Connecting with Challenging Soil
by: Friends University student
Mr. Ryan Spear has been the manager at Jacob Farms since 2003 and has been farming for around 20 years. When asked why he wanted to be a farmer, he said farming is “just something I was born with.” Mr. Spear has known since he was five years old that farming is what he wanted to do, sharing that his childhood connected him to the soil, especially the love of being out in the field with his grandpa: “They used to have to tear me out of the combine because I wouldn’t leave. I`d leave under protest. If the combine was going, I was going to be in it.”
Even though farming the soil on his farm is difficult, Mr. Spear continues to love his job of farming today: “Farming can be fun...very enjoyable.” Mr. Spear loves to see the fruits of his labor over the summer. He describes the soil as sandy, which creates its own sets of challenges. Nevertheless, Mr. Spear is positive despite these challenges, noting “you work with what you have and make the soil that you have the most productive it can be.” Mr. Spear works to make every type of soil on his farm yield the most productivity through his farming methods. Mr. Spear studied agriculture and agronomy in college and analyzes his soil himself: “I don`t ever go out to field without a shovel; our goal is to never take a shovel and turn it over without having 7-8 earthworms in every scoopful.” The vision of Jacob Farms, according to Mr. Spear, is to promote soil health in the community and to improve the land by controlling erosion and making the land more productive.
by: Friends University student
Mr. Ryan Spear has been the manager at Jacob Farms since 2003 and has been farming for around 20 years. When asked why he wanted to be a farmer, he said farming is “just something I was born with.” Mr. Spear has known since he was five years old that farming is what he wanted to do, sharing that his childhood connected him to the soil, especially the love of being out in the field with his grandpa: “They used to have to tear me out of the combine because I wouldn’t leave. I`d leave under protest. If the combine was going, I was going to be in it.”
Even though farming the soil on his farm is difficult, Mr. Spear continues to love his job of farming today: “Farming can be fun...very enjoyable.” Mr. Spear loves to see the fruits of his labor over the summer. He describes the soil as sandy, which creates its own sets of challenges. Nevertheless, Mr. Spear is positive despite these challenges, noting “you work with what you have and make the soil that you have the most productive it can be.” Mr. Spear works to make every type of soil on his farm yield the most productivity through his farming methods. Mr. Spear studied agriculture and agronomy in college and analyzes his soil himself: “I don`t ever go out to field without a shovel; our goal is to never take a shovel and turn it over without having 7-8 earthworms in every scoopful.” The vision of Jacob Farms, according to Mr. Spear, is to promote soil health in the community and to improve the land by controlling erosion and making the land more productive.
