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Creative thinking expands family farming businessBy Jennifer M. Latzke Derek and Michelle Zongker, Sylvia, Kan., are a young farm couple full of creativity, determination and enthusiasm. Their creativity allows them to be open to new farming ideas and their determination drives them to make their business grow and thrive in a climate that's less than hospitable to newcomers. But, don't tell Michelle that farming's too tough for young people. "Every time someone says 'you can't make it in farming' I just detest that," Michelle said with a grimace. And the Zongkers have a message for those naysayers out there: What you do on your farm may not be traditional in the eyes of your neighbors and your family, but there is always a way to make agriculture your career if you want it bad enough. Changing tactics The couple should know. When they took on some of the family acres near Sylvia from Derek's parents in the 1990s, they decided to switch from a row-crop based operation to a forage-based one for efficiency and profitability--despite the fact that most of their neighbors and even some in their family thought it was risky. "We have pretty marginal ground," Derek said. It's that marginal ground that the couple wanted to use more efficiently. By planting rye and allowing the native crab grass to grow, in place of Wheat and corn, the couple can contract graze stocker cattle for other producers without the expensive inputs of row-crops. They're also able to feed the 50-head cow herd Michelle brought with her from Colorado when she married into the family. Additionally, they thresh the rye in the spring for seed and they also bale some of the forage for sale and for their own use. Today, the couple farms about 2,000 acres--600 acres of leased and family-owned ground and 1,400 acres they custom farm for a local feed yard. They still raise some commodity crops on some of their acres, but it's no longer the primary item on the farm. "We use the forage to grow the cattle," Derek said. "We went from traditional harvesting to producing crops that would harvest themselves. We do bale a little, and we use a combine to thresh the seed, but that's it. The cattle do the harvesting for us." Because the couple has put their marginal ground to better use growing forage, they find that they often have a surplus of forage and the custom grazing business evolved from that. "We can graze cattle and make more money with less input," he said. A new game While the Zongkers switch from row crop to forage farming wasn't completely traditional, it looked pretty staid to what they had up their sleeves next--an agritourism venture. Three years ago, the Zongkers, along with Derek's sister Danielle, her husband Eric Geesling, Eric's parents Gary and Elaine Geesling, and Derek and Danielle's parents Bart and Kay Zongker, all decided to combine their interests in an agritourism venture and created Harvest Farm and Pumpkin Patch. "Danielle put the idea together out at their place," Michelle Zongker said. After some convincing, Eric and the other two couples came on board and Harvest Farm and Pumpkin Patch was on its way to reality. For about a full year, the four couples met and strategized about the new business. They all brought their individual expertise to the operation, Michelle said. Michelle and Derek wanted to add a petting zoo experience for children, and so they became in charge of the animals--many of which are hand-raised at their place. Brother-in-law Eric had some acres near Highway 61 he could plant to pumpkins to bring in customers, and so he's in charge of pumpkin production. Sister Danielle manages the day-to-day operations, and takes care of the decorations and bookings at the headquarters, which is also the Geeslings' farmstead. The mothers, Elaine and Kay, work the concession stand and the craft booth during the weekends. And, the rest of the family pitches in wherever help is needed. It was a real collaborative effort, the Zongkers explained. "We all try to be involved as much as possible," Michelle said. "We all cover for each other as needed and we give and take with the responsibilities." "We get along pretty well," Derek said. The key to making it all work is communication and planning, they said. The agritourism venture served two purposes for the four families--first, it creatively brought a new revenue stream to their farms, and second, it served as a fun educational experience for children and families in surrounding communities. Family fun Harvest Farm and Pumpkin Patch offers a wide variety of tours and family activities from September to October. If you can dream it, it's available at the farm--there's face painting, a scarecrow factory, and games for the whole family. Most of the activity centers on weekends, which are open to the general public. There, people can choose their own pumpkins from the six-acre patch of 20 varieties; take a hayrack ride; learn about production agriculture from one of the many tours available; or enjoy the fun of a 30-foot hay loft slide, a petting zoo, and the concession stand. Perhaps the most popular feature of the Harvest Farm and Pumpkin Patch is the "Punkinator," a homemade pumpkin cannon that "the boys" made out of a used fire engine, a 500-gallon LP tank and some ingenuity. "We were at the Great Bend Agri-Tourism Conference a few years ago and there was a guy there who spoke about a cannon he'd built," Michelle said. "We made the mistake of letting the boys sit together, and you could just see the lights going on when they listened about this cannon," she laughed. "It was a winter project," Derek said. "We had it done by May and needed to test it out, but we didn't have pumpkins." So, being ever resourceful they tried cantaloupes, watermelons and assorted fruits and vegetables they snuck out of Danielle's refrigerator for testing. "It just disintegrated the lettuce," Derek said with a grin. After some trial and error, they figured out they could shoot an 8-inch, 10-pound pumpkin up to one-half of a mile away. Now, the Pumpkinator has a place of honor at Harvest Farm--pumpkin shoots are scheduled on weekends every hour on the hour. "We get to explain the mechanics of the cannon," he said. "Guys of all ages really get into it. It's just good fun." For safety, only a staff member is allowed to fire the Pumpkinator, and spectators are kept a safe distance away from the machine and the projectiles. Farm education Agricultural education is the primary goal of the Harvest Farm venture, Michelle said. During the season, weekdays are set aside for schools and organizations to schedule tours of the farm and learn about production agriculture. "Ag education is a passion of ours," Michelle said. "It's frustrating that children aren't learning where things come from in school or at home. This is a proactive response to that. If we can give them a positive interaction with agriculture, we can improve on the image of agriculture." Part of that image-building is by allowing as many hands-on experiences as possible for both children and adult visitors. If attendance figures are any measure, their efforts are working. Last year the farm hosted 2,000 school children from schools across the state. And, the farm sold more than 30,000 pounds of pumpkins--not counting all the free pumpkins that go home with children on school trips and promotional giveaways. From the petting zoo to the Pumpkinator, allowing visitors to experience agriculture in a positive and fun light can be both a benefit and a challenge. The families had to work with their insurance agent and business advisors to make sure that they provided their customers with a safe and secure learning environment. Working with professionals in the development of the Harvest Farm was a must-have, Michelle said. For example, the families organized the venture into a corporation because of liability issues. They took the time to learn about the agritourism regulations within the state, and had an insurance agent come to the farm and inspect the operation for safety concerns. "We've tried to accommodate every issue," he said. Future is wide open The future for the Zongkers holds many possibilities because of their creative and determined approach to making it all work for them. And, they encourage other young producers to find their own paths to success. "Because we're younger, it can be easier for us to be different in our approach to farming," Michelle said. "Do what works for you," Derek added. "Learn from others' mistakes but don't always follow what's always been done. Agriculture is evolving and changing. There have been some tough times and struggles even with good markets. But you got to have the never-give-up attitude." If you can dream it, make it work for you, Michelle added. The Zongkers recognize there are real-world challenges to young farmers. Both have worked off-farm jobs to supplement their farm incomes. Michelle currently is a stay-at-home mom, but that also gives her time to help out with the marketing and bookkeeping of Harvest Farm and Pumpkin Patch. Derek is a part-time rural postal carrier and has other off-farm income opportunities. Finding affordable insurance was another struggle, but they finally found one that fit their needs, Michelle said. Getting started on their own takes a lot of effort, even with the help of family. "It's a huge initial investment," Derek said. "It's awfully hard to start from scratch. Just getting the contacts of people to rent ground from is tough if you're brand new to farming." Fortunately, the Zongkers planned for Derek to return to production agriculture after he graduated from college in 1992. "Transitional planning should be done before anyone goes back to the family farm," he said. "Plan and adjust." But the couple looks at the long-term rewards farming will bring to them and their children, Zack, 22 months, and Rex, four months. "We're willing to make some sacrifices because this lifestyle is worth it, it's what we want for our family," Michelle said. "We want to raise our children so that they can grow and learn from the farm." Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at jlatzke@hpj.com. Date: 12/13/06  Email to a Friend!
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