Released: March 02, 2007

Stafford County Couple Selected for Ag Honor

HUDSON, Kan. – Marion Alpers is a model farmer. Literally.

When advertising representatives for DickiesR brand clothing visited the Stafford County Flour Mill in preparation for a photo shoot, they struck up a conversation with Marion’s younger brother, Warren (nicknamed “Whitey”). The two brothers were soon selected to model the clothing in upcoming ads.

As the proud farmer, Marion approached the opportunity as an educational experience, giving the visitors a ride in his combine and a lesson in crop production.

Marion Alpers has made farming – and teaching others, including his son, Kevin, and grandson, Tyler, about agriculture and conservation – his life’s work. For that effort, he and his wife, Juanita, will be honored as a Master Farmer-Master Farm Homemaker March 16 in Junction City, Kan. The couple is one of six in the state to earn a 2006 award, which recognizes agricultural leadership, conservation, community service and citizenship.

Kansas State University Research and Extension and Kansas Farmer Magazine sponsor the award.

The Stafford County Extension Board nominated the Alpers for the award, said Glenn Newdigger, K-State Research and Extension agricultural agent in the county.

Marion is the third generation of his family to farm in Stafford County. In 1905, Alpers’ grandfather, Edward Brensing, loaded his farm equipment and mules into a railroad boxcar to move from Illinois to Hudson, Kan.

“My parents worked alongside him and, after one semester at Hutchinson Community College, I told them they were wasting money sending me to college because I wanted to come back to farm,” Marion said. “In retrospect, I might have benefited from a little more education.” Marion met Juanita, then a junior in high school, when her father landed a job as school superintendent in Hudson. The couple dated for three years before marrying in 1952.

Did she worry about being a town girl moving to the farm?

“I knew we might have some ups and downs, but then everybody does,” Juanita said.

The couple started farming with a crop share from 320 acres and now work a combination of land they own and rent.

The number of acres has varied with changes in the operation, Marion said.

“We started in 1952 with a dozen milking Shorthorns, and, in 1955, purchased a Hereford bull and bred eight Hereford cows to start a cow-calf operation,” he said. “Over the years, we also have had 200 laying hens, a farrow-to-finish hog operation and a dairy with 45 Holsteins.”

Farming has changed, and the Alpers adjusted the operation to meet challenges and take advantage of opportunities, Marion said. “For example, when the swine market shifted, we increased our alfalfa acres to take advantage of good hay prices and produce more feed for our expanding cow-calf operation, which has increased to 400 mother cows.”

As their farming operation evolved, the couple’s resolve to employ conservation strategies has remained a constant, said Marion, who noted that they had incorporated legumes into the crop rotation, then shifted to an under cutter, which left some growth for stocker cattle. A further shift to mini- or no-till methods has resulted in savings on diesel fuel and machinery.

“Improved genetics also has played a role in the evolution of our farming operation,” Marion said. “We now work with a crop consultant to select certified seed and consider genetics when choosing bulls and replacement females.”

The couple has added windbreaks and buffer strips, and rotates crops and chemicals so as not to cause a build-up in the aquifer. They use a seed monitor on planters and have improved packaging of alfalfa to protect the quality of the crop.

They also have computerized farm records and traded in two-way radios for cell phones.

Marion officially retired in 1996, but remains engaged in farm life and management with son, Kevin, who joined the family business in 1974, and grandson, Tyler, who joined his father and grandfather in 2003.

Kevin earned a degree in animal science at Fort Hays State University and his son, Tyler, earned a degree in agricultural economics at Kansas State University. The family fills out its farm management team with Stafford County K-State Research and Extension agriculture agent, Glenn Newdigger; K-State specialists; their banker; advice services from several government agencies, a commodities broker and farm management accountant.

“We feel blessed to have our son and grandson choose farming as their vocation,” said Marion, who has worked off the farm, as a school bus driver and football referee to supplement income during some lean years. He retired from refereeing when Kevin started playing, and though their children and grandchildren are no longer involved in school sports, the couple rarely misses a game.

The family has been active in church, school, community and 4-H, including the 4-H Japanese Exchange program. Juanita is an avid reader, and volunteers with the 5th and 6th grade reading programs, believing “that reading is key to learning.”

In addition to son Kevin, who with his wife, Barbara, has three children: Tyler (and his wife, Leah), Tabra (and her husband, Shawn), and daughter, Taci, the Alpers also have a grown daughter, Janell, who with her husband, Reuel, has two children, son Josh (and his wife Angie and great grandson Elijah), and son Derek (and his wife Emilee). Reuel currently is manager of the Stafford County Flour Mill.

The Alpers, who have been married 55 years, delight in their family and their farm life.

“There is no better place to live and work,” Marion said. And, while Juanita shares that thought, she also is quick to point out that farm life brings a family together: “We work hard, but when it comes time to play, we play hard, too.”

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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:
Nancy Peterson,
nancyp@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News