If you grew up on the farm, you would know all about “harvesting” rocks out of the field. It’s a tedious task that never seems to stop, but why does it need to be done? The rocks, if left in the field, can do immense damage to harvesting or planting equipment. Grabbing even one rock out of the field can help the equipment become less damaged. Harvesting, or as some call picking, the rocks allow the operation to get better and more efficient each year.
Constant improvement is a goal of many farmers, and Ty Bodeis is no different. He grew up on his family farm and in high school his dad rented him his own field. Ty oversaw the field’s crop inputs and finances. This experience led him to pursue a degree of Crop and Soil Sciences from Michigan State University.
After college he started his own operation of corn, soybeans, white wheat, and black beans. Now he has over 120 acres himself, while still helping his dad on the family farm. Four years ago, Ty joined teams with GreenStone to secure more land, and since then has been consistently growing with the help of the CultivateGrowth program.
This year Ty focused on better managing his operation and he found a pathway through the CultivateGrowth Conference and grant program. He attended the conference this past February and has since been awarded the grant to help him with better management systems.
He currently is using an accounting software that allows him to get a full cost analysis field by field. Every input in the fields is different, so this allows him to keep track of all of his acreage finances and understand how he can better his farm each year.
Ty is familiar with harvesting rocks out of the field each year, and just like how that betters each field, he hopes to continue to use his education, the resources available to him through GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth program, and field management to continue to get better. Over the coming years Ty hopes to continue to expand his operation while helping out where his roots were grown on the family farm.
GreenStone understands the importance of supporting education for young, beginning, and small farmers like Ty. We work to provide the educational and financial resources needed to help establish a solid foundation. To apply for a grant, visit CultivateGrowth Grant | GreenStone FCS.
