Spring planting starts in northern Indiana

BREMEN, Ind.— AgriNews is happy to welcome back Clay Geyer as northern Indiana’s From the Fields contributor for 2025.

Geyer caught up with AgriNews to share the latest on his farm.

Q: What have you been up to since we left off?

A: Since we left off last fall, my schedule has been fairly busy planning, organizing and making connections for the 2025 Indiana state and national hand corn-husking competitions.

I have been actively involved with the Indiana corn-husking competitions since 2008 and currently hold the presidential seat for both the Indiana State Corn Husking Association and the National Corn Husking Association.

Reed Farms will be the corn-husking capital of the United States on Oct. 4 for the Indiana state competition and then again for the national contest, which will take place on Oct. 18.

The national competition will draw huskers from all over the Midwest, plus other states that do not hold a contest of their own. Promoting this annual corn-husking event all over Indiana has grown into a full-time job, which has given our organization the opportunity to educate all ages about corn and many uses while demonstrating the historical advances of corn harvesting methods used throughout the last 100 years.

I’m also actively involved as a board member with the St. Joseph County Farm Bureau and continue to share my love of agricultural journalism with readers in Indiana AgriNews and The Pilot News in Marshall County.

Q: Remind us about your family farm.

A: Geyer Farms is located south of South Bend, and about five miles northwest of Bremen, between Lakeville and La Paz. The farm is divided by the St. Joseph and Marshall County Line Road with a majority of the 200 acres of farmland and the farmhouse positioned in St Joseph County, and the remaining farm buildings plus 20 acres are situated across the road in Marshall County.

Q: What do you grow or raise? And who is involved?

A: Alfalfa, wheat, soybeans, corn and several fruit trees, consisting of apples and peaches. We also feed out about a dozen head of bottle calves each year and finish them out for freezer beef.

Both of my parents, Craig and Becky, are now retired, but both of them are still active on the farm. Prior to retirement, mom worked as a school nurse and helped dad with the daily chores around the farm.

My brother, Mike, has his own construction business called Integrity Builders. And since it’s just the two of us, he is quick to lend a hand if I’m busy in the fields baling hay, planting or harvesting.

My brother and I are very fortunate to have the guidance and support of both of our parents, especially when we need help around the farm. My nephew, Grant, just turned 7 years old, and he is an energetic young man with a fun imagination and an interest to help however he can.

Q: What is next on your to-do list?

A: A few days prior to Easter, we managed to make the first pass of tillage to help break up the crust and loosen the soil since last fall. Several old hay sods were turned over with the moldboard plow and the rest of the cornfields were stirred up with the chisel.

The next step will be spreading fertilizer and incorporating it with a disk before we start planting. Hopefully, by the time you read this, I will almost be done planning soybeans.

Q: What do you love about farming?

A: While I love farming and being my own boss, I also enjoy the freedoms associated with the occupation of being a self-employed farmer. Each day is a blessing and an opportunity to plant a new seed, nurture it and take pride in the choices and decisions I have put forth up until harvest.

Amidst the many challenges we all face daily, it’s important to note that we can only control so many variables. I cannot imagine any other occupations that would give me more satisfaction than the rewards of witnessing the new life in each chapter of agriculture, whether it is livestock or crops. I love having a hand in God’s creation.

Q: What makes Indiana’s ag community so special?

A: Well, I cannot speak for the entire state, or other states that border us, but I am proud of the friends I have made over the course of my lifetime. Strangers and friends alike, it is a small world out there, and whether we care to admit it, we all need each other to survive in this ever-changing world of agribusiness.

We are fortunate in our small-knit community to witness the generosity of others when troubled times arise. It is like an unspoken cry for help when others are in distress, because neighbors and friends automatically know what to do and everyone jumps in to help one another without placing the actual call for help.

It is comforting to know that I have many fellow farmers my age, or even younger and older, that I can reach out to for helpful advice. Is important to check in on your friends and neighbors, whether it is a phone call, a text, or a visit to their farm just to bounce ideas or thoughts off of each other.

Life can also become isolating at times or quite stressful to the point where it erodes the mental health of struggling individuals or farm families stemming from financial pressures, unstable crop markets, volatile weather, long hours or a growing debt.

If you or someone you know is struggling with farm stress, it is important to seek out help from a friend or a group of friends that you trust and will lend an ear for you to share your life’s troubles.

Q: Anything else about your farm that you’d like to mention?

A: After successfully gathering six cuttings of hay last year, I’m looking forward to the smell of fresh-cut hay drying in the field next month.

The steers are about finished and ready to be sold or butchered, but unfortunately I do not have any replacement feeders to fill the void once this group leaves the farm. Perhaps if cattle prices dip, then I can justify purchasing another dozen head or more.