Beacon Dec 2023

Page 6A THE BEACON December 2023
By Laura Keller
Farming has been dubbed
the world’s oldest profession.
Long before grocery or
convenience stores existed,
people learned how to grow,
harvest, and store their food.
Farming has evolved quite
a bit, and I had the pleasure
of speaking with a couple of
farmers in Dearborn County
to learn what it’s like being
a farmer in the twenty-first
century.
Bob Sommer grew up on
a farm in Bear Branch, near
Dillsboro. His father and
grandfather were farmers, so
farming was the only life Bob
knew growing up. For Bob,
that meant no sports or family
vacations since the farm
ran twenty-four hours a day,
Farming – All in a Day’s Work
seven days a week, three hundred
sixty-five days a year.
As a teenager, Bob decided
he didn’t want to continue
in his father’s and grandfather’s
footsteps. He enrolled
at Ball State University to
pursue a career path outside
of farming. But in 1974, a
tornado struck Bear Branch.
Everything was destroyed,
including the family home.
Bob returned to Bear Branch
to help rebuild the farm and
took a job with Aurora Casket
Company. He retired in 2017
and began working on the
family farm full-time.
After the tornado, it took
a village to help rebuild
the Sommer’s farm. Bob’s
father, Earl, was fortunate to
have so many good friends
and employees who brought
bulldozers and helped rebuild
the farm buildings. The barn
was built first because a place
was needed to store hay. Bob
recalls he and his family lived
in a government trailer until
their home was habitable.
The Sommer farm has been
in the family for 104 years.
Mr. Sommer currently farms
one hundred twenty-six acres.
While that may sound like
a lot of acreage to the average
person, some farmers
farm more than two thousand
acres! Bob also helps another
farmer who owns three hundred
acres.
Eddie and Johnny Zinser
are sixth-generation farmers
who reside in New Alsace.
They farm one-hundred-fifty
acres in northern Dearborn
County. In total, they harvest
around five hundred acres as
they help farmers who don’t
have equipment to harvest
their crops.
The Zinser family farm
was established in 1846 and
is comprised of one hundred
forty-eight acres. While Eddie
developed a passion for farming
at a young age, Johnny
wasn’t interested in pursuing
farming until a few years ago.
Both brothers worked for a
machine shop making tool
dies for Ford and John Deere
before deciding two years ago
to pursue their passion for
farming and opening an auto
shop.
Farming has advanced a lot
and some machinery can now
be operated by a computer.
Back when Bob Sommer first
began farming, horses were
the source of power. They
were later replaced by tractors.
Chemical and fertilizer
sprayers can now be run by a
computer. Farmers can now
track areas that need extra
fertilizer or can be skipped to
ensure optimal performance.
Autonomous combines and
tractors have been engineered
to run via satellites. The field
boundaries are set and no one
has to drive the combine or
tractor – the computer takes
care of it! However, many
smaller farmers purchase used
equipment or have someone
else harvest the crop due to
high equipment costs. They
shop around a lot and may
elect to purchase used equipment,
a similar process many
consumers go through when
buying vehicles.
Farming is extremely
weather-dependent. Each year
farmers invest in seed and
fertilizer, and they rely on
Mother Nature to nurture the
crops. The Farmer’s Almanac,
established in 1818, features
long-range weather predictions
based on the sun, moon,
and planets to help farmers
determine ideal planting
times. While the Farmer’s
Almanac is still a resource,
meteorologists also predict
the weather by referencing
weather patterns and radar.
The planting time each year
can be a waiting game. While
it’s best to wait until the temperature
is warmer, a farmer
tries to avoid frost which can
result in rotten seeds. Planting
while the ground is dry
is best, but the fall harvest
doesn’t depend on the weather
as much as how hard the
ground is.
Mr. Sommer grows soybeans
and corn, rotating his
crop each year to keep the
insects down. He also puts
in hay and raises beef cattle.
Bob’s favorite part of farming
is fall and harvesting
when he can enjoy the fruits
of his labor. The Zinsers farm
corn and soybeans as well as
raise cattle and hogs for their
family. Eddie’s favorite part
of farming is planting time.
Watching the plants grow
gives him immense satisfaction,
whereas Johnny enjoys
harvesting. Like Bob, he
enjoys seeing the results of
his hard work.
Farmers may select to purchase
crop insurance which
guarantees a certain percentage
of their yield based
on history to help cover a
farmer’s costs in the event the
crop doesn’t produce a fruitful
harvest.
The next time you pass a
farm or see a farmer driving a
tractor down the road, I hope
you have a deeper appreciation
for the work that farmers
do to provide a habitat for
animals and the food we rely
upon for nourishment. While
farming may sound like a
daunting job, it’s all in a day’s
work for a local farmer.
B
Beacon
USINESS
NEWS ABOUT OUR
ADVERTISERS
New Seasons Celebrates
Community,
New Location
New Seasons Auction and
Estates recently held a Grand
Reopening and Community
Celebration. The event,
however, was much more than
touting their new location at
201 Third Street, Aurora, IN.
Owner Sherry Love took the
opportunity to give back to
the community that has been
so supportive of her efforts.
Main Street Aurora kicked
off the event with a ribbon
cutting. Over twenty vendors
and several food trucks were
accompanied by face painters
to commemorate the event.
Yummy cotton candy, free
to the community, made the
event even sweeter.
Two great fund raisers were
also part of the day’s festivities.
One was a dunk tank,
Credibility • Advocacy • Education • Visibility
What Can The Chamber
Do For You? Just Ask!
812-537-0814
www.dearborncountychamber.org
City Attorney Jared Ewbank
volunteered to participate in
the dunking booth.
the proceeds supporting the
Aurora EMS. Several Aurora
officials and candidates, plus
other brave individuals volunteered
to make this a splashing
success.
The second fund raiser
was a cakewalk to support
Special Olympics. All of the
vendors as well as some great
individuals made delicious
donations. Live music was
heard throughout the event as
performed by Paul Elliot, Jon
Armstrong, and Dave Lewis.
For more information visit
newseasonsestatesales.com.
(See ad on page 7A)
The BEACON - Great News for Great People.