27 Important Lessons from an Old Farmer

By Farms.com and OnFarm Foundation. Reprinted with permission from FarmOn Foudnation - A Community of Social Learning.

The best advice always comes from those people with experience. So, when we came across this list on Farms.com we knew we had to share it with you. We hope you enjoy, and feel free to let us know of any more pieces of advice that didn't make it on the list by commenting below. 

An Old Farmer's Advice:

1. Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

2. Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

3. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

4. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

5. Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

6. Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

7. Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

8. Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

9. It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

10. You cannot unsay a cruel word.

11. Every path has a few puddles.

12. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

13. The best sermons are lived, not preached.

14. Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.

15. Don't judge folks by their relatives.

16. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

17. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

18. Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.

19. Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

20. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

21. Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

22. The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

23. Always drink upstream from the herd.

24. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

25. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

26. If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

27. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. 

Have any other advice? Share it with us in the comments below.

The Love of Fall Harvest | by Jill Zwiener

It seems if you ask anyone in the farming/agriculture industry what their favorite part of the year is, most of the time you will hear “fall harvest.” There is something extra special about turning the calendar to October when harvest is in full swing.

It starts with walking out in the morning, a slight fog hangs in the air as you take in that first breath that is a little cooler than the months before. As everyone starts to gather in the field to begin harvesting, you feel a sense of excitement. The entire team is working together to get the year’s crop brought in.

The sights, the sounds, and the smells of harvest are so special. The sound of the combine shelling the corn. The aroma of the corn drying while a slight dust floats through the air. As the sun starts to set after a long day, the lights of the equipment and grain systems come on.

The mercury starts to drop and you reach for that light jacket to keep warm as you watch everyone coming in from the field. You shut down the equipment for the day and that's when you not only realize your love for fall harvest, but the love you have for taking care of the family farm. If you are lucky, you might even experience the joy of sharing this with your own children, knowing this might turn into their love as well and keep the cycle of family farming going.

The only thing that can make it better is catching a big, orange harvest moon coming up over the horizon on your drive home, knowing that in only a few short hours you get to start the process all over again. 

Happy fall harvest to everyone in the agriculture community! Take care and be safe this year!

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Jill Zwiener Brand Manager Jill joined the Valley Irrigation team in 2011. She loves country music, fountain soda, food, college football, and the ski slopes of Colorado. She enjoys using photography to freeze the precious bits of time with her family into pictures that she can cherish for years.

A Day in the Life of the American Farmer

Meet farmer Gary Hiam of Page, ND. He farms a fourth-generation farm with his four boys and his wife. 

We invite you to follow Gary through a day in the life of the American farmer.

Top 10 Reasons Being a Farmer Rocks

In case you ever need a reminder as to why you have the best job in the world as a farmer, check out the list that Fastline put together! (Think they forgot one? Add it in our comments section, or tells us your favorite part of being a farmer).

10. Outdoors – there’s nothing like the smell of fresh air, or even better, the smell of fresh cut hay!

9. Fun equipment – What other job do you get to drive large tractors, combines, sprayers, or anything else?

8. Weather – You always know the weather, even when you don’t want to.

7. You’re your own boss – Well besides Mother Nature – but she’s another story.

6. Job security – As long as there is land to farm and mouths to feed, farmers will have the most important job there is.

5. Farming communities – There is no community like a farm community. There are no strangers, just some people you might not know yet. When a farmer goes down, the whole town is there to pick up where he, or she, left off.

4. No need to clean – You have an excuse to be dirty and stay dirty. As Will Rogers so eloquently said, “What this country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.” Dirty nails show more than dirt, they show work ethic, discipline, and the most selfless workers the world knows.

3. Knowledge - Who else but a farmer can tell you more about the weather than a weather man, more about a tractor than a mechanic, and more about their land than anyone else.

2. The view- Your office has the best view of anyone – the outdoors, the fresh smells, and the earth beneath your feet. What’s better than that?

1. The best part? You feed the world. There are not many other people who can say that about their job.

Reprinted with permission from Fastline.

Valley Values – Durability | by Matt Ondrejko

One thing that amazes and inspires me is seeing Valley_® center pivots in the field that have been operating for 30+ years. Around the world, it is not uncommon to meet a grower who is proud to tell you his first pivot was a Valley and it is still running today. Heck, here in Nebraska, you can still see original Valley water-drive units in operation.  

The Durability of a Valley pivot is known throughout the world. That Durability is a key reason why the majority of irrigators continue to buy and recommend Valley machines to their friends and neighbors. Our customers work hard and expect their equipment to do the same thing. Valley delivers on that expectation.

Here at Valley, we have made changes to bring technology and product enhancements to the market to meet the changing needs of our customers. However, one thing we build into any change or upgrade is the promise of Durability that made the Valley name what it is today. The Valley brand is built on our performance through the years. Future success requires us to uphold and strengthen the key traits anchoring that performance.

Lasting brands stand the test of time and persevere through all the elements they are exposed to. Through blazing heat and windy winters, Valley pivots stand tall and are built to last. That’s the Durability promise that you can count on.

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Matt Ondrejko VP Global Marketing The one word that can sum up Matt is "enthusiasm!" He likes to be on-the-go and have fun along the way. Matt loves music and the 1980s era. He is a child of the MTV generation and has a deep appreciation of all music genres (specifically, he is a huge Dave Matthews Band groupie). Matt has traveled to more than 70 countries around the world and enjoys learning about different cultures and people. He spent three years living with his family in Leuven, Belgium, trying to enjoy as many of the 700+ beers they brew there.

Valley Values – Reliability | by Matt Ondrejko

Reliability is a term/feature that gets thrown around a lot by companies nowadays when they talk about how much better their products are than other brands. In fact, it has become a word that many consumers have grown weary of. However, there are people in certain industries and lines of work that require Reliability as assurance that they are getting the best proven product and that they have one less thing to worry about on the job.

In my seven months here at Valley®, I have heard the word Reliability come out of the mouth of every grower and dealer I have met when they tell me why they chose a Valley product for their operation.  

Reliability is not a label that can just be slapped on a product, it has to be earned. Reliability is something gained by days and years in the field, performing at the same high level every time. Reliability is something that maximizes your up-time and provides that sense of security that you don’t need to worry if it will work when you press the ON button. Reliability is something that the people of Valley take very seriously, because our growers and dealers do. It is our reputation and our legacy that drives the reliability we have all come to expect from a Valley product.

Valley Reliability is not something I have created, or that the current staff here has created, but we continue to deliver it with every new product we bring to market. The Reliability expectation we have achieved has been developed and delivered on with every passing year. Reliability is a value we will continue to deliver on tomorrow and well into the future.  

This is our commitment to you.


Click below to learn more about the Reliability of Valley products.

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Matt Ondrejko VP Global Marketing The one word that can sum up Matt is "enthusiasm!" He likes to be on-the-go and have fun along the way. Matt loves music and the 1980s era. He is a child of the MTV generation and has a deep appreciation of all music genres (specifically, he is a huge Dave Matthews Band groupie). Matt has traveled to more than 70 countries around the world and enjoys learning about different cultures and people. He spent three years living with his family in Leuven, Belgium, trying to enjoy as many of the 700+ beers they brew there.

Striving to Help Africa’s Small Farmers | by Shannon Peterson

It’s hard to deny that the effects of center pivot irrigation have been revolutionary. Nowhere is that more visible than in the United States where widespread conversion to center pivot irrigation has transformed agriculture and the landscape.  By using mechanized irrigation equipment, U.S. growers increased their revenue and their crop yields. Farmers grow more food with less water while being released from the drudgery of conventional irrigation methods and putting their labor to better use.

On a global scale, aggressive investments in irrigation, hybrid seeds, and fertilizer during the past 50 years have brought famine and poverty under control in Latin America, China, and South Asia. Yet most of Sub-Saharan Africa has made little progress during this same time period.  Limited investment in technology and infrastructure resulted in limited commercial farming in the region. 

Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 90 percent of the farmers are subsistence farmers. They spend half their annual incomes on food, leaving little money for education, health, and housing needs. (In contrast, only 6 percent of U.S. annual household income is spent on food). 

An exception is South Africa where Valley_® introduced center pivots in the 1970s. In South Africa, pivots are used primarily by medium and large commercial farmers, who have experienced tremendous success. The same drivers of this success can serve as a model for small growers, and Valley Irrigation is working to develop a model of shared pivots for smallholder farmers.

Many African smallholder farmers remain poor because they depend on unreliable rainfall, making them vulnerable to drought and climate change. Although these disadvantages could be completely eliminated by irrigation, center pivots are often cited as too expensive for Africa’s farmers. 

However, if small farmers share a center pivot, the cost drops dramatically. Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate the dramatic reduction in cost of a center pivot once the radius of the field exceeds 300 meters.

Figure 1

Figure 2

An association of smallholder farmers, or a large commercial producer serving as an irrigation and crop marketing provider, can own and operate the center pivot in cooperation with the smallholder farmers. This approach puts precise, efficient irrigation technology into the hands of small farmers, and the impact on farm production is dramatic because water is available where and when the crop requires it.  

Widespread use of this model could turn subsistence farmers into profitable commercial farmers by increasing yield and empowering farm workers. That's Valley, leading the way and feeding the world! 

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Shannon Peterson Marketing Content Editor Shannon joined Valley Irrigation in 2013. She enjoys traveling with her family, particularly to national parks, and she occasionally writes about her travels for Home & Away magazine. Shannon also likes reading, trying new restaurants, seeing movies, and watching Husker football and Creighton basketball. However, she and her husband spend most of their free time chauffeuring their teenage son to activities and chasing their baby daughter.

Harvesting Pride – from the seat of a combine | by Brooke Stover

 Grandpa's $1,700 tractor Harvesting corn Grandpa Gene

Autumn is signified to me by many things: the changing of the leaves from green to shades of orange and red; the sun starts coming out a little later (making it a bit more difficult for some of us to get out of bed – not me of course, but some); and (something I have come to appreciate) the caravan of combines combing the fields of rural Nebraska.

I was asked to write about the harvest, which I don’t know too much about, but I did know who to ask. So I visited my grandparents farm just east of Fremont, NE. As I drove down the gravel roads through clouds of dust with my camera and list of questions, I thought I knew what answers I was going to get and exactly what I was going to learn. I was both wrong and right, as usual. (I will most likely never admit to that again, so take note.)

After I arrived, I sat down at the kitchen table with my grandparents, and they told me how farming has changed. Their first tractor cost $1,700 and fuel could be purchased for 30 cents a gallon! They told me that, once upon a time, both weeds and crops were picked by hand. I, of course, teased them for that – a lot of horse and buggy jokes ensued, followed by a few about running water. But, all jokes aside, I am proud of where my grandparents started and where they are now. 

So, I was there to ask questions and take some pictures, but then my grandpa asked if I wanted to combine with him. Of course I did – I hadn’t been in a combine since I was eight! 


As we made our way up and down the rows, I could see why my grandfather enjoys farming so much. You can look right behind you and see what you have accomplished. You can see the corn as it flows from the combine to the truck, then look back out at the field and see what’s left.

On the way down row two, my grandfather said, “Grandma asks me when I am going to stop farming.” My grandfather is 76-years-young (he looks, maybe, a day older than 60). “And I told her, why would I quit now when farming is becoming easier?” Smart guy. Then he showed me all the buttons on his combine and told me that GPS could run the combine for him, if he wanted it to.

By the end of the day, I did, in fact, learn something I already knew – that farming has become easier. But I also learned something I didn’t exactly know – the joys of farming and the pride a grower deserves to feel about what he can accomplish on the land he owns. Those are the same reasons I am proud to work at Valley_®. We provide products like BaseStation and TrackNET™, which make the grueling and time-consuming tasks of farming just a little bit easier, a little bit more manageable, and a lot more precise, while instilling pride in every grower who calls farming his occupation.

As for my grandfather, well, he’s probably never going to quit farming. Sorry grandma.

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Brooke Stover Global Marketing Coordinator Brooke has been with the Valley Irrigation Global Marketing department since 2011. She spends her free time taking pottery classes; though she thoroughly enjoys this, most of her stuff is a bit lopsided. Brooke also loves to read and listen to Frank Sinatra. She enjoys traveling and has been to 11 countries with the goal to make it to six more in the next six years!

Happy National Farmers’ Market Week | by Shannon Peterson

One of the best things about late summer is the bounty of the harvest. During a recent visit to an Omaha Farmers’ Market, my family and I mingled with an enormous crowd browsing booths bursting with brightly colored produce, vibrant flower arrangements, local meats, and artisan cheeses. It was a pleasure to be in the midst of the city, but enveloped by the smells of fresh-picked dill, moist soil, and pungent green onions.

This particular market has grown over its two decades from a few overpriced veggie vendors to a Saturday morning destination featuring street musicians, bakery goods, and crafts along with the season’s freshest, locally grown (and reasonably priced) produce.

This week is National Farmers’ Market Week – a time to celebrate the growers that provide the endless variety of food options we have in the United States. The growing farm-to-table and eat-local movements, as well as the passionate desire of people to learn about where their food comes from, have spurred tremendous growth in farmers’ markets across the country. This year, 8,144 markets are listed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Farmers’ Market Directory - an increase from about 5,000 in 2008.

The markets also are to be commended for reaching out to those most in need of fresh foods in their diets. Vendors are providing locally grown vegetables and fruits to low-income senior citizens, women, and children by accepting payment through government assistance programs. And often leftover goods are donated to food banks. How cool is that?

Meanwhile, I dragged my family down each row scoping out what was available and comparing prices. As I purchased cucumbers (two for 50 cents), the friendly young vendor told me to grab an extra one, illustrating the connections built between customers and growers throughout the season. Regular customers purchase from preferred vendors week after week and inadvertently learn about the farms and the families that nurture them.

In fact, I bought sweet corn from the Wenninghoff’s Farm booth and learned the family sells vegetables daily at its farm store near the edge of Omaha. I often drive past the farm, which uses several Valley® center pivots in its fields, and next time I’ll be stopping to check out the store.

I invite you to celebrate National Farmers’ Market week by visiting your local market. Whether you try a new vegetable, pick up your tried-and-true favorites, or treat yourself a bouquet of sunflowers, you’ll be supporting and honoring the growers that make it all possible.

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Shannon Peterson Marketing Content Editor Shannon joined Valley Irrigation in 2013. She enjoys traveling with her family, particularly to national parks, and she occasionally writes about her travels for Home & Away magazine. Shannon also likes reading, trying new restaurants, seeing movies, and watching Husker football and Creighton basketball. However, she and her husband spend most of their free time chauffeuring their teenage son to activities and chasing their baby daughter.

Farming is in the Trail Blood

Originally published in Spring 2013 edition of PivotPoint.

Today, the two men and their wives work together very closely. Eventually, Rocky and Terrie plan to step back, taking more time off and traveling. For now, though, it is truly a family affair, as Rocky teaches Rusty all the nuances of farming the land, even as Rusty uses technology to get more out of that land with precision planning. meanwhile, Terrie and Jennifer work together on the books.

“We’ll be sitting around the dinner table at night with the kids, talking business,” says Rocky. “We make all of our decisions jointly. With us, it’s all family – all business.”

Working together to save money

Farming 2,200 acres in the hills and valleys of Idaho presents some challenges, one of which is how to irrigate their sugar beets, alfalfa, and winter wheat. They have always irrigated their land, mostly with hand lines, which requires a lot of labor.

Rocky explains, “The whole goal is to save on labor, and while pivots aren’t totally labor-free, they’re much better than hand line irrigation. It takes 10 guys to work with hand lines, but only three to work with pivots.”

The Trails decided to start the switch to pivot irrigation about 13 years ago. Valley dealer JTS Farm Store is about five miles away from Trail Farms and the Trails knew the owners, Jim and Lea Ann Schraeder, so it made sense to work with them.

Lea Ann Schraeder says, “Rock and Rusty are just great guys to work with. They’re very business-oriented, so they require a quality product and good service. Just because we’re close by doesn’t mean we’d keep their business if we didn’t come through for them.” Including two soon-to-be-delivered new pivots, the Trails have nine Valley pivots, covering nearly half of their land.

“Fifteen years ago, some of our land wasn’t considered suitable for pivots at all,” explains Rocky, “but by adapting to different water sources, we installed pivots on that land, and it’s working well. Using sprinklers on beets while they’re germinating is so much better,” Rocky says. “Pivots are very flexible for that, and hand lines really aren’t.”

”We were one of the first operations to use a reverse swing arm, which moves counter clockwise,” says Rusty.

The Trails keep up with technology when it makes sense. For example, they use auto-steer on their implements and they have Trackers on their irrigation systems, with all alerts going to Rusty’s smart phone. They’re also looking into purchasing a Valley BaseStation2-SM.

Will there be a fourth generation Trail farmer?

Rusty’s son Parker goes out on the tractors with them every year and loves it. “He says he wants to be a farmer, too,” says Rusty with a smile. “Of course, he’s eight, so we’ll have to wait and see.”