekend nights consisted of driving around the town square and seeing who we would run in to.”

Married in 2008, Mike and Mary Beth were happy to build on their interest in agriculture together. Mike explains that he can constantly count on Mary Beth. She manages the books and is always willing to prepare meals and help run equipment during the busy seasons.

Sharing a passion to tell their agricultural story, Mike and Mary Beth joined the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Advisory Committee. Their passion for modern agriculture is clear and they enjoy helping other young farmers work through similar situations.

Mike and Mary Beth are raising the Jackson Farms’ 7th generation, sharing their love for agriculture with their 3 children Arianna (soon to be 9), Jonathon (6) and Mack (3). Mike explains that raising a family on the farm gives him and Mary Beth the chance to teach their children by example.

“Farming for us is a lifestyle, sharing our passion with the family.” Mike says. “It’s carrying on the legacy for the next generation.”

Today the Jackson’s are sharing Mikes favorite snack with us – Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Peppers. YUM!

Forty-seven years ago, the Gisleson family had extra silage and decided to make the most of it. They bought a trailer and fed out heifers. They also lost $40/head, so Jon Gisleson decided to start selling seed. A nearby dealer recommended that Jon take a look at starting a Latham® Seed Dealership.

He did. The rest is history.

“The Lathams have always provided me with the most consistent soybean products,” Jon says. “They have been off-the-charts consistent for 47 years and counting.” After selling in the seed industry for so long, Jon says he’s learned that “you can’t just be good, you need to be better.”

Looking back, Jon says adversity turned into opportunity. He likely wouldn’t have considered a seed dealership without the need to supplement his income – and yet it’s turned out to be a job he truly enjoys. Jon is grateful for the relationships he’s built over the years, and for being able to provide dependable service and products to his customers.

Jon and his wife Ardis, who goes by Adri, live on the Gisleson century farm where his great-grandfather settled in 1895. Adri never thought she’d marry a farmer – and Jon didn’t dream of marrying a high school English teacher – but they’ve made a happy life together for nearly 40 years. They have three grown children: Max, Annie and Sarah. They also have two grandchildren, Jaceil (pronounced Jay-seal) and 4-year-old Russell.

Staying busy in his community has always been important to Jon. He is president of his church, a member of the school board and also serves on the Osage Education Foundation board.

Today we are sharing a recipe that Jon’s family started making in the mid-1980s as a staple for graduations and many other get-togethers over the years. Jon promises that “it’s always popular for groups large and small, and it holds well.”