Eastern Iowa Farmer Spring 2017

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Life Lessons eastern iowa farmer photo / Brooke Taylor Life Lessons What my grandpa taught me and other valuable lessons learned from eastern Iowa’s farming veterans Three generations of Petersens farm together in Goose Lake. Joel, Ray and Jay are proud of keeping the farm’s 76-year history alive. Life lessons learned on the farm and passed down from generation to generation run through the veins of the people living in Eastern Iowa. From learning to care for animals to preparing a favorite family recipe to preserving harvest bounty, people carry on traditions that tie the past to future generations. Lessons learned from a grandma or grandpa, a great aunt or an uncle are part of the fabric of rural life. 12 Eastern Iowa Farmer | spring 2017
Life Lessons Learning by Example Grandpa instilled strong work ethic, concern for animals From the time Jay Petersen was a little boy, his grandpa knew he was born to farm. “I could see it,” Ray Petersen said. “Even when he was in grade school, he was as much into farming as I was. It was in his blood.” As it turns out, grandpa was right. Now 30 years old, Jay works side-byside with his dad, Joel, and grandpa taking care of the family farm just north of Goose Lake. It is a destiny Jay believes he was meant to fulfill. After graduating early from Northeast High School in Goose Lake in December 2003, he attended Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, where he earned an associate’s degree in ag production. But his plan had always been to return home to the farm. Ray is proud to have Jay keeping the farm’s 76-year history alive, and Jay is grateful to be able to look to his grandpa for guidance. Just as he has since he was a little boy. Confident he would be leaving things in capable hands, Ray decided to take a step back and let Joel and Jay take on most of the responsibility. But farming is still very much a family affair, one in which Ray still plays a role. He sold Joel the farm’s 240 acres, and Jay has 80 acres of his own. Sixty-eight of the 800-head of cattle are at Ray’s farm (located just south of the family homestead where Joel and his wife, Beth, live). Jay Petersen, then 9, helps his grandpa, Ray Petersen, put shingles on an out building. Ray has been Jay’s farming mentor since he was a little boy. Now 30, Jay still looks to Ray for advice when it comes to operating the family farm. Ray feeds them the old-fashioned way – with ears of corn he has picked from the field. Jay has learned any number of rudimentary instructions from his grandpa as to how to maintain operations day-to-day and season-to-season. “Jay is a very aggressive farmer. He looks to the future and is interested in all the new technology for the farm. He does a great job.” — Ray Petersen But nothing can compare to the example 79-year-old Ray has set as a diligent and determined farmer, and the work ethic he has helped to instill in his grandson. “He’s definitely a hard worker,” Jay said. “I hope when I’m his age, I’m as good as he is. He’s like the Energizer Bunny.” Ray insists he is one of the lucky ones. “I feel very satisfied,” he said. “All my years of farming aren’t going to waste. I can turn everything over to my son and grandson.” It has been 10 years since Jay started farming full-time. As the years go by and his oldest son, 7-year-old Jed, begins to develop his own interest in agriculture, Jay thinks back to when he was a boy watching his grandpa. “The first thing that comes to mind is him taking care of the animals,” Jay said. “He was a really good teacher that way. He always said, ‘If you take care of the animals, they will take care of you.’” At one time, the Petersens had both cattle and hogs. Ray said that when it comes to raising farm animals, a person needs to understand only one thing. “Taking care of livestock is a 365-daya-year job,” he said. “That’s just the way it is. There’s no getting around that.” Something else Jay said his grandpa has always impressed upon him is staying safe. While farmers help to feed the world, farming is an industry that is one of the spring 2017 | Eastern Iowa Farmer 13
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Eastern Iowa Farmer Spring 2017

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