Farm Background:
Brad and Jo started their farming operation in 1975. Both came from farm families, Brad near Plymouth, and Jo near Converse, Indiana. Kyle, the oldest of two sons entered the operation part time in 1991. The operation has grown over the years, and Kyle came on board in 2000. In 2001 Kyle married Rachael Yeiter, from Bourbon, and she entered the operation as a partner with him. Kyle and Rachael had their first child, Ava, in May of 2006, Ivy followed in May of 2008 and their first son, Emry in April of 2010. Ivy followed in May of 2008, their first son, Emry in April of 2010, third daughter, Onya in May of 2012, and their fifth child, Ulise, came along in August 2018.
Current Operation:
Personnel: Brad and Kyle handle all of the farm work with the assistance of a full time employee as well as seasonal help.
Location: Case IH, Marshall County, just off of US 30 and US 31 near John Deere and Case – IH.
Size: Mid-sized grain farm including owned, shared, and cash rented ground, currently irrigating nearly half our acres. Our grain facilities include modern dryers and ample storage. We also have liquid fertilizer facilities capable of storing several different bulk products.
Equipment: Modern equipment, including front wheel drive, four wheel drive, and track tractors, 16 & 24 row planters, 24 row strip till machine (a conservation practice), semis, late model combine with harvesting tools, high clearance sprayer, tillage tools, and irrigation pivots.
Farming practices: Primary tillage practices are considered to be minimum-till, we also utilize strip-till and no-till. Practices for each farm are determined on a case by case basis depending on soil types and landlords desires.
Irrigation experience: We have been working with irrigation since our first pivot installation in 1979. We currently operate 24 center pivots; Reinke, Lindsay, Valley, and Lockwood. Our water supplies are wells and open ditches. We have electric pumping stations as well as diesel and LP gas. Most of our systems have high efficiency drops and operate at lower pressure. We track rainfall, and use irrigation as a supplement only when needed.
Primary crops: We have experience growing commercial corn, soybeans, seed corn, seed soybeans, wheat, potatoes, and fresh market sweet corn. Though we are open to specialty crops, our main crops remain commercial corn and soybeans, with a focus on producing Identity Preserved (IP) and Non-GMO crops for seed, food, and export market.
Honors:
- Host 2012 Purdue Farm Management Tour
- National Corn Growers: Fourth place for Indiana in 2009 @ 259 bushel per acre.
- Pioneer Seed Grower: Individual grower award @ 213 bushel per acre.
- Graduate, Leadership 2000, Agricultural leadership development sponsored by Purdue Cooperative Extension. (Brad)
- Graduate, Indiana Farm Bureau Leadership Development. (Kyle and Rachael)
Education background:
- Brad: 1974 Graduate of Manchester College, Bachelor of Science in Biology, also holds real estate and auctioneer license.
- Jo: 1974 Graduate of Manchester College, Bachelor of Science in Elementary education. Masters earned from IU. Teacher at Triton Elementary, Bourbon, IN.
- Kyle: 1999 Graduate of Purdue University, Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Holds Engineer in Training License, also holds commercial applicators license from the Office of the Indiana State Chemist.
- Rachael: 2000 Graduate of Michiana College, Associates Degree as a Physical Therapist Assistant. Rachael has operated her own business as an independent contractor for Indiana First Steps providing in home therapy for special needs children. However, she currently is a stay-at-home mom with their three children.
Outside Interests:
- Kyle and Rachael are Women’s College basketball officials.
- Jo collects antiques and is interested in health and fitness.
- Ava is a licensed pilot looking to pursue a career in aviation.
References and financial information available upon request.
