Abilene Couple Named Master Farmer, Homemaker

ABILENE, Kan. – LaVerne Myers never strayed far from the family dairy business due to his commitment to past generations who worked to build the operation for the future.

"It was always my dream to come back," LaVerne said. "Since I started milking in seventh grade and even when I went to college, I knew I wanted to work with my dad to take over the operation."

LaVerne and his wife Jeanette will be recognized as a 2002 Kansas Master Farmer and Master Farm Homemaker during ceremonies at the Holiday Inn in Manhattan on March 14 at 6 p.m. Friends can make banquet and program reservations for $22 by calling 785-532-5820 by March 3.

The program, which recognizes six Kansas families every year, is co-sponsored by Kansas State University Research and Extension and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Nominated by the Extension Council in Dickinson County, the Myers will become lifetime members in an association dating back to 1927.

LaVerne graduated from K-State in agriculture in 1966, a year after marrying Jeanette. She had studied home economics. The couple returned to the farm to raise their family.

"I’ve been around cattle all my life," LaVerne said. "When tornados or hail storms set you back, the next year the rains come at the right time and everything will be alright again. You really have to have your heart into it."

The early years were not without difficulties. While living in a mobile home, the Myers endured a tornado in June 1969, which destroyed a barn, machine sheds, cattle sheds and a silo.

"That was the last night we stayed there," Jeanette said.

The couple moved onto the home place after LaVerne’s parents moved to a new house. The Myers raised three boys on the farm, which stretches across more than 1,500 acres. The dairy herd includes 500 heifers.

"It has been rewarding to watch the kids go on and see what they have done with a strong work ethic and personal contact," LaVerne said. "They would come home and help milk, and then I’d play a little basketball with them by the light above the backboard. It was one of those good things to spend time with them."

Their son, Alan, a veterinarian in Dickinson County, helps his parents maintain the health of the heifer herd. He and his wife Leslie manage a clinic and have three daughters, Emily, Katelyn and Molly.

"We don’t lose many animals," LaVerne said. "We have always been good at improving the health of our animals, and Alan has been a big part of that."

The Myers’ son, David, came back to the farm after graduating from K-State. He and his wife Amy married a year ago. David works with his father, although each has specific responsibilities in making management decisions.

"I’ve worked on both sides of the operation, as a son and father," LaVerne said. "I give a lot of credit to the families who work on the farm and give one generation an opportunity to build on another."

Brian, the youngest son, works as a design engineer in the tillage department of John Deere in Ankeny, Iowa. He and his wife Jennifer have two sons, Peyton and Brady.

The Myers boys enjoyed success in 4-H and FFA, specifically in the dairy production and dairy judging areas.

"Our boys learned responsibility at an early age," Jeanette said. "Milking was a great time to have conversations and relate with each other. There are not many occupations where a child can work right along side their parents on an equal basis to build self-esteem and see accomplishments, if they have the work ethic to see it through."

The Myers’ farm includes nearly 500 acres of pasture land, 500 acres of wheat and nearly 200 acres of sorghum, as well as around 100 acres each of corn, silage, alfalfa and grass hay.

"It was getting more and more difficult to compete with dairies from western Kansas," he said. "We decided to sell out of the milking, and we started contracting with Meier Dairy, one of the larger dairies in this part of the state."

That was in March 1997 when the family entered into a contract with Duane Meier Dairy in Palmer, Kan., to raise heifers, artificially breed them and return them at two years of age at contract price about three weeks before they calve. In 2002, the family raised 560 head.

The partnership has provided a constant and steady supply and market on the other end, he said. Although they enjoyed milking, LaVerne’s back surgery in 1995 sealed the deal to try something new.

"This is a good example of how two separate operations can work together for the good of both of them," he said. "It has been a great way to add value to the feed we raise and have year-round work."

Helping to support the farming operation, Jeanette worked for 16 years as a food service manager with the Abilene school district before moving up to the director position last year.

The Myers currently participate in the K-State Research and Extension Farm Management Association. For many years, they were involved with the Associated Milk Producers, Inc. and the Kansas Holstein Association. The organizations helped the family to keep up with technological advancements on the farm, LaVerne said.

"The father and son perspective makes a rather interesting partnership in adopting technology," he said. "While the younger generation wants to pick up new technology, the older tends to be more reserved. Speaking from experience, the son will usually try new things."

The Myers attend Extension meetings and other farm-related meetings to stay informed and give back to others.

"Before you can be a leader in your community, you have to earn the respect of other people," Jeanette said. "As a family, we have tried to do this by being honest and fair in our business dealings. A willingness to volunteer time and energy is usually a good way to get to know lots of different people."