One producer, two jobs. One coop to ease the burden.

Note: This article was written by a former intern and was originally printed in our December, 2010 issue of "Connections".

It has been said that farmers have to be part agronomist, conservationist, meteorologist and economist. But for many, farming is not their single career choice.  Some may be teachers, engineers or business people. At MKC, we strive to provide the services needed to make a farming operation as simple as possible.

“We understand how limited and valuable time is for our business partners,” says Steve Peterson, Director of Northern Area Operations for MKC.  “It’s our goal to pre-plan with customers to be accessible when needed and to create and provide services, labor and expertise that fulfills their needs.” 

Once seen as a temporary response to the Great Depression, off-the-farm employment is now regarded as a regular feature of farming communities. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than half of the farm operators in the United States now work off the farm.

Dale Kauffman of Haven has maintained strong ties to agriculture and rural America by continuing the family tradition of farming. Kauffman has also continued his passion for education over three decades as a teacher for high school and college students.

 “As a teacher and a farmer, I truly believe I have the best of both worlds,” Kauffman says. “During the times when things are busy on the farm and classes are going strong, I feel like a juggler but I am enjoying what I am doing every day.”


Dale Kauffman splits his time between farming and teaching.

After college, Kauffman began his teaching career in Oregon, but chose to stay there for only one year because of the opportunity he had to return home and continue the family farm after his parents retired. Knowing that he wanted to continue his teaching career when returning back to Kansas, Kauffman took a position at Cheney High School as a high school chemistry and physics teacher. In 1990, the opportunity to become a chemistry professor at Hutchinson Community College was at hand. And that opportunity continues to do so today, 20 years later.

“I enjoy working with students, helping them become successful and meet their goals,” Kauffman says. “Additionally, my career as a teacher has provided us with a stream of income we were able to live on and allowed us to invest the income that was made off the farm back into the farm.”

As a full-time farmer operating a diversified grain and cattle operation near Haven, Kauffman relies on help to balance all of the work that needs to be done. He has two part-time, retired employees who help with the farm work when needed. He also relies on the services and programs offered by MKC.

“MKC has been very supportive and helpful through this journey,” Kauffman says. “From field marketers to location managers, I have been able to create great relationships with the employees who are providing the services I need on my farm.”

According to Erik Lange, Director of Southern Operations for MKC, the cooperative has made it a priority over the last few years to provide an extremely competent and service oriented staff that can help anticipate and execute customer’s needs. He said, “We realize that our products and services are no good if the people providing them cannot execute on the customers’ needs and this is the value that MKC can offer our customers.”

Kauffman added MKC has been a one-stop place for his farming operation because he has been able to just pick up the phone when services are needed and they are always there to help. “MKC has become a part of my team and I always feel like they want the very best for me,” Kauffman says.

“A difficult decision for me is the thought of retirement from teaching,” Kauffman says. “I could retire next year but it would be difficult to leave my day-to-day life as a teacher.”

Bryce Turnquist, a fourth generation farmer, got his own operation started 38 years ago. Farming southwest of Lindsborg, Turnquist operates a diversified grain and cow-calf operation. It wasn’t until 2007, Turnquist found a career working off the farm at Certainteed in McPherson.

“The company works well with my needs on the farm giving me time off during the months of June, July and August off to work through the busy times of farming,” Turnquist says.

Turnquist explained the most difficult challenge is his lack of sleep. “To accommodate my work hours of 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., I have to work harder on the weekend to make up for what I don’t get done during the weekdays.”

To help him balance all of the work that needs to be done, Turnquist has help from his dad, Donald Turnquist, who has retired. He also makes the operation work with the help of his son, Brett Turnquist, and some hired labor when needed.

“I am appreciative of the agronomy, fuel and grain services offered by MKC,” Turnquist says. “I am a strong supporter of the cooperative system and appreciate their expertise.”

Turnquist commented how MKC’s ability to always get the jobs done in a timely manner brings him peace of mind. He says, “The recommendations on agronomy services from weed control to new seed varieties are always helpful.”

Kevin Sauerwein and Chris Sauerwein, also known as Sauerwein Brothers Farms, are among farmers who don't just till the soil but they have their hands in other careers and ag-related businesses, as well.

Kevin, a graduate of Kansas State University in agricultural engineering and Chris, a graduate of Salina Technical School in diesel mechanics, both took positions at AGCO Corporation after graduation. Chris has worked for the corporation in header design engineering since 1999 and Kevin as a technical service specialist since 2006.

Always hoping to come back to the family farming operation, the Sauerwein brothers made that dream happen. Established in 1995 by Chris and Kevin, Sauerwein Brothers Farms in Newton consists of primarily a grain operation with wheat, corn, soybeans and occasionally sunflowers.

At first, Chris took the full-time, off-the-farm job after graduation for the benefits, a retirement account and the hope to someday work into the family operation but added that combination has worked well for him and he sees no changes in the near future.

“The combination of farming and working off the farm has been a great learning experience,” Chris says. “Several years ago we set down with MKC representatives and talked about what our operation was going to look like with us working off the farm and how they could help us.”

Lange suggests patrons sit down with an MKC representative and create individualized solutions for their operation. “By building a plan in the off season that can be executed when things get really busy, we can take a lot of pressure off the producer to have to make decisions in the heat of the battle,” Lang says. “We know what their needs and expectations are and we can have the products and service schedule in place to execute the plan with very little effort on the customer’s part.

As producers, the Sauerwein brothers are very appreciative of MKC’s services and the cooperative’s knowledge of the latest technologies and practices. Chris noted the latest varieties and technologies presented at MKC’s test plots are extremely helpful in preparing for the upcoming year.

“The services MKC offers have been extremely helpful to us,” Kevin says. “From everything from seed to fertilizer, we are able to find the services and products we need at one spot that are very competitive with others.”

Chris explains how the combination of farming and having a career off the farm works well for them because the family farm isn’t large enough to support both Kevin and himself full-time. He also added the benefits such as insurance are a plus and it helps to have a steady paycheck from an off-the-farm job. The Sauerwein brothers also appreciate their situation because of the flexibility it gives them to provide for their families, as well as the opportunities they have to spend time on the farm with their wives and children.

“Because of our work schedules, we aren't always able to make the time to get some of the jobs done but MKC is able to help us get the job done,” Chris says. “In the past, we struggled with harvest hours but in the last couple of years, MKC has really worked hard to accommodate producers.”

When asked of challenges, Chris says, “It is difficult during certain times of the year to not always have enough time in the day to finish the tasks that need to get done, but it is beneficial that the operation consists of my brother and I.”

“MKC has the people, facilities and equipment that producers can leverage to reduce their working capital needs as well as share with our partners an understanding of the importance of timeliness of execution for their success,” Peterson says.  “Sometimes the window of opportunity is small and whether delivering crop inputs, spraying crop protection products and or crop nutrients or unloading grain, we are committed to delivering exceptional timely service.”