OWENSBORO, Ky. – According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average person will change careers five to seven times during their working life. Approximately 30 percent of the total workforce will now change jobs every 12 months. It is rare now for any worker to remain with his or her employer for 35 years or longer.

It’s not uncommon, however, for farmers to have worked on their farms their entire lives. Many continue to be involved in farming operations even after reaching traditional retirement age, often sticking at this occupation after handing down operations to the children.

Gary Cecil, of Owensboro; John Werries, of Chapin, Ill., and Jim Douglas, of Flat Rock, Ind., are perfect examples of farmers who have been at their business for 50 or more years and have children prepared to take over operations.

Cecil began his 51-year farming career by renting 10 acres of tobacco land and hauling hay for area farmers and ear corn to local elevators. Today he operates 2,414 acres, 180 of which are owned and 2,234 are rented, on which he grows watermelon, corn, soybeans, mixed vegetables and greenhouse flowers.

“I started out wanting to be a computer programmer and went to ITT for a year and took a few college courses in that field,” Cecil said. “But when I had the chance to turn my hand to farming, I took it.”

Cecil said one important lesson he has learned from farming is perseverance.

“You’ve got to want it badly and truly enjoy it to make it your way of life,” Cecil said. “Passion is essential because when the hard times come, you might be tempted to walk away. But there’s that ever renewing, pure satisfaction of watching crops get planted, grow to maturity, and get harvested. There’s really no better feeling on earth.”

Cecil Farms Produce has 450 acres of watermelons, 1,083 acres of corn, 882 acres of soybeans, 20 acres of mixed vegetables including tomatoes and bell peppers, and 43,000 square feet of greenhouse flowers yielding 10,000 bedding plants, ferns and mixed baskets.

The Cecils own another business enterprise, Cecil Spread Service, LLC, that dates back to the 1980s.

“Throughout southern Indiana and western and central Kentucky we spread lime, fertilizer, litter and compost and apply crop protectants through our custom spray service,” Cecil said.

Cecil and his wife, Imelda, have three children: Ryan, Suzanne and Katie. Ryan is a main partner and a key person in production and management of all crops as well as the spreader service. Suzanne returned to the operation in 2011 with the intention of helping with bookkeeping and payroll of 75-plus employees at the time. Katie also came back home to help manage the produce packing and distributi9on, spring greenhouse production, the fresh cut flower production, as well as creating and designing event florals and educational outreach workshops.

“You need the perspective of youth to energize and grow your operation,” Cecil said. “And they have the capability and willingness to reinvent, change and evolve as the times dictate. They’re open to implementing new ideas and enterprises, which is essential to the future viability of the farm.”

Werries just notched his 60th harvest milestone in October. If you count the years heading up to his high school graduation, he has been a part of 70 planting and harvest seasons.

Werries Farm LLC, managed by John and his son, Dean, maintains 3,800 acres of corn and soybeans owned and rented land consisting of both flat fertile soil and less productive rolling terrain (3,500 acres of corn on corn). They also sell cover crop seed and offer custom seeding through a new venture, Chapin Cover Crops.

“My first memory of driving a tractor I was 4 years and 8 months old,” Werries said. “I couldn’t reach the pedals. All I ever wanted to do my whole life is farm.”

Werries reiterated that farming is not easy. The entire process is a miracle from planting to harvest and farming revolves around the weather. He credits the family’s faith in sustaining them through generations of farming.

When Werries started farming, land erosion was a serious problem. He said he would moldboard plow everything, and the only way to control weeds was with tillage.

“You plowed the land, then you worked it several times and then planted it,” he said. “Erosion was awful and when you got a big rain, the only tool we had to fill in ditches was a moldboard plow.”

The farm transitioned out of the use of a moldboard plow in the 1970s and switched to disc and chiseling before landing on the practices in use today. After purchasing their first strip-till bar at a farm show in winter of 1995, John and Dean officially began strip tilling the following fall.

John Werries began using cover crops in 2012. A seed dealer said he should start small and experiment with a few acres, “but I told him that at my age I didn’t have years to experiment,” Werries said.

Werries did wonders on his farm in the way of soil health throughout the years and his conservation efforts have led to exciting farm visitors. Werries had President Ronald Reagan on his farm for a short ride in his 1975 John Deere tractor during the 1982 Conservation Tillage Expo in Chapin.

Werries’ brother, Larry, was the Illinois director of agriculture at the time when John joked he should take the president for a tractor ride. Werries said the president’s staff loved the idea and the Secret Service arrived a week in advance to make the ride happen.

“I know you face a real uphill battle here on the farm. Sometimes you may wonder if anyone is listening to your problems. Well, I’m listening,” Reagan told the 6,000 farmers eagerly waiting to hear the president speak on the new blended credit program that would encourage long-term growth for farm exports.

While in the cab of the tractor together, Werries said he and Reagan mostly talked about tractors.

John and his wife, Ruth, have three children and 11 grandchildren. Their reward is watching their grandchildren take interest in the farm.

Douglas, of Douglas Farms, just completed his 51st growing season. He is a fourth-generation farmer, tending to 120 acres. He also serves as a director on the United Soybean Board and is currently the chair of the executive committee of the Indiana Soybean Alliance.

Dougas, 66, bought his dad’s equipment and the homestead. He grew his acreage base and started a farrow-to-finish hog operation to diversify. This hog-and-crop model supported the family for decades, including his wife, Kay, and their five children: Julie, Lora, Katie, James and Leann. The Douglas children grew up and left the farm. All but James, that is.

James, 33, headed to Purdue University and graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in building construction management. After working for five years in that field, the flat, rich soil of central Indiana started pulling him home.

“If I was going to try farming, it was the time,” James said. “If I didn’t like it, I’d just go back to construction. But once I moved back, I haven’t looked back.”

Jim’s original goal was to retire by age 70. This year he and James formed a limited liability company (LLC), which is owned by the two. Owned land and equipment will be rented by the LLC. This new arrangement simplifies inventory and billing and will help Jim phase out of ownership.

“If I see mistakes amongst my farming peers, it’s the dad not willing to give up the combine or planter seat,” Jim said. “You have to give younger people some responsibility and let them run with it.”