TRADITION

(Continued from Page 2) The brothers agreed that equipment has changed quite a bit since those days.

"It's changed so much now," said Rusty. "You've got auto steer, you don't even have to drive it. It keeps up with your turns and passes."

"We have 40 or so center pivots and have an app we can look at to see if it is running, which way it is running and see which is on," said Rusty.

"We can see the tractors going through the fields too," said Dusty.

The family takes pride in their work each day and season.

"I think any time you can plant anything and watch it grow then harvest it, when it does good, especially, you get to look back on those moments," said Rusty.

"Yes, there are a lot of those moments," agreed Dusty. "There are a lot of personal victories every day. And defeats too, but every day you get to have something where you go 'thank goodness we got that done today.’”

Dusty Trail said that he needs a challenge and that is what this job gives him.

"Like I said, it is a challenge every year," said Trail. "From the weather, to the crops, to the regulations we have to go by. It just makes it very challenging. I guess that is the main thing for me. I always had to have a challenge. I always waited until the last minute to finish my school work, and every day when you wake up it is a challenge. Some decisions – whether it’s marketing or chemicals – a decision every day determines the difficulty of the next. There is always something to work on. People ask 'did y'all get done?’ You never get done with this job. There is always something you should be doing. You don't do it, but you should be. You have to make time for the family."

According to Dusty Trail, being Farm Family is an honor, but it also brings agriculture to the attention of the community.

"This is a nice honor to have. If anything, it brings awareness to agriculture," said Trail. "Agriculture awareness never hurt anybody. It is such a major part of Arkansas, more so than anyone realizes.”

The farm has several goals that align with that awareness as well, one of which includes retiring with the operation in good standing for future generations. Other goals include continuing high-crop yields and land improvements.

So far, the family has been able to triple the size and acreage by focusing on land purchases to adjoining properties, brought in their sons as partners, maximized crop yields through rotations and more.

The partnership has also seen a growth in equipment with new grain bin systems, weighing scales and an output dryer as well as six semi trucks.

"I spend a lot of time in that truck," Ross said of one particular yellow truck.

Dusty said his favorite part of the year would be breaking ground with the tractors.

"I love that. I am not much for irrigation, but I love driving a tractor," said Dusty.

"It's definitely a job getting it out," agreed Will of the polypipe used for irrigation. "My favorite thing was when we'd hear to roll the pipe back after irrigating the corn. That meant the job was done."

"I think harvest time is always a special time," said Rusty. "As farmers, we are always seemingly wishing our lives away. We are wishing it was planting time, we are wishing it was harvesting time, just constantly wishing your year away and they do go by fast."

"Yeah the days go by slow and the years go by fast," agreed Ross.