Hassebrock Farms
through the generations P
assing the family farm down through multiple generations is a value which is cherished by many within the agriculture community. Over the past few decades, the threat of disappearing family farms has been hard to ignore with the pressure on farmers to adapt and expand at the expense of smaller farmers. Being able to share the lifestyle you love with your children and grandchildren is what farmers strive for and hope to preserve in this ever-changing landscape of agriculture. Despite these concerns in the agriculture industry, the Hassebrock family in Beason, Illinois serves as an excellent example of a local farm that has been successful at preserving the family aspect of their farm for generations. Gene Hassebrock grew up helping his dad, John Jr., in the field whenever he had the chance. At just ten years old, he can remember his dad putting him in a field to plow by himself for the very first time. Driving a John Deere G tractor with a hand clutch, Gene got the job done and his love for farming took off. After high school, however, Gene took a different route and went to work in a factory for a few years before
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joining the Army in 1965. In 1970, he married Marsha Boyer and came back home to work with his dad on the farm. At the time, his dad was farming about 500 acres. Gene was able to rent 240 acres of his own and buy out a farmer for just $10,000, giving him a full line of his own equipment, and he has been farming ever since. Gene and his father have witnessed significant improvements and worked through challenges in the agriculture industry over the years. Gene can remember his father in the field some nights plowing with only candlelight to guide him. Then, when John Jr. was in his 90s, he got to experience GPS along with other new technologies that Gene had introduced to their operation. Gene has always held on to the importance of incorporating his own family in the farming operation. His wife, Marsha, enjoys helping run the auger wagon each fall and used to shred corn stalks on the Gehlbach Pork Farm where their neighbors would haul hog manure. His children, Corey and Mindy, are fifth generation and were involved as they grew up as well. From a very young age, they were tagging along with Gene and riding in the tractor during planting and harvest.
