From the Fields — Swope: Family is everything

Although my wife, Jennifer, and I have quite a few irons in the fire, our favorite job is operating a row crop farm with my in-laws, Evan and Janet Clouse. My wife is the sixth generation on her family farm, and I have enjoyed being added to the mix when we were married in 2016. We raise winter wheat, corn, soybeans, hay and beef cattle. To add to the craziness of this spring, Jennifer and I proudly welcomed our first child, Charlie, in early April. We feel blessed to be able to raise him on the farm, and we hope that he loves it as much as we do.

Jennifer and I had to add value in order for her to come back to the farm, so in 2015 we started an independent seed treatment business along with operating a seed dealership where we currently offer LG Seeds. Working on a family farm definitely has its challenges, but even on the worst days we feel fortunate to be doing what we love with people that we love. We all do our part to keep the farm rolling along. My father-in-law and I do most of the planting, while my wife enjoys tillage work and running the grain cart in the fall. My mother-in-law has slowed down now that she is a grandma, but she still fills in running the planter or doing tillage work as needed. She also runs the combine full-time.

We practice minimum-till ahead of corn, and we no-till our soybeans into cornstalks. We have been working to implement the use of cover crops to prevent erosion, and the addition of our winter wheat helps with that, as well. Running the seed dealership helps fill the gap in the winter months when we are busy taking orders from customers, customizing a seed plan specific to their operation, and we are also able to customize seed treatment packages for each customer.

Hope, Ind.