Hagen loves to travel; just not this time of year

Jim Hagen Lake Mills, Iowa Winnebago County

By LAURA COLE

The Land Staff Writer

Jim Hagen hails from Winnebago County, Iowa, within the Prairie Pothole Region. He farms corn and soybeans on 3,000 acres along with his dad, Gordon. Last year brought great results for Jim and Gordon. “It was a bumper crop for us.”

Located the farthest south of the From the Fields reporters, Jim started planting corn on April 28 and finished on May 1. Jim spent the following day getting ready for beans, which have an anticipated May 5 start date.

Gordon began farming in 1959, and over the years he has continued to purchase land. Jim shared it’s become a hobby of his father’s to acquire new land and improve it. As the Prairie Pothole Region is known for its shallow wetlands, Jim stated all of their acres are tiled.

In Jim’s early adult years, he attended college for a year and also lived in Sweden for four months as an exchange student. He stated the Swedish farms were smaller and the farmers raised a lot of hogs. Being at the same altitude as Alaska, the crops mainly grown were small grains.

After Jim returned home, a neighboring farm went up for rent, and he has continued to farm ever since.

Jim lives just a quarter of a mile from Gordon who is 84 years old. Jim said of his father, “He’ll never quit.” (It appears dedication is in the Hagen blood. Gordon’s cousin is The Land’s Staff Writer Emeritus, Dick Hagen.)

One of the changes Jim said he’s seen over time is that 50 years ago, farmers plowed everything. On their operation, they mostly utilize a chisel plow for minimum tillage. “You don’t see that dirt move as much,” he commented.

Traveling did not stop after Jim’s stay in Sweden. He and his wife, Christy, try to take a big trip once a year. Recently they spent time in South America, traveling from Argentina and up the coastline to the

Amazon River. Jim has been to a variety of other places outside of the country including Korea, Myanmar (previously Burma), and Germany. He has also visited every state in the United States except Alaska — so perhaps that will be a future adventure.

When a trip isn’t on the horizon, Jim describes life as pretty “low key.” For the past 10 years, he has also been driving for Cavalier Coaches providing transportation for a variety of parties including college sports teams and Chanhassen Dinner Theater attendees. v