2 minute read
Iowa State Bank
On the tractor steps: Kyle and Jessica. Front: Lance, Lanie, Joni, Helen and Darwin.
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THE RUS FAMILY
THE SHEEHAN FAMILY
Sioux County, February 2021
“You’ve got to have your heart in farming or you won’t last very long,” according to Kyle Rus of Rock Valley. His brother Lance agreed. “A farmer can’t think his time is very valuable. You work a lot of hours fairly cheap. But if it’s something you like to do, you keep doing it.”
Lance and Kyle farm with their parents, Darwin and Helen Rus of Rock Valley. All eight of the Rus siblings were thrown into farm work early because their dad was on the road as a trucker. “We had to learn pretty fast because Dad was never home,” said Lance. “So Mom was the teacher. That’s the way we farmed: The kids did the work and Dad kept trucking. We got it done.” Darwin added, “Being a family farm made it work.”
Lance’s wife, Joni, said the humbleness of farm life helps keep their family close to God. “Our existence on earth is to glorify the Almighty Creator. Being able to work with the land and God's creatures day to day, we are constantly reminded of that fact.”
When their dad died unexpectedly, Dan and Neil Sheehan of Remsen were in their mid-20s and not ready to be on their own. But they adapted the family swine operation to custom finishing. In addition, a supportive banker, a pitpumping business, a little custom farming, and growing seed beans all added up to keep them going.
The brothers said their dad’s lessons were ingrained in them because he always made a point of explaining what he was doing and why.
Plymouth County, February 2021
“When we were young, we had outside pigs and then he built hog finishers,” Dan said. “We always had to help. When we were little, he always had us watch the gate while he cleaned the yards out. I remember thinking, ‘Well, this is dumb, why do we need to be out here?’ Now I understand what he was doing. It wasn’t the fact that we needed to be there, it was the fact of watching and learning. Anything he did, he always made sure we were out there doing it with him.”
Front: Lori holding Quinn, Dan, Krystal holding Paisley, and Neil. Back: Lucas, Savanah, Keaton, Trenton and Breanna. Photo by Lori Sheehan.
