LIVE AND LEARN Except for a part-time truck driver in the fall, the work on both the livestock and crop side is all in the family. Todd said, “I feel fortunate that both Alex and Austin had jobs waiting for them before they graduated” and that the employers give them the flexibility to help on the farm. “Without these two guys, I can’t run the acres I run,” Todd said. Alex brings technology and mechanical skills to the crop side of the operation. Austin lives on the site of the nursery, so it’s natural he helps with the pigs. Their dad said, “They also know how to do each other’s jobs. And harvest is the big time when it’s all hands on deck.”
after Alex graduated from college, Todd said, “He planted some acres and I ended up spraying it. I came back and told him I wasn’t combining it. He went to combine later and said, ‘Yep, not doing it that way again.’” Alex and Austin have learned from some of those mistakes. Fortunately, “Mom and Dad taught us how to work hard; and how to have fun,” Austin said.
Alex and Maria Popken with their daughter, Denali. Photo courtesy Alex Popken.
The family values the rural area and being able to know their neighbors. “You go to the local café, you talk more than you eat,” Todd said. Tammy’s life goal is to get the right mix of family and farming, while always keeping the faith.
The sons have begun to directly rent cropland of their own. Todd said, “Their ground, my equipment. You sit in the seat, you plant your own stuff. When you mess up planting, you get to learn in hurry.” Not long
Austin and Nicole Popken. Photo courtesy Austin Popken.
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(712) 722-2501 | 153 N Main Ave., Sioux Center, IA 51250 March 2022 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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