Remembering Farmer Kenneth Hayden

OMAHA (DTN) -- A picture of several combines working side by side in November to harvest a field of soybeans made the rounds on social media last fall -- and was worth a thousand words for Steve and Patrick Hayden, sons of the late Marion Kenneth "Dodo" Hayden.

Kenneth, 92, of Cecilia, Kentucky, died on Aug. 30, 2023, shortly before the full swing of harvest. During a time when Steve and Patrick would take time off to help their father and cousin Paul Hayden with the harvest, they had to spend more time wondering what to do next; they knew harvest could take longer than usual.

"I figured we'd be able to finish harvest late in December and some local farmers said 'we're going to help with soybeans' but I didn't expect that much help," Steve said.

However, a group of local farmers heard about Kenneth's passing and banded together in November. They hoped to finish the rest of the Hayden crop, about 350 acres, in two days.

Equipped with five combines, four grain carts and six trucks -- along with a dozen or so helpers representing 10 farms in the area -- they finished harvesting the soybeans in half the time.

"By dark on the first day, they were done," said Mark Thomas, owner of BLT Farms in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, who was among the group of helpers.

Without the help, the work would have taken the Haydens several weeks to a month to complete, Steve estimated.

The harvest assistance also made an impact in other ways.

"It made December a lot easier to handle. We worked more on the estate and transition, able to plan for spring, and take care of my mom," Steve said.

KENNETH'S MEMORY HONORED

Kenneth, remembered as a loving husband, father and mentor, was known for his service and love for his community. Kenneth dedicated his life to his family, farming and helping others. Kenneth, along with his wife Karolyn, owned K&K Farms, formerly Hayden Farms, a stretch of nearly 900 acres, producing corn and soybeans in Hardin County.

Having known Kenneth most of their lives as "the first one to plant, and last one to harvest," Thomas said the group of volunteers wanted Kenneth to be proud.

"Theoretically, he was very much an International Tractor man; I had to laugh at the green combines going across the field. He had to have looked down, thankful for the help and amazed and shocked at the outpouring of support," Thomas added.

"I've known him my whole life and several of us can't pinpoint when exactly we've met him, because he was always there in the community, he was always someone that we knew," Thomas said.

"Looking at his operation, we perceived him as the best farmer around. He was one of the first to adopt no-till in Kentucky in the '70s and one of the first people I knew that had a bucket elevator," Thomas said.

LOVED FARM, INVOLVEMENT IN AG ORGANIZATIONS

Kenneth was born in 1931 on the Hayden family farm near Cecilia.

"Dad was born and raised on that farm," his son Patrick said in an interview with DTN. "He could never imagine doing anything else but farming."

Kenneth graduated from Howevalley High School and was a 1953 graduate of the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict and later taught six years of elementary school before committing the rest of his life to agriculture.

He was also dedicated to serving ag organizations. Throughout his life, Kenneth served the Kentucky Farm Bureau, the Cecilia Ruritans Club, the Farm Service Agency, the Kentucky Corn Growers Association, and the United States Feed Grains Council. He loved farming, promoting agriculture and serving as a mentor to young farmers. He was also involved in FFA and 4-H.

In 2012, Kenneth received the Distinguished Service to Kentucky Farm Bureau Award for his 42 years of service and presidency from 1970 to 1973. When he received the Farm Bureau award, then-State Representative Jimmie Lee, who was one of the people who nominated him, said "Kenneth's volunteer work is truly what distinguishes him from his peers. He works with great enthusiasm to spread the benefits of family farming and has influenced four generations of Kentuckians in the agricultural community." (https://www.kyfb.com/…)

"Sometimes he mentored the younger generation to a fault. He never gave up on them," Patrick said.

DIFFERENT CAREER PATHS FOR SONS

Kenneth and his wife had two sons, Steve and Patrick, who both joined ROTC in college and then entered the military. Both sons chose career paths outside of farming. Now, Steve, 69, works for the U.S. Space Force in California, and Patrick, 65, married to Marguerethe Jaede with one daughter, 22, and one son, 26, is in the U.S. Navy stationed in Naples, Italy. The daughter is in the U.S. Naval Academy and the son, a recent graduate from Ohio State University, is traveling.

"My dad was big on my brother and I making our own way. With family farms, you always wonder who is going to come back and run the farm, but my dad always said, 'I'm going to be here, you boys need to go out and make your own way. If you're going to farm, you'll make your way back,'" Patrick said.

For 15 years, Kenneth also served on the Hardin County Schools Board of Education, including as chairman on three occasions. He was also an active member and deacon for his local church. Kenneth enjoyed local outings -- and sometimes non-local -- to see the Kentucky Wildcats, and loved mowing, all of which he did into his 90s.

"He contracted mowing around the local airport so that it would look nice to the community, but really it was his meditation, a chance to be with his thoughts," Patrick said.

COMING HOME

About five years ago, Steve and Patrick started to come home to help with harvest and planting, as work and family life allowed.

"You get more perspective as you get older. It's cool hanging out with your dad during planting and harvest, working all day, and then sitting down on the porch at night talking about random stuff; that's been good over the last few years," Steve said.

"It was very fulfilling to be able to do that and have flexibility to do that," Patrick added. "If I could sum it up in one way, there was always another day. My dad firmly believed that. Even at the time of his passing, you still couldn't imagine he wouldn't be there the next day."

Throughout the sons' lives, their parents pressed them with motivation and positive affirmations and modeled an honest lifestyle.

"Between mom and dad, they were always telling us we were capable: You have to work hard and smart, you can do whatever you put your mind to. You're going to get knocked down a couple times in life, you just keep going," Patrick said.

Early in 2023, Kenneth had some issues with equipment that prevented him from planting in the spring. His last planting season was 2022 when he was 91. Paul, Patrick and a couple of local farmers planted the crop in the spring of 2023.

"It's hard to put into words, not everything goes as planned, and if I miss anything, it's from being able to talk to him every day. He was my first call after work every day," Patrick added.

FIRST TO PLANT, LAST TO HARVEST

Since Kenneth's passing, the sons have received help in many ways -- everything from the farmers helping to finish harvest, to phone calls on how to sell and market grain, and advice on early seed buying for spring.

Like other farming communities, everyone knows each other in Hardin County; they share best practices with each other and help during times of need.

That's why that image of several farmers working together to harvest a crop for the Hayden family means so much.

"That was emotionally uplifting to say the least. I can't even state how happy, how awesome that was. There's a farming community in Hardin County, and I'd put ours up against any others," Steve said. "The reciprocity that our community is showing us comes from what my dad built up over time. He'd give you the shirt on his back."

Moving into spring, the sons aren't sure of what's to come, but they do know they want to keep the farm in the family.

"I'm looking forward to figuring out more and more ahead of the next planting season," Steve said.

Susan Payne can be reached at susan.payne@dtn.com

Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @jpusan

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