Six Kansas Couples Named Master Farmer, Homemaker 2/28/02

Kansas Master Farmer and
Master Farm Homemaker
Class of 2002

Jerry and Sandy Sleichter, Abilene
Jeff and Terry Ridder, Leoti
Ron and Cheryl Denk, Agenda
Larry and Kathleen Gilliland, Fort Scott
John and Lois Markley, Howard
Dennis and Darletta Collins, Wallace

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas Master Farmer and Master Farm Homemaker Association will recognize six new couples March 22 in Manhattan.

They will be honored during a banquet at Kansas State University’s student union, beginning at 6 p.m. Friends can make reservations by calling 785-532-5820 by March 8. Tickets, including dinner, cost $20. The banquet begins at 6 p.m.

The Master Farmer-Farm Homemaker program, which is co-sponsored by Kansas State University Research and Extension and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry, annually recognizes six Kansas families. Nominated by the Extension Council in their respective county, this year’s inductees will become lifetime members in an association that dates to 1927.

Jerry and Sandy Sleichter began a tradition 34 years ago with the first swine sale in Kansas to target 4-H and FFA members’ market hog projects. Dispersing their stock across the Midwest, the operation found a niche with the Five-Star Pig Sale each April.

"We have several swine breeds, including purebred Chester White, Hampshire, Yorkshire, Duroc and many crossbreds, since there was a need to have more to offer in the selection process," Jerry said.

The Five-Star Pig Sale that the Sleichters have been so involved in draws buyers from across the Midwest to purchase more than 150 show pig prospects.

"The sale started because people always wanted to come and have first pick," Jerry said. "This way everyone has an equal chance to set their price."

Many hogs produced by the Sleichters’ have earned high rankings at county, state and national shows.

"In 1990, we took the grand champion boar in the National Duroc Congress," Jerry said. "It was something we’ve always dreamed about."

Livestock shows presented each of the couple’s three children with skills and insight on life. While growing up, Jeff, Jay and Jill enjoyed many successes in the livestock ring.

"Shows taught them a lot about life by putting them in situations to give a bigger exposure of what life holds," Jerry said. "There are a number of difficulties to face and they must learn to handle them."

Jerry and Sandy met at Kansas State University while earning degrees in animal sciences and industry and home economics education, respectively. The couple returned to Jerry’s family farm outside of Abilene, Kan.

The Sleichter operation includes nearly 500 acres and represents four generations of agriculturists. They grow sorghum, wheat, alfalfa and grass hay and the farm has more than 425 acres of pasture. The hog herd, which numbers 120 head, rounds out the operation.

"Producers have to stay knowledgeable," Sandy said. "We use the internet, along with newspapers and magazines, to keep up to date on all the quick changes. It is a challenge on our part to meet these demands."

The couple has taken numerous leadership roles in organizations ranging from project leader in the Willowdale 4-H Club to "reasons judge" at the American Royal College Livestock Judging contest.

"We have a family guide of ‘believe and achieve.’" Sandy said. "Through feeling the support from family, friends and faith, you can discover strengths to develop life skills. With patience and commitment, you can achieve."

By the time Dennis Collins was old enough to set irrigation tubes, he was spending time in the fields of Wallace County. By the time his future wife, Darletta, was in high school, she had completed her first farming experience by hoeing beets. Marriage of the two lifestyles resulted in an unexpected combination of success.

"I grew up in Sharon Springs without any farming experience," Darletta said. "I learned a lot that first summer I got married. It was really different."

After leasing their first farm for four years, Dennis’s father died in 1975. Dennis formed a partnership with his brother, Jerry, to farm their father’s land, which had been farmed by another family since the 1950s. They added a ranch in 1977. In 1987, Dennis bought Jerry’s share of the operation and Darletta became the "secondary help."

"Even though she grew up a town girl, you can’t call her that any more," Dennis said. "She spends just as many hours with the operation as I do and probably more."

The Collins farm more than 1,400 acres of dryland and 350 acres of irrigated crop land. Although more than 4,800 of the total acres are rented, the Collins strive to maintain high standards of management.

"Keeping the land to its full potential has always been our goal, whether farming or ranching," Darletta said. "We treat our rented grass and farm ground like it was our own."

The Collins’ operation spans from more than 600 acres of wheat, 200 acres of sunflowers and 250 acres of irrigated corn. The cattle herd has been a part of the Collins’ lifestyle since 1971. With more than 3,800 acres of pasture, they support a 275 paired cow/calf operation.

"My wife and I take care of it all," Dennis said. "We enjoy calving season and harvest, because we see what we’ve grown. It’s always good to see the changes."

Darletta said she treasures the role of farming and ranching, not only as a profession, but also as a way of life.

"It’s peaceful to run a tractor," Darletta said. "Agriculture is never routine and that keeps you going. I enjoy seeing little calves grow and crops mature."

"I’m lucky to do exactly what I have always wanted to," Dennis said. "Getting up to check cattle in the middle of the night wasn’t as easy as I thought when I was younger. There is not a cow on the place who hasn’t carried our tag since they hit the ground. We’re pretty proud of that fact."

The Collins raised two children: Angela, director for Rotary Daycare, and David, a technician for Time Warner/AOL.

Pristine pastures, owned by John and Lois Markley, fill the rolling landscape of the southern Flint Hills in Elk County. The couple spends many evenings walking through the prairie sustained by years of natural forces and managed labor.

"Every time we attempt to go out for a walk, we have to take the loppers along to trim trees," Lois said. "The improved pasture looks so beautiful."

John has canceled hunting trips to spend mornings clearing brush: "It works out better for both me and the birds. We have no interest in crops."

The pastures, seeded with fescue, brome and bluestem, have been added to the Markley’s collection since their first purchase in 1968.

"We have been buying land since the 1960s and adding on as opportunities arise by continuing to buy intermittently until 1999," John said. "We have accumulated over 1,000 acres."

Divided into four tracts of ground ranging from 160 to 480 acres, the land became a focus after John’s veterinary career served as their main income for 40 years. He graduated from Kansas State University with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and opened a practice in Howard, Kan.

Due to the need to be close to the clinic, the Markleys settled in Howard by building a ranch style home in 1963. Lois taught and substituted for area schools, before becoming the clinic secretary. Getting out to the farm proved an exercise in time management to make the most of nights and weekends.

"I don’t think there was ever enough time," John said. "There are certain frustrations of knowing what needed to be done, but clients came first. Farming has always been in my blood since I was raised and always loved it."

The Markleys sold the clinic in 1998 to spend more time on the ranch. Changes in the veterinary profession through his career reflected a trend to the shrinking demand for veterinary service for cattle.

"I have worked 40 years to be in the position to build fence and cut brush," John said. "We started the clinic in early 1960s with 95 percent large animal. By retirement, the large animal to small animal ratio nearly equaled out to a 50/50 split."

By 1998, the couple had reduced their cow herd to 40 head which served as a step to semi-retirement. Future plans include scaling back to a 90-day yearling program or renting out pastures for intensive grazing.

The Markleys have raised two children: Lance is an assistant advertising manager for Farm Talk, and Sherri Hahn is the Kansas coordinator for cystic fibrosis.

Innovative livestock practices became commonplace through Larry and Kathleen Gilliland’s more than three decades of farming and ranching near Fort Scott.

"At first the average commercial guy didn’t fool with [innovations] much," Kathleen said. "However, we’ve always been interested."

Artificial insemination [AI] and expected prodigy differences [EPD] data have revolutionized the family’s operation, Larry said. Wrapped in the middle of the contemporary trends, the Gillilands have used new management practices to change the face of their livestock operation and keep a marketable, competitive edge. In 1982, the family implemented the practices to boost show performance.

"When the girls started in 4-H, we couldn’t afford high dollar bulls for breeding, so we started to [use] AI," he said. "EPDs started about the time we did. It’s a good tool, from buying to selling."

The family started out with a sheep herd, but later sold the sheep due to coyote problems and replaced them with cattle. In 1980, the couple began a registered Angus herd, starting with 20 head from Kathleen’s father. Returning heifers back to the herd, the operation has grown to 200 registered Angus and 25 cross breed, which were kept for 4-H steers.

"It was a family thing" Kathleen said. "The cattle end of the operation has been my main interest since I grew up with it. The girls were very active in local, state and national shows."

Artificial insemination continued to serve a vital role in the operation. Strategic planning, with bulls complimenting the genetics of their cows, allowed the Gillilands to control the desired features of low birth weights, as well as high weaning and yearling weights.

The Gilliland’s oldest daughter, Pam, is married to Mike Hopkins. They and their children Zack and Morgan, live near St. Louis.

Janet, the couple’s younger daughter, is married to Mike Beene. They reside near Fort Scott.

The family farms more than 400 acres of non-irrigated crop land and manages more than 2,200 acres of pasture with rented and owned land combined. They have sustained their cattle herd by converting more acres to grass hay and alfalfa over the years.

From running the time clock at local football games to civic service in the Republic County Courthouse, Ron and Cheryl Denk have committed themselves to the Agenda, Kan. community. They have been involved in township and cemetery boards, extension councils, church events, and their rural fire and school boards - not to mention the activities of their three children and later the grandchildren.

"Sometimes, we may have taken on a few too many projects, yet in a small community, involvement is a must," Cheryl said. "I just can’t say no."

Even through their other commitments, however, farming still ranked as a high priority. Both sides of the family are dedicated to preserving their heritage, Ron said.

"We started out in the late ‘50s by farming my wife’s folks’ ground," Ron said. "Then, we rented my uncle’s land and a quarter where I grew up. We slowly grew and took over all of it."

Influenced by his father and uncle, Ron grew up manually throwing bales of hay in the evening and weekends after working at his uncle’s gas station through high school. He said this rigorous schedule set a pattern of a hard work ethic and gratefulness for modern farming equipment.

"I’d never make it now," he said. "It is not even a matter of mind over body. I was never in on farming with horses, but we did start out with two and three bottom plows. I am thankful for bigger machinery that moves a little faster."

A year after their marriage, the Denks entered into a partnership with Cheryl’s parents to begin the transition of operating the farmstead in 1959.

Conservation and operational upgrades have improved the farm over the years. The Denks enrolled in the Great Plains Conservation Plan in 1974 to preserve and improve their land for future generations, by adding more than 87,000 feet of terraces, more than 2,000 feet of tile terraces and nearly 30 acres of waterways. The Republic County Bankers awarded the couple the Soil Conservation Award in 1984.

Again following in the footsteps of father and uncle, Ron put on another hat in the fall of 1966 when he began driving a school bus for Hillcrest schools. "It got me out of bed in the morning, and it helped buy the groceries," Ron said. "The schedule didn’t work out too well in terms of dealing with fall crops, but I was able to take the kids to school and activities. You can’t beat a deal like that."

The Denks’ children, Cynthia, Timothy and Candace, and seven grandchildren provide evidence to the success of the "good life."

"The farm is the best place to raise children," Cheryl said. "It provides freedom. I like seeing new life as spring comes and things start popping out of the ground. We have always been family oriented, with everything centered around family. That came from our folks."

With five sons ranging in age from two to 20, Jeff and Terri Ridder of Leoti, Kan. said they would not have enjoyed their farming success without the young men.

Dustan, Garrett, Gage, Evan and Aaron have found their place in the family’s farming and ranching operation. From FFA and 4-H involvement to becoming members of dad’s official cow-checking team, the Ridders intertwined the strong ties of family with their agricultural enterprise.

"Farming is a great occupation to raise kids and a family," Jeff said. "They slowly are able to do more to help around the farm as they grow older (by) gaining experience and accomplishments."

Heavily influenced by his father, Jeff said there was no doubting his father’s passion for the land.

"You could always see the way he loved farming," Jeff said. "He made it his life. My grandfather first moved out from Kingman County in 1930, with dad taking over some of his ground in the 1950s. I returned from college in 1979 and started working for dad, slowly adding my own land and cattle."

After graduating from Kansas State University, Jeff’s degree in agricultural economics and Terri’s degree in accounting complimented the agricultural heritage from both sides of their family. Returning to their hometown of Leoti, the Ridders settled into an established resource network ranging from physical equipment to emotional support.

"Our families have a long tradition and love for farming," Terri said. "When Jeff was farming with both his dad and my dad, Jeff rarely got to run the tractor because that was where the other two really wanted to be."

The Ridders have also teamed up with Jeff’s brother, Tom, to strengthen the operation.

"My brother came back to farm after my father passed away in 1996," Jeff said. "He had more educational background and experience with cattle and had many good ideas. It has helped to have each other to bounce ideas off."

The farm operation consists of more than 2,000 acres of dryland and 500 acres of irrigated land. Along with more than 1,300 acres of pasture, the Ridders manage more than 4,000 acres of rented and owned land.

The family fills its farm’s feedlot pens with custom calves contracted for Future Beef Operations. The labor-intense backgrounding operation provides work when farming activities slow through the winter months.

"We start cattle for commercial operations," Jeff said. "The weaned calves grow from 450 to around 750 [pounds]. We have decided to custom feed to keep our capital costs down and reduce risk."

Additional adjustments to their operation include a crop rotation which follows a wheat, milo and fallow cycle to gain an extra crop every third year. The Ridders use minimum tillage to conserve soil and water.

"Agriculture is a real faith-builder," Terri said. "We can truly say everything we have is by the grace of God. Setbacks are His way of humbling us and reminding us to be thankful for the good harvests we often take for granted."

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.