By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent MARKLE, Ind. — Pam Fausz has lived in the country all her life and can’t imagine living anywhere else.
“I like the open spaces and not having neighbors right next to me who complain about the noise and smells,” she said. “I can’t imagine living in town. I think it would be strange.”
Fausz, her husband, Terry, and their son, Brian, farm 2,000 acres near Markle in Wells, Huntington and Allen counties. They raise corn and soybeans, and had hogs until about nine years ago.
Brian had been thinking about returning home to farm with his parents, but the decision was made for him last year when his father fell off a grain bin, breaking both legs.
“Brian was a truck mechanic in town, but he always helped with the harvest on the weekends and in the evenings,” Fausz said. “After Terry’s accident, we needed the help. “
Fausz, 52, and Terry, 50, met in a rural youth program for 4-H members who had completed their 10 years of service. The program offered dances and get-togethers. They have been married 31 years.
She was raised on a grain and dairy farm near North Manchester, Ind. “When we met, Terry was farming with his dad,” she said. “After we got married, we helped his parents farm, and they later turned the farm over to us.”
Fausz didn’t start driving the farm equipment until their three children were older.
“I was a stay-at-home mom raising our kids and working with my husband,” she said. “I didn’t drive the equipment when they were little.”
In addition to Brian, 29, the Fauszes have two other children – Keith, 26, and Tami, 22. Keith is a material handler for Peyton’s in Bluffton, Ind., and Tami is earning her master’s degree in agronomy at Purdue University. She hopes to become an extension educator.
All three of their children are married and the Fauszes have three grandchildren.
These days, Fausz drives the grain cart at harvest and works the ground.
“I also do all the bookwork. And I’m also the go-fer girl. I go get parts, I go get seeds, I go get lunch.”
The family owns five Case IH tractors and a combine. They work with Koenig Equipment in Huntington, Ind.
“We’re really happy with their service,” Fausz said. “The parts guys and the service guys know who I am when I walk in the door. They’re really close if we need something.
“When we call them for service, they can generally get someone here within a couple of hours.”
Even though they have a computer, she still uses a ledger to keep track of farm business. “I use the computer at tax time, but generally, it seems easier for us to just open the ledger to find what we want,” she explained.
Brian will probably take over operation of the farm someday, Fausz said.
“He’s already rented 300 acres to farm for himself,” she said. “He’s the third generation of the family farming here.”
This farm news was published in the Aug. 1, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
