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Released: February 18, 2005 Hudson, Kan., Couple to Be Named Master Farmer, Farm Homemaker HUDSON, Kan. – Dennis and Linda Siefkes think of themselves as people who live simply. They’ll admit with some embarrassment that they’re really fairly conservative. At the same time, however, they’ve turned farm management, family living, and rural church and community support into something that’s simply special. In fact, the couple will be recognized as a 2004 Kansas Master Farmer and Master Farm Homemaker during ceremonies in Manhattan March 11. Friends can attend the celebration banquet for $20 per person, making reservations at 785-532-5820 by Feb. 25. Sponsors of the six annual “masters” couple awards are Kansas State University Research and Extension and the Kansas Farmer magazine. The Stafford County Extension Council nominated the Siefkes. By winning, the couple will become lifetime members in an association that dates back to 1927. “I can remember my father planting milo with a three-bottom lister planter, pulled by a 40-horsepower M Farmal tractor,” Dennis said. “It was a lot of hard work back then. I had to scoop grain off the truck and into the bin and then scoop it back out again, shovel load by shovel load.” He dreamed of being a profitable steward of the land, but one who also kept up – who would make the farm as efficient and productive as possible before passing it along to his own son. That son would be the fifth generation of Siefkes farming in northern Stafford County. Dennis went to K-State, where he earned a degree in agricultural mechanization (plus pledged in the Farmhouse Fraternity). Then, back home again and farming with his father, he served a six-year stint in the Army National Guard, rising to sergeant in the communication division, 101st Field Artillery. Linda earned a K-State degree in home economics. After marrying Dennis, she taught in junior and senior high school until their children – all of whom share a June 1 birthday – started to arrive. The twins, Jonathan and Angela, were early. Linda remembers their heads were about the size of a lemon. Each weighed close to 3 pounds at birth, but Linda still can recite exactly how much weight they lost after that – when the technology to help preemies was not as advanced as it is now. Melissa arrived late, which is why all three have never truly had a birthday of their own. The family tried to make each child feel special. But, they just had to accept the problem after a June 1 when Linda and the grandmas separately decided to bake each child his or her own cake – for a total of nine! Dennis is now in partnership with Jon. They’re using a 12-row surface planter, pulled by a 200-horsepower, computerized tractor and equipped to apply fertilizer, herbicide and insecticide while planting on no-till ground. Every grain storage facility either has a gravity-feed setup or a power auger. The Siefkes are using all kinds of new technology – everything from global positioning system (GPS) sprayers to gadgets for measuring moisture in bins and bales. Even so, Dennis admits that he stays awake nights, thinking of how he can improve efficiency further. One idea was a multi-pen cattle-working facility, designed so they can directly herd the animals into any of five irrigated fields. Another was not to irrigate during the heat of the day, to conserve water and electricity, as well as give the aquifer time to recharge and lessen the irrigation water’s salt content. Over the past few years, Dennis has planted 2,400 redcedar trees, too, using 15,100 feet of weed-barrier fabric. The trees will provide shelter for the cow-calf operation and decrease wind erosion. At the same time, they’ll provide refuge for wildlife, helping the family’s fall fee-hunting enterprise. In contrast, Linda does some substitute teaching now that the children are grown. But, she jokes, “When I die, I’ll probably have more men at my funeral than ladies,” because of her constant errands to the elevator and other farm suppliers. Linda also has become fairly avid about computers while keeping the family and business records. “I still record my graintickets in a spiral notebook, though,” she said. “When I’m checking things with a landlord, finding the right page is so much faster than getting the information on the computer.” As business owners, one of the things Dennis and Linda are proudest of is the fact that they’ve never had to ask a landlord if they could rent a property. Instead, landlords have always approached them. The Seifke partnership now farms about 4,000 acres – three-fourths of which it does not own. Growing both dryland and irrigated crops, it raises wheat, milo, corn, soybeans, alfalfa, millet and rye. The partnership also has more than 200 beef cows and 200 calves – an interest Jon demonstrated early by attending a K-State artificial insemination (A.I.) school while still in junior high. The Siefkes don’t like to buy on credit, so January is an important month. They usually store about 19,000 bushels of corn and sell it after the first of the year – directly to feedlots, where sale prices can be higher. Each fall, they turn their spring calves onto the irrigated rye for cheap gains until January. Then they shop for deals and cut costs by prepaying for the year’s fertilizer and chemicals. If Dennis and Linda have a regret now, it’s the fact that they own modern, but empty farrow-to-finish facilities. The hog business got them through the farm recession of the 1980s. But, the time came when it didn’t produce enough to get a semi (truck) to come to pick up the pigs and take them to market. “It’s getting tough,” Dennis said. “If you aren’t big, you aren’t even in the ball game.” But, the Siefkes certainly don’t regret knowing the crop consultants, salesmen, veterinarians, bankers and accountants whom they consider to be part of their management team and, as often as not, invite to discuss things at their kitchen table. The couple doesn’t regret their many years with the Trinity United Church of Christ or the little town of Hudson – both of which they believe played important roles in helping them continue to learn, develop lasting friendships and rear their children. For decades, they’ve been trying to do their share, too. Between them, their involvement in religious, civic, agricultural and educational organizations has practically been an inventory of the groups and leadership roles available in an active rural Kansas county. Dennis, for example, was the leader of the Jolly Workers 4-H Club long before the Siefkes had children. For many years, their only family vacations were traveling to 4-H events. And, Linda continues to judge at county 4-H fairs, even though her children haven’t belonged in years. Nonetheless, they believe their biggest accomplishment has been their children, aided not only by their community of friends but also by the Siefkes’ farm, which Linda believes is “an immense classroom of learning opportunities that ... teach responsibility ... and expose God’s many miracles and wonders.” The children are strong, very different individuals. But, surprisingly, each was a co-valedictorian, a Homecoming King or Queen, an 11-year 4-H member, and an honors graduate from K-State. Jon – who was a National 4-H Veterinary Science Award winner and also pledged K-State’s Farmhouse Fraternity – is now married to the former Andrea Sayler, a USD 350 science teacher; they’re expecting their first child in May. Angela is married to Michael J. Laurie and has a B.S. in civil engineering and a masters in regional planning; she’s currently employed by Central Atlanta Progress in Georgia. Melissa is a middle school math instructor and assistant track coach for USD 203 in Kansas City, Kan.; for two years her math teams have won first place in relays, and in state assessment scores her classes have rated “Standard of Excellence.” -30- 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. Story by: |