Simplicity on the Family Farm

Mike and Brent Behrends

The Behrends family from Mason City, IL has been farming for five generations. At this point, the family farm is not just a hobby or profession, but it has become their livelihood and what they choose to work for and try to improve upon every day.

Mike Behrends farms with his brother, Brent, in Mason county and parts of Tazewell county. They raise corn, soybeans, and alfalfa along with purebred registered Hereford cattle. The brothers each have a specialty on the farm, as Mike focuses on the field work and agronomy side, while Brent handles the livestock side. During planting and harvest, however, they make a good team and come together to get the crops in the ground in the spring and harvested in the fall.

Growing up, Mike always knew he wanted to end up working on the farm in some fashion. When he was young, he remembers being in the field with his grandpa, Wayne Behrends, as much as possible. He fondly looks back on the days when he would take naps on a platform his grandpa built on the back of his 966 tractor as they were moldboard plowing through a field.

As he got older, he did not waste any time getting in the driver seat himself, as he began driving an International Farmall 560 at just seven years old. He continued to stay involved while growing up, even while he worked off the farm for four years after graduating from Western Illinois University. Mike got to experience other aspects of the agriculture industry through his work in equipment sales, as mechanic for a local implement dealership, and as an applicator at Brandt Consolidated.

Brent took the same route and worked off the farm after college for a few years too, but they both always intended to come back to the farm eventually. In 1987, Brent was able to come back and farm and shortly after, in 1996, Mike came back full time as well. Mike decided it was time to get more involved and be there to help when his mother, Diana, was diagnosed with cancer that same year.

While Diana died shortly after in 1997, she always played a key role in developing the close-knit family atmosphere on the farm. She was always helping out with the field work, hauling grain to the elevator, and stayed heavily involved up until she passed away.

Once the brothers made the transition onto the farm, their father, Ron Behrends, gradually began to transition out and hand over the operation to his sons. Although Ron is retired now and does not operate equipment anymore, he still likes to be involved and is still on the farm with his sons every day.

The Behrends family has always carried on the tradition of running red equipment: it is what they have always farmed with and had success with. Due to their advanced, yet simple machines and technology, they do not intend to stray from Case IH.

“The main attraction for me has always been the red combine,” says Mike. “It would take a lot to get me into any other combine.” Working as a mechanic after college, Mike says that he mainly worked on Case IH combines which is where his admiration for them really began. “I always knew what a simple and well-made machine it was and now I would never switch,” he says.

Throughout the years, Mike and Brent have seen incredible improvements in technology, which can be overwhelming to some, but instead has been an easy transition for them with Case IH equipment. “I like to keep it as simple as I can, but I use the technology I need to make my operation perform better,” says Mike. “Thankfully, most of the technology in ag these days is made to be userfriendly and farmer-friendly.”

When it comes to trading up on equipment and technology, Mike and Brent have relied on salesman John Coers and Central Illinois Ag for several years now. “What I appreciate most about Central Illinois Ag is that we talk real, fair numbers; it’s not a game,” says Mike. “We are pretty good friends with John, and he has always been honest and loyal to work with.”

Reliable equipment that works as it should, paired with technology that is easy to use, is extremely beneficial and important on any farming operation, and Mike has found that through Case IH. He and Brent intend to be loyal customers as they continue on their family farm for many years to come.

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