He said he’s been lucky to surround himself with a good team. “I’ve got an agronomist I’ve hired who helps make decisions. And I hired Corey (Schoellerman) to work here on a daily basis. He helps take the pressure off me and helps me make good decisions.” Robert Harris works on the trucking side of the operation. He got caught with an empty truck coming back from Aberdeen when the derecho hit. The wind blew the truck over. Pedestrians pulled Robert out of the wreck and took him to the hospital in Watertown. “So he's been recovering for the last month, but he's ready to get back to work. We just got a different truck for him.” Ryan is part of the sixth generation of his family to farm in Lincoln County. He farms part of the original homestead which is owned by his dad’s cousin. Ryan’s parents, Scott and Lynnette Vaksdal, live about three miles east. Scott has slowed down, but is still involved in keeping the planters going in the spring and plays a key role during harvest. Ryan’s mom and his sister, NaCole Venjohn, help get the Vaksdal kids where they need to be. In addition to farming, Ryan’s dad used to run a custom bean-
buggy business. When John Deere introduced its new “See & Spray” 120-foot boom sprayer – which has 36 cameras on it to detect weeds – Ryan thought: “See and spray? That’s nothing new. I spent my whole childhood seein’ and sprayin’ on the bean buggy. Some ‘cameras’ were better than others. My grandma was good at spotting the weeds.”
to add one of those. “And we’ve got a couple goats who are more like dogs,” she said. Ryan added: “She’s always texting me stuff like: ‘Oh, by the way, we need to go pick up this fainting goat on Tuesday.’”
Taylor doesn’t really fit the role of the traditional farm wife. “I don't think I can remember bringing food to the field the last two years. I’m gone so much. I get home from work and then I haul the kids here and there.” While sometimes he’s jealous of a dish of lasagna a fellow farmer might get delivered to the field, he tells Taylor, “You've provided insurance for our family and added income – and most days I would take that over a hot meal in the field anyway.”
A Marico Ranch sale poster from 1994.
The couple met via FarmersOnly.com. Taylor said, “I always wanted to live in the country. I have a love for animals – way more than he does, that’s for sure.” At one point or another, they’ve had horses, dogs, cats, chickens, a hamster, chinchillas, a gecko and ducks. Her sister has peacocks and she hopes
Hobey poppin’ wheelies on the speed bumps at the campground near Yankton.
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Benco Products Inc Daniel Severson 27093 Katie RD, Tea, SD 57064 1-888-649-4862 | dan@bencoparts.com July 2022 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
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