What’s your name? Korey Peters.
I have been a farmer since: 2012. I was a high school music teacher before I started farming full time in 2012. I took a one-year leave from my teaching position to farm and decided to stay on full time. I loved teaching, but I love farming and I am still able to do many musical things on the side.
I’ve been a Farm At Hand user since: this year. I signed up awhile ago but didn’t use it much the first couple years. I started using it this year, mainly for field records. It’s nice to have all field information like seeding rates and planting dates in one place and not in a book (or multiple books) that can easily get lost.
Where do you farm? in Randolph, Manitoba. It’s just west of Steinbach.
What do you grow? We farm around 5000 acres and we grow winter wheat, spring wheat, canola, soybean and corn and we also run a hog operation.
How did you get into farming? I grew up on a farm, I’ve done it all my life except as I went to university to get my education degree and while I was teaching. We had a dairy farm when I was growing up then we switched to hogs and grain in 2001.
What do you love about farming? I enjoy working with my family. I work with my dad, brother, cousin and uncle. Our farm name, Herbsigwil Farms Ltd, is a combination of my grandpa, dad and uncle’s names. I enjoy the lifestyle even though it’s still relatively new for me. I love seeing the growth of plants from seeding through harvest and how much things can vary from year to year.
What’s one of your favourite moments when you’re out in the fields? Seeding during the night shift in the spring as the sun comes up.
Any #harvest15 tips for fellow farmers? Patience. And make sure we take some time to be with family and friends, even during the busy hours. Both my brother and cousin have kids so it’s important to have family time.
What’s currently in your pocket? Just my wallet and some change. I am at home now, if I was in the fields it’d be a different story…
What’s your most important piece of equipment and why? To me, it would be the sprayer. It logs the most hours each year applying liquid fertilizer and keeping our friends clean and healthy. I named her Big Blue.
What is your biggest take away in farming/Ag this year? Buy tracks for your combine sooner. We were stuck 16 times this year!
Can you share with us what you think our biggest challenge in Ag right now? The weather, and probably how everything is portrayed in the media. It’s a challenge to continue to do your job well and also be a good member of the community. Not everyone is going to be fond of how you run your operation or what you do, but it does not mean we are not working hard to accomplish what we need to do. We are always implementing new practices.
If there is one thing you want the general population to know about farming, what would that be? We do everything we can to care for our land and to make sure it’s sustainable for the next generation. It’s a huge part of what we do.
Where can we find you online? You can find me on Twitter @koreypeters.
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