In 2011, when Aaron Krueger was a high school freshman, his grandfather was beginning to transition the family farm to the next generation. Krueger’s father, the next in line, passed away and his grandfather, who was having health challenges of his own, decided to sell his equipment and transition out of farming. Six years later, Krueger returned home with a degree from Purdue University and a plan to become the family farm’s fourth generation. Despite the obstacles in his path, he now works alongside his 86-year-old grandfather, growing yellow corn, soybeans and cereal rye.
Q: What have been your biggest challenges in returning back to the farm?
A: One of the biggest challenges I faced was putting together a fleet of equipment. Luckily, Grandpa still had the land base. He still had all the farm infrastructure, but he sold all the equipment. Acquiring reliable, technologically advanced — to the point I wanted — equipment at that time was pretty tough. There were several retiring farmers in the area who were happy to see their equipment go to a good place. They gave me a lot of good deals. We’ve upgraded to a point now where the equipment we have is reliable, and it’s the technology I want to use on our farm.
Q: What has helped you implement new initiatives?
A: I’ve been a main driver on our farm with the implementation of cover cropping. I’ve been able to access cost-share programs through NRCS, and I’ve worked with America’s Conservation Ag Movement for four years. We’ve been able to host a lot of meetings and field days in our area and build a network of producers where we can all gather up and get on the same page to share ideas and learn from one another.
Q: Have you received pushback in changing the way things have always been done?
A: The younger generation is more adept to adopting newer practices, and it did help me from a capital standpoint. We still don’t own any four-wheel drive or high-horsepower tractors. We only have a beat-up old field cultivator that we pull out every couple of years to level tile runs. My grandpa now drinks the Kool-Aid very heavily, but he’s kind of taken the stance of letting me do what I want to, and then he tells me later, ‘Well, I really didn’t think that was going to work out.’ But he runs the combine, so he sees that it works. I try to be transparent with him, and now he advocates the cover cropping for me.
Q: What’s your vision moving forward?
A: My long-term goal is more diversity. Right now, we’re just corn and soybeans, and last year we started growing rye. I see an opportunity in my area, and with the increase of cover cropping, to also grow other small grains to sell as cover crop seed. We recently got a seed cleaner, too. I’d like to integrate livestock as well. My father-in-law has Red Angus, so my wife grew up with them, and it would make her very happy for me to bring livestock to our farm.
Your Next Read: Texas Rancher Kimberly Ratcliff Trades the Big Apple for Community Beef Business
