Diepenbrock looks into full-time agriculture
Tyler Diepenbrock of Lincolnville is a born farmer. He has worked with his father on Diepenbrock Farms ever since he was old enough to drive a truck or tractor.
The 18-year-old young man plans to continue to be involved with the farm after he graduates from Centre High School in May.
Tyler's father, Gary, said Tyler has always been aggressive about learning how to do things on the farm. He said as a toddler Tyler liked to "mess around" in the shop with him and often fell asleep there. One time, when Gary was working on large tractor tires, Tyler fell asleep in the middle of one.
When Tyler was in kindergarten, the bus picked him up and delivered him to his front door. But when he started first grade, he had to walk the half-mile length of the driveway to meet the bus at the road.
That's when he learned to drive. He found that he could drive a pickup there and back, leaving it parked at the end of the driveway during the school day.
When he entered junior high, he became a paid employee of the corporation.
Diepenbrock Farms grows approximately 1,000 acres of alfalfa and corn, which are fed to cattle. The corn is chopped and placed in a trench silo. Most of the alfalfa is harvested in large bales.
Tyler started driving a silage truck and operating field equipment at a young age. He also learned how to maintain equipment.
"Tyler is very capable of maintaining and repairing equipment," his father said. "Now, when I have a problem, I just turn it over to him and he usually can fix it."
Tyler also is heavily involved in the cattle-feeding operation. The feedlot has a capacity for 3,500 head. He assists in feeding and doctoring cattle.
He does a lot of welding work, such as repairs, building gates, and constructing fences. Occasionally, he buys and sells small groups of cattle.
He said life on the farm keeps him busy with little time off. The corporation employs one other person full-time.
During the summer, workdays are long, lasting well after darkness sets in. Tyler does all the baling. Most of it is done at night, he said, because he's busy with other work during the day.
Two years ago, he bought a new pickup and a 4255 John Deere tractor out of his earnings. He occasionally leases the tractor to others.
Recently, he acquired an antique John Deere "G" tractor. It runs and is partially restored, but he plans to work on it some more to get it in top condition.
Tyler has two younger brothers, Lance, 13, and Jared, 10. He said they like things like sports and computers, but the only thing he's ever liked was farming. "I don't need a computer, so I don't mess with one," he said.
He has been a member of the Centre FFA chapter for four years. This spring, he competed with members from other schools to win the District Star Farmer award in beef placement. He plans to compete for the Kansas Star Farmer award in placement to be given at Manhattan in June at the state FFA convention.
Tyler also was a district proficiency award winner in beef production placement.
Young people like Tyler provide hope for the future of agriculture in America. His passion for what he does is likely to keep him farming despite any setbacks or hard times that may occur along the way.
