Jefferson County Farm Family of the Year named
Kyle Sealy was introduced to farming at the age of 10 by his stepfather Earnest Heidelberger. From chopping cotton and pulling weeds to operating combines, Sealy now operates his own farming operations of 5,000 acres at K & A Sealy Farms in Altheimer.
Named Jefferson County Farm Family of the Year, along with his wife, Andrea, and three daughters, Charliegh, 7, Carsyn, 5, and Clancy, 2, Sealy joins the generational farmers of his family and subleases his farms from his stepfather.
“I was 10 years old when I started working during the summer and on weekends,” said Sealy, who said his stepfather has about 6,000 acres in Helena. “I learned everything through Earnest and have continuously worked up to operating my own operations.”
Sealy of White Hall, originally from Helena, calls farming “satisfying” and a lifestyle he loves. This eight-year farmer began farming 3,000 acres his first year, working his way up to 5,000. With soybeans and corn being his main crop, Sealy said this spring planting season he has had some achievements and problems.
“Every season is different,” he said. “We had a good start, then we had some hot and dry days.”
Achievements, however, have outweighed Mother Nature as Sealy built a 200,000-bushel grain bin system.
“We have dug all ditches on 2,000 acres to get all drainage right on all of our farms to improve drainage issues, so the farm will drain,” he said. “We also had over 50 culverts and drain soybeans, corn and rice pipes in our fields to help preserve the soil on our farms.”
Significant problems in the past for Sealy have all been on a dark-ground farm he picked up three years ago.
“The drainage and roads were in terrible shape,” he said. “Since then we have used a track hoe to clean out all the ditches and built roads all around the farm to help with getting into the fields. This has also allowed us to be able to start working on this farm earlier in the year and complete it in a timely manner because it drains so much better. It is truly a dayand-night difference between the shape the farm was in when we picked up the land and the shape it is in today. “
Also a day-and-night difference is the technology and equipment offered to farmers for a more efficient crop. “Technology is constantly changing, and equipment has gotten so much bigger to where I can do so much more in a short period of time,” said Sealy.
To check on his acres, Sealy uses a drone.
“It’s amazing and saves me time and wear and tear on my equipment,” he said.
Sealy is also impressed with the improved technology offered on tractors and combines, one he hopes to get his hands on soon.
“Tractors have gotten so advanced. The systems on the new tractors allow you to record everything you do, then you can take that recording to combine and find out where your weak spots are,” he said. “Then you can take that information and put it in your fertilizer rigs. That technology is right at our fingertips. You can pinpoint with these new systems for a much better crop.”
Sealy said he is always looking for new and innovative ways to help his farm, especially when it comes to drainage. With plans to farm 7,500 to 10,000 acres, he said the main threat to a successful farm is getting it to drain correctly and handle heavy rains.
“Irrigation is very important, but drainage is the most important thing to accomplish, in my opinion,” he said.
Sealy has used unique practices targeting drainage on the farm.
“This allows our equipment and trucks to easily enter our fields and decreases the chance of our equipment or trucks getting stuck,” he said. “We also use drones to check our crops to save on fuel, wear and tear to equipment and ATVs and lessen the chance of causing damage to our crops and fields. This also allows us to see our entire crop instead of just a portion, which allows us to better plan our next steps.”
Sealy said he generally books his crops when he feels like he can make enough money to break even or make a profit.
“We will book our beans up to 55 bushels to the acre,” he said. “We like to book corn at 175 bushels to the acre. If we have some overage after our contracts are filled, we will hold the excess up to 100,000 bushels and sell the excess when prices are up, generally around February.”
When it comes to the business aspect of farming, Sealy is still getting used to it.
“My stepfather has always taken care of that part,” he said. “The past five years I have taken it on, and it’s been a process on the business end.”
Sealy said his stepfather has always been business minded, taking after his father who was also a farmer.
“When he got out of high school he started doing custom cutting. He talked a guy into buying him a combine and told him he would cut his crop for two years if he would get him started, and that’s how he got into the business,” said Sealy. “He was farming almost 20,000 acres. He is sizing down now because he is older, and it’s time for me to step up.”
Sealy’s wife, Andrea, keeps the farm operations afloat as the secretary and bookkeeper.
“She watches over the money and ensures I’m not neglecting things,” said Sealy. “In farming, you spend a lot of money upfront. If you don’t watch it, people can make mistakes on books. She is the watcher and really good at it.”
And while everyone wants to harvest good crops and make money, Sealy said some of the things he does won’t make him a dime, and he is OK with that. Sealy described how it costs $300 a roll to lay Polly pipe, which he spent to keep a small section of crop he planted from suffering and dying.
“It is just the farmer in me,” he said. “I don’t want to see things suffer that I know I can help.”
Sealy doesn’t take credit for the success of the farm.
He not only gives praises to his stepdad but also to his small, hard-working crew of four, who he says works from sun up to sun down, including a scout that watches the weeds.
“My crew is amazing. I feel like I have one of the best crews,” said Sealy, whose nephew began working fulltime on his farm. “My little brother works with my dad in Helena and does some stuff over here too. It’s really a family thing.”
Besides family, Sealy credits knowledgeable farmers he has crossed paths with and has known all of his life, including friends of his stepfather.
“I’ve been blessed to know some really good people,” he said. “I could not have started this by myself. My stepfather has really given me a leg up to get going.”
The most crucial factor of being a “Farm Family” is family, something Sealy said he is very appreciative of and blessed to have.
“Farming is a lot of hard work,” said Sealy. “Having a strong family to support me is what keeps me going and is very important.”