There have been many changes in farming through the ages, my Great-Great-Grandfather homesteaded Northeast of Devils Lake in 1882. I am the 5th generation to farm some of the land and a 6th generation has been involved for 20 years, it looks like generation 7 will follow in a few years.
I don’t know much about the first 2 generations, but my grandfather, Wilbur, came back to farm in the 1940’s, working in California during the winter months and farming the rest of the year. When he was here full time he raised durum wheat, barley and flax and had milk cows. I do remember the cows so they must have still been around about 1960. Wilbur retired in 1974 and that is about when my brother Doug and I started farming. I am sure he originally farmed with horses but later used tractors. Wilbur and his brother Marley had one of the first thrashing machines in the area. When he retired his big tractor was 125 horsepower and trucks were single axle, 300 bu, with grain bins of 3,000 bu. When he started farming, he bought land for $15/acre, when he retired land was selling for $150/acre. A good wheat crop was 25 bu/ac., barley 40 bu/ac.
My father, Gerald, was in the army until 1957, and came back to farm, growing the same crops as his father and he had both a few milk cows and beef cows. I remember the cows at summer pasture in what was Shelver’s Grove, in East Devils Lake, now under 30’ of water. One fall I remember a cattle drive to bring the cows home. He sold the beef cows in the mid 1960’s. We kept a couple of milk cows for a few years. I do remember doing winter chores with the horses but all other farm work was done with tractors. Grain farming had changed little until the 1970’s when the first 4 wheel drive tractors were available, 250 horsepower, and costing $25,000. Tandem trucks, 600 bu, became popular and grain bins of 10,000 bu were being built.
We started a custom harvesting operation in 1972 with 2 Massey Ferguson 510 combines. We traveled from Texas to North Dakota each summer until our crop was ready. This grew to a crew of 8 employees and 4 John Deere 9610 combines, until we quit in 2000. The 510’s were purchased for $13,500 each and 9610’s were $130,000. A good day with a 510 was 50 acres and 9610’s did 100 acres.
We started adding some different crops, in 1976 sunflowers were added, pinto beans and corn in 1982, and we added spring wheat about the same time. Since that time, we have tried soybeans, black turtle beans, oats, peas and canola. There have been years that we raised 9 different crops, but our main crops now are corn, spring wheat, barley, soybeans, pinto beans and canola. Beef cows were brought back into the operation about 20 years ago with summer pastures throughout the area.
Gerald died in 1990 but we continued the operation. At that time land prices had risen to $700/acre in the early 1980’s but had fallen to about $350/acre in 1990. Tractors had increased to 375 horsepower and the price had increased to $100,000. Tandem trucks have been replaced by triaxle trucks and a few semi tractors and hopper bottom trailers. Grain bins were 10,000 bu. Wheat yielded about 50 bu/ac soybeans 20 bu/ac and corn less than 100 bu/ac.
In the 2000’s row crops took over much of the farm, spring wheat and barley are only a small part of the operation. GPS and precision farming is used in everything allowing us to change population and fertility to better fit the land and increase the profitability of each acre. Herbicide resistant crops have changed many of our practices, weed control is better, yields have increased, seed cost has skyrocketed. Corn and soybeans are our main crops, with some canola and pinto beans. Harvest starts in August with barley, then wheat and canola, followed by pinto beans and soybeans, continuing with corn into November. Before the row crops came in, harvest might be done by Labor Day. Tractors are now over 600 horsepower, some with tracks, over $600,000. Combines are about $700,00 and can do 200 acres in a day, and nearly everything is hauled with semi tractors and trailers, 1,000 bu. Grain bins are now up to 50,000 bu, wheat yields are now up to 80 bu/ac, barley over 100 bu/ac, soybeans 45 bu/ac and corn over 150 bu/ac. Land is now selling for $3,000/acre.
I am curious to see what the next 20 years will bring.
