I think for most people, “What’s It Like To Be A Farmer?” is a question that burns at some level in their heart.
We all want to know.
What’s it like to work the ground, raise animals, ride a tractor, watch things grow, harvest a field, and be subjected to the wrath and nurture of Mother Nature? What’s it like to not have an office, a cubicle, an commission structure, an expense report, or a performance report?
It’s inherent in us. That need to understand (and sometimes covet) the job of living off the land.
I didn’t grow up as a farmer’s kid. My grandfather had some corn, milo, and bean ground in central Nebraska and raised a few pigs. And while I “got it” and was “exposed to it”, it wasn’t really part of my life. I was (and still am) a city kid.
Fast forward to my college years, when my best friend and boyfriend were both farmer/rancher kids.
They knew everything about everything. From setting water, 4-wheelers, beat-up pick-up trucks, breeding cows, harvesting corn, pulling calfs, cutting thisels, bailing hay, the machine shed to a thousand other things. They understood that rain meant days off, but hail meant devastation. But me, I was like a duck out of water. As I spent time “back home” with them, there was something in this Nine West Shoe-Mall-Hair-With-Guess-Jeans girl that wanted to know more…What’s It Like To Be A Farmer?
And both of their fathers were happy to educate me.
So when I was asked to work with the Kansas Pork Association and interview one their Hog Farmers – I jumped at the chance.
I really do believe that most local farmers get a bad wrap. We have all watched one-too-many documentaries on Netflix about the wrongs of corporate farming…and we miss the point.
Most of these farmers, the ones that live less than 200 miles from us, aren’t corporate farming. They are family farming. And there is a difference.
And with that being said, I would love for you to meet the Suthers.
Ron and Micki Suther farm and ranch in northeast Kansas with their son Matt, daughter Grace, Ron’s brother, and Ron’s dad.
They raise pigs, black angus cattle and a corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and prairie hay.
Specifically they take care of baby pigs. They receive 1200 three-week old pigs and love on them for two months until they reach a certain weight/age and then they give them back to the original rancher/farmer. (So kind of like day care for pigs.)
So what is the day in the life of Micki (a true farmer/rancher wife)?
I get up at 5:15 am to run through the nurseries real quick and make sure everything is okay after the night. I stir the pigs onto their feet to encourage them to eat, make sure the ventilation fans are running, the room temp. is right, no water leaks, feeders are working ok, pigs are fine. Then it is back to the house at about 6:00 am to change clothes. We have a good breakfast of bacon or sausage with our own eggs. A little before 7:00 am Grace and I leave to run the bus route (Micki drives one of the routes) and I am back shortly after 8:00 am.
Around 8:30 am I go to the nurseries and start walking each pen of pigs. The exercise is very good for them, gets the blook flowing through joints – to help prevent infections, they breath deeper – to help prevent pnemonia, it gets them excited and curious to look for the feed I am going to put out on the mats.
When I get through with the pigs, I am back to the house, change clothes, and work on the farm accounting. Records are absolutely necessary, to show us what we do and do not make money on. Data entry is tricky, as all expenses and income have to be allocated to our different areas of farming.
So I jump between pigs and accounting throughout the day, with running my afternoon bus route. I am a clothes changing artist between pigs and everything else!
What do you like most about working and living on a farm?
I grew up a famer’s daughter, so I am so appreciative that I was able to marry a farmer and stay on the farm. I love raising our children here and, with our daily lives and work, was able to nurture a love and respect for nature, growing, an appreciation of hard work and what it can accomplish. I love helping our grandkids appreciate these things also.
Can you tell me a favorite baby pig story?
About 7 years ago, we had a young border collie dog. I thought it was time to start working with her. So I took a little 2 week old pig out of its’ mother’s pen and put it in the hallway and encouraged the collie to come up to the pig. Well, I must have picked out the spunkiest 2 week old on the farm, because that little pig wolfed at Shannon (the dog) and chased her clear to the end of the hall. Shannon jumped behind the powerwasher and hid back there until I took the pig back to mom.
Still wonder what it is like to be a Farmer?
The one thing I know…is that Farmer’s Wives are THE. BEST. COOKS. EVER.
My grandmother could make a mean {insert any food} and Micki shared with me her favorite pork recipe…Low and Slow Pulled Pork.
(PS: If you are a college football fan, you’ll want to enter the Kansas Pork Association “Win A TailGate”. This $800 giveaway includes (4) tickets to the KSU vs KU football game, a Weber Q 300 grill, 4 fold-able lawn chairs, a Coleman cooler, grilling utensil set, digital probe thermometer, digital pocket thermometer, marinade injector, rib rack, 6 different types of rub, 2 types of BBQ sauces, a ton of other stuff and $50 worth of pork coupons.)
And please visit my friends who also are working with Kansas Pork Association and did interviews and recipes of their own.
Dine & Dish – Pork Chop & Cajun Sausage Picante
Gimme Some Oven – Pork & Bacon Sliders
Amy’s Finer Things – Carolina Country Style Ribs
Super Jenn – Santa Fe Cured Pork Roast
Finding The Balance – Autumn Glazed Pork Chops
Low and Slow Pulled Pork
Ingredients
1 Boston Butt or Pork Shoulder Roast (around 5 lbs)
Hardwood Chips (soaked in water for overnight)
Apple Juice and Spritzer
Rub
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup garlic, chopped
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup paprika
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon Creole or Old Bay Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Sauce
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Dash ground red pepper
Directions
1. Stir together all rub ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container. Set aside.
2. Trim excess fat off pork and massage rub into meat. Wrap roast in plastic wrap and chill overnight in refrigerator.
3. Stir together all ingredients for the sauce in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce hit and simmer, stirring occasionally for 40 minutes.
4. Divide sauce equally into two containers. Place in refrigerator. (One sauce will be used for dipping/smothering at the table and the other for basting while cooking.)
5. Take meat out of refrigerator and let sit for 30 – 45 minutes at room temperature. Prepare your smoker or grill until the temperature reaches 250 degrees F.
6. Take prepared wood chips (should have been soaked overnight) and place on your prepared smoker or grill.
7. Place meat on the smoker fat side down. A new handful of prepared chips should be added to the fire every 30 minutes or so.
8. After two hours, turn the meat over so it is fat side up. And repeat process for approximately three times as total cook time will be 1 1/2 hours per pound. (Try to maintain a temperature between 225 degrees F and 250 degrees F. Continue to spritz the meat with apple juice from a spray bottle to help add moisture. This will add moisture and a fruity background flavor during cooking.
9. Remove meat from smoker with two hours remaining (1.5 hours per pound), and place on heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spritz generously with apple juice, baste with sauce and tightly seal foil around pork. Place meat back on the smoker, and cook for two hours more.
10. Remove the meat from smoker, and let it cool for 15 to 30 minutes. Remove foil after it has cooled enough to handle. Remove the bones, which will easily pull away. Begin pulling, or shredding, the meat with two large forks, and place in a large baking dish or pan. Remove and discard any remaining fat.
11. Add the sauce to pulled pork, and toss. Serve with additional sauce on white buns or by itself.
What about you? Do you have Farming Roots in your blood? Do you ever want to go back or do you have a desire to live off the land? Leave me a comment. I’d love to know if I’m not the only one.
This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Kansas Pork Association. I was compensated for my time however all opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks for telling the Suther family’s farming story, Kelly! Great post! It is wonderful to hear about your previous experiences with farm families as well.
Neat post.. and interesting to read! I, too, am a city girl.. born and raised here in the middle of KC. But, my mom and her brothers and sisters all grew up on my grandparents’ dairy farm… first in North Dakota, and then in Trenton, Missouri. I, myself, have heard many stories about milking the cows, baling hay, feeding chickens, learning to drive on the tractor, learning to shoot the shot gun, etc, but never had a chance to experience that since my grandparents retired and sold the farm around when I was born.
I totally look up to all farmers, though. My grandparents, esp. where the hardest working people I know. Part of that is due to their generation, but a big part was due to coming from farm families and working hard on the farm. And yes.. my grandmother was one of the best cooks out there. I’m proud of my heritage, and hope to pass down some of that to my daughter, even though she will be a born and bred city girl like myself.
Bug – I feel the same way. We are so fortunate because Hubs parents still live and work on a ranch and my kids get to experience that life every time they go to Nebraska. Truth be told DS is becoming quite the horseman and is able to move cows with his “Grinny” when he is there – and that makes mom very proud.
Thanks for a positive view of the family farm. I grew up as a farm kid, now my brother farms. You’re right that most people only hear about the bad side of corporate farming. They don’t understand that family farmers are in some ways the ultimate environmentalists. They have to take good care of their animals and their land or they would be out of business. And for them it is not just a business but a lifestyle that goes back for generations.
I completely agree Kellie.
I love this article! I’m a farmer’s daughter…my dad still raises black angus, corn, and soy beans (quit growing wheat a few years ag0). Just took the kids down to ride the combine to shell corn with PaPa this past weekend. 🙂 I would love to see more stories like this!
Thanks Melissa. We’ll see what I can do. I was very blessed to be asked by the Kansas Pork Producers.
Thank you Kelly for such a fun interview! I don’t often get asked about what I do and then get it published (!) so it is exciting. It is great to see so many positive posts about agriculture. Thanks again!
You were an easy interview, girl. 🙂
Kudos to you Kelly for helping to inform and educate folks of what life is like for a family living on a farm. I have almost resorted to sending emails to the tv networks for the lame and ignorant comments that they make about people involved in agriculture. I loved that you mentioned Micki Suther doing accounting. That shows that their farm is a business, and a complicated one at that.
I’m always so impressed by farmers and how stinkin’ hard they work. This interview just proves how dedicated they are! Wow…
I can’t wait to try their recipe. Looks so good!
Beautiful writing, Kelly! Love this post. And agreed that farmers’ wives are the best cooks ever!!!
Totally bookmarking this recipe to try. 🙂 Looks delicious!