NEXT GENERATION A
s the sun rises over the rolling hills of central Kansas, the Peterson brothers are hard at work on their family farm, an
operation that functions as a testament to five generations of dedication, innovation and resilience. Founded in 1882 by their great-great-grandparents, Peterson Bros Farms has grown from its rooted beginnings to a diversified operation that embraces both tradition and cutting-edge technology while leveraging the power of digital media to support their operation and increase the visibility of American agriculture.
Hard work and family values
Greg Peterson, the eldest of the three brothers, recounts the farm’s history with
a sense of pride and responsibility for this article. “The farm started with my great-great-grandparents, and now my brothers and I are the fifth generation to run it,” says Peterson. “We’ve always gotten along pretty good. I mean, some people think we like never fight or anything like that, which isn’t true. We definitely get in arguments sometimes, but for the most part we get along. Dad has been really good about handing things over to us and including us in decision-making and things like that.”
Today, Greg, Nathan and Kendall, along with their father, manage a farm that spans 2,500 acres of crops and an additional 1,000 acres of custom-farmed land. They grow wheat, corn, soybeans, sorghum and alfalfa, and raise about 1,000 feeder cattle
and 100 cow-calf pairs. The brothers are also deeply involved in various aspects of farm management, from crop production to livestock care.
Modern farming comes with its challenges, but the Petersons have embraced technological advancements to stay ahead.
“We’ve implemented auto-steer tractors, prescription planting maps and advanced sprayer systems to increase efficiency and reduce waste,” says Peterson. “The cap stand system [on the sprayer] controls every nozzle, so we’re not overlapping a single square foot of the field when we’re spraying. We’ve got the boom height control that keeps the sprayer booms level. There’s a lot of technology on the sprayer.”
The online farming community is incredibly supportive. It’s different from the old coffee shop gatherings — there’s MORE SHARING and LESS COMPETITION.” – Greg Peterson
irrigationtoday.org
Summer 2024 | Irrigation TODAY 11
Photos: Courtesy of Greg Peterson
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