Our Rural Roots

Jennifer Campbell, Contributor

It's official, Cole (our youngest) is a full-time partner at Campbell Farming LLC. I can't believe how excited and terrified I am during this transition in our lives.

We are a grain and livestock farm surrounded by urbanization still holding tight to our roots bringing the seventh generation to the farm.

When Cole was 4 years old, he was playing tractors, and I heard a cuss word come out of his mouth. I began to correct him, but he was loading his toy tractor on a flatbed truck and informed me, "the damn thing has an oil leak." It was obvious he had a strong grasp on reality.

At the age of 5, I asked if he would like to play baseball. I told him he had to go to all the games and practices no matter what was going on in the field. Do I need to tell you he turned that down flat?

In second grade, he had to keep a reading log for school. He was not going to let that interfere with harvest, so he read the combine manual while riding along in the buddy seat.

We got a new-to-us semi when he was 11. It didn't have a gear schematic on it. He made one and taped it to the dash.

On more than one occasion, the boy farmer lined up toy farm equipment and held his own version of Ted Everett's Auction.

His original plan was to spend two years at a John Deere dealership to hone ag-tech skills. But, much like plans we think we have, God has others, and you adapt. He is needed here on the farm now, and this is where he wants to be.

Cole has had a few other dreams, like wanting to be a train engineer. But, for the most part, being a farmer is all he has ever wanted to do. Based on skills and determination, the future of agriculture is in good hands.

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-- Jennifer (Jent) Campbell takes inspiration from what is now a seventh-generation Indiana family farm. She also writes a blog called Farm Wife Feeds https://farmwifefeeds.com/…

-- Follow Jent on Twitter @plowwife and on the podcast @girlstalkag

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