“What we do as a family, we look at things and think outside the box. We don’t get tied into one way of doing things.” He continued, “One really important thing when you’re trying to bring different generations in, sometimes the older generations aren’t willing to let go.” He said his father set an example by stepping aside when it was Doug’s time to lead and Doug believes he’s done the same for his children. “If this whole thing was only about money, I wouldn’t have come in with my kids. I would have been stashing my money away. But we were open-minded enough and the younger generation is really open-minded. You have to have the right mindset. Let them do their thing … they make some mistakes, but they make a lot of good decisions, too. We as a family can make things go and make things work. We’re really fortunate that we all get along well.” Faith is woven into the dramatic story of growth and change of the past 15 years. Doug said, “We all realize who’s in control – and it’s not us. We might not be as vocal as some families are but, no doubt about it, we know God’s in control. Sometimes when I just don’t even know what to do, I just hand it over to Him.”
Serving farmers in southeast SD and northwest IA SEMI and AG TIRES (new and used) MOBILE TIRE REPAIR AND SERVICE Enter to win a $50 fuel card by texting TIRE to 72727
712-753-4800 2403 US Highway 18 Inwood IA 51240 www.oak-street-station.com
A Lely Juno Robot (left) pushes feed back towards the cows every 1.5 hours. By pushing feed regularly, it is always within the cows’ reach. Every cow can eat the roughage it needs for optimal rumen health and growth, plus valuable labor is saved by humans not having to push the feed back. September 2020 | www.agemedia.pub | The Farming Families Magazine
17
