DeKam Construction

Isaac, Zach and Noah Hofer. Photo by Miranda Langle Photography. He just keeps going. He’s still got stuff to get done.” Vernon agreed: “I’ve got long ways to go yet.” Shawn said he and his dad have a good relationship: “I break it and he fixes it.” Noah said he has the same relationship with his brother Zach. Grandpa and Zach spend a lot of time together in the shop and truly enjoy one another’s company. Vernon noted that Zach is the “bean bag champion” in their corn hole contests.

Vernon and his wife, Norma, both grew up on local farms and purchased their own farm in 1955. He also sold DeKalb seed, was an electrician and sold parts for Silo-Matic. Besides continuing to work on the farm, he was still bowling until 2020 when Covid hit, claiming two of his teammates. He also pitched horseshoes; and he and Norma square danced for many years. Like her grandson Zach, Norma is understated and just said her role was “to cook.” However, she was also the mother to four children and taught school for many years, first in Parker and then in Marion. Vernon remembers their first house on the farm was pretty primitive. “It had one oil-burning stove, kind of in the center of the house. When the wind was blowing, you could see the curtains moving. We had no bathroom either. I guess you could say ‘Those were the days.’” They’ve lived in Freeman for 17 years. “Oats were our main crop and then some barley and corn. We had cattle and pigs and chickens and geese." Laughing at the memory, Vernon said, "we were probably the only people who milked Hereford cows.” They didn’t have pigs for very long, but had a cow-calf set-up for many years and would buy additional calves and feed them out to market. They collected eggs from several hundred chickens for many years.

DRAIN TILE DESIGN, PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND INSTALLATION RURAL WATER & DIRT WORK TREE REMOVAL

FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED SINCE 1973