Shields Farms has long history of conservation
By ROWENA PLETT
Reporter / photographer
The family of Fred and Virginia Shields of Lincolnville will receive a Continuation Conservation Award Saturday at the annual Marion County Conservation District Banquet.
Conservation has been practiced on Shields' farms for at least 50 years. They received the Bankers' Award previously.
The original farmstead, located five miles east of U.S.-56/77 on 300th St., was established in 1914. Fred began building terraces in the 1950s using a grader he purchased from his brother. The county agent staked out the terraces.
More terraces were added as time went along and more acres were added to the farm operation. A local earth mover, Gerald Svoboda, did some of the work.
Sons Kenneth and Caroll became full-time partners in the operation after graduating from high school. In 1974, the family formed a corporation and named it Shields Farms.
By then, the operation had its own grader and later purchased a caterpillar and scraper. The men continued to build terraces and waterways. They established ponds, as well, including a few for the neighbors.
Shelterbelts were planted around homesteads. Drainage systems were built at the family's expense at several feedlots, and a lagoon was established to collect run-off from a trench silo located near a creek.
In their latest endeavors, they developed parallel terraces with tiled outlets in several fields.
Fred served on the county conservation board a few years. Fred and Caroll also served on a Marion County watershed board.
Caroll was president of a Young Farmers organization that existed in the area for three or four years. He also received the Young Farmer's Award.
Fred no longer actively farms. Kenneth lives on the home place with his mother, Virginia, and Caroll and his family live down the road a few miles in a new house built by the corporation.
The current farm operation consists of approximately 1,500 acres of wheat, 200 acres of alfalfa, 800 acres of milo and forage sorghum, more than 80 acres of waterways in brome, and 100 acres of brome fields. Minimum tillage is a common practice.
Shields Farms runs 270 cows on 2,200 acres of native grass. The calves are fed to 750-800 pounds before being sold, and some are fed to full slaughter weight (1,200-1,300 pounds).
Kenneth and Caroll continue to do most of their own equipment maintenance.
The operation uses the Kansas State Farm Management program. Field men provide bookkeeping and guidance to improve profitability.
Caroll and his wife, Kim, have five children; Gavin, 15; Heath, 13; Allison, 10; Brenna, 6; and Carissa, 4.
Shields Farms definitely is a family operation. There are no outside employees. Gavin and Heath are becoming active participants in the farming. According to their father, they each operate their own combine at harvest time.
Though the agricultural outlook remains uncertain, Shields Farms is here to stay.
"Prices aren't very good," Caroll said. "They aren't in line with the rest of the economy. I guess we have to get more efficient."
