Always on the move for agriculture

DWIGHT, Ill. — On any given day, Dan Parker could be advocating for agriculture with legislators, helping his daughters with 4-H projects, supporting the local FFA chapter, selling seed, or working on the farm.

Parker, a fourth-generation farmer, and his wife, Erika, farm with his father, Bob, and brother-in-law, Scott Mallaney, in Livingston and Grundy counties in east-central Illinois. His cousin, C.J. Parker, is also part of the farming operation.

“My great-grandpa farmed in Mazon and my grandpa moved to Dwight to farm. We ended up farming right around the corner from where my great-grandpa farmed by Mazon,” Parker said.

“I grew up in Dwight and my grandpa, my dad and my uncle farmed. Dad started farming full-time on the farm in 1988. We moved to Mazon when I was in high school, and we farmed up there.”

After graduating from the University of Illinois with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agronomy, Parker worked for about 15 years in the ag industry before returning to the family farm.

He began his career at Garst Seed Company.

“I then worked for Holden Foundation Seeds which was owned by Monsanto. They sold inbreds to seed companies, and then I went on to work for Monsanto with DeKalb and then with Channel,” he said.

Parker had been involved in the family’s farm since 2009 and started full-time in 2019.

He and Jason Bunting, of Emington, currently operate a Channel seed dealership in addition to farming.

The Parkers have a corn and soybean rotation.

“We’re trying some cover crops on a few farms. We’re trying to learn how to use them best and use them where they’re needed the most,” the farmer said.

“We try to do a lot of no-till soybeans. We’ll knock the stalks down with the vertical tillage in the fall and then just plant right into that. We’ll still chisel a few farms if they need it.

“For our corn, we’ll run vertical tillage in the fall and then field cultivate in the spring. We’re pretty much minimum tillage, but we consider the soybeans to be no-till.”

4-H, FFA

Parker is a strong advocate for 4-H and FFA programs.

“We have two daughters, both in 4-H. One of them graduated from high school and our other daughter is a junior. We have a few cattle left over from their 4-H projects and they still do pigs. Between that and the seed dealership, it kind of keeps us all busy,” he said.

“I’m also part of the Dwight FFA Alumni Association to try to keep the FFA going. I’ve done a lot of work with them. We built up the annual auction and have been able to do quite a bit of improvements for the FFA in town.”

The Dwight FFA Chapter’s field, just west of Dwight Township High School, has had a Parker connection that bridges decades.

When Bob Parker finished harvesting the corn plot last fall, he commented that 58 years ago his dad, Jim, helped harvest that same plot.

The next generation follows suit.

“My wife, Erika, works for Advanced Agrilytics and she’s worked for DeKalb. Her and Ryan Kodat, who farms north of town and has a seed dealership, along with a handful of us all help to put that plot together, get it planted and get all the fieldwork done. Then we bring the kids out any chance we can to learn,” Parker said.

“Erika and Ryan really spearheaded that, especially with the kids. Erika will work with the kids to help them learn anything they can from the plot. So, whatever their goal is, if it’s populations, products or fungicides, she’ll teach the kids what to look for and to pick the best things out there.”

Illinois Corn

Parker joined the Illinois Corn Growers Association board about two years ago as District 5 director, representing Grundy, Kankakee, La Salle and Livingston counties. He also serves as ICGA treasurer during the current term.

“I definitely enjoy the Illinois Corn Growers Association. We have meetings four times a year, we go to Washington, D.C., once or twice a year, and we go to the Commodity Classic and other things that come up. It keeps us busy, but it’s a fun thing to do and very, very important for us to be doing and keeping our issues top-of-mind with legislators,” he said.

Parker’s other “hats” include being a member of the Livingston County Farm Bureau board since 2016 and a Dwight Township trustee.

The Parkers are also involved with the Dwight VFW Auxiliary.