Diversified operation gives farmers several revenue streams

SHABBONA, Ill. — Berkeley Boehne and his brother, Vaughn, raise corn, soybeans and wheat on their DeKalb County farm, where they also feed pigs and operate a custom manure application business.

“In 2001, I joined my brother in the operation after college and we’ve been growing our operation,” Berkeley Boehne said. “We manage 4,000 acres where we grow corn, soybeans and from 500 to 600 acres of wheat.”

“We farm south of Leland all the way to Esmond, so some days it’s very challenging,” he said. “But the 40 miles are nice with the weather because you don’t have your eggs all in one basket around the Shabbona area.”

The feeder-to-finish hog operation started with one building and now has expanded to two sites that have a total capacity of 10,000 pigs.

“We custom feed pigs for local people,” Boehne said. “We get the pigs at 30 pounds and we turn the barns 2.6 times a year.”

The manure application business developed as farmers in the area expanded their livestock operations.

“There wasn’t a lot of competition in the manure business, so we capitalized on custom application and it’s been great for us,” Boehne said.

Typically, the farmers are pumping manure from March to December on cattle and swine operations.

“This year was great because we had the whole month of February,” Boehne said. “We go about 90 miles and we have two tanker applicators and a drag line crew, so we have three crews running.”

About 90% of that manure is going onto the livestock owner’s ground.

“We’ve never bought synthetic fertilizers until last year,” Boehne said. “So, we’ve been able to utilize all our manure.”

The animals on the Boehne farm are the No. 1 priority.

“Our manure business is No. 2 and my satisfaction is pleasing all the customers,” the farmer said. “If I can do a good job for them, it makes me feel good.”

For the last three years, Boehne has been double cropping soybeans on the north-central Illinois farm.

“That’s why we’re planting so much wheat,” he said. “We harvest our wheat at 20 to 25% moisture, dry it and then plant beans.”

This also provides an opportunity if fields need tiling or tree work.

“So far, it’s been paying off for us and this year the wheat is 10 to 14 days earlier,” Boehne said.

He expected to begin harvesting wheat around July 1.

“I think we’ll be able to roll — this heat is great wheat weather,” he said.

For corn hybrids, Boehne plants about one-third Pioneer, one-third DeKalb and finishes with Wyffels and AgriGold in the 107- to 115-day maturities.

“We like to plant a little more fuller season corn, since we have our own grain setup and dryers,” he said.

Boehne plants Asgrow and Pioneer soybean varieties that range from 2.0 to 3.0.

“The last seven years we raised 100% seed beans for Asgrow, so this is the first year we gave them up,” the farmer said.

“This year, we’re dabbling in the non-GMO sector,” he said. “DeLong had some good programs so we’re trying that avenue.”

The crop rotation on the Boehne farm is about 50-50 corn and soybeans and most of the acres are flat and black, although he grows crops on some HEL ground, highly erodible land.

“Going into soybeans we’ll vertical till once and no-till beans in the spring,” he said. “Most of our bean stubble gets fall- or spring-applied manure.”

Wheat is no-tilled into bean stubble.

“We are trying to be as efficient as possible while learning to deal with less labor and less passes,” the farmer explained.

Boehne plants some cover crops on his acres, which can be challenging.

“We plant radishes and oats on our fields where we apply summer manure,” Boehne said.

“Depending on how much growth it has in the fall, if there is a super mass we’ll do fall tillage, or if the growth is lighter, we’ll let it die out naturally and do a tillage pass or two in the spring and then plant,” he said.

The siblings and their dad, Stanley, handle the crop farming responsibilities for the operation and they have four full-time employees who do the manure applications and trucking.

“We hire a lot of our trucking because there’s enough people in the area that want to work seasonally,” Boehne said.

“My brother and his wife do all the bookkeeping,” he said. “Vaughn does most of the harvesting and soybean planting.”

Berkeley manages the employees, plants the soybeans and is responsible for the grain drying.

“I also keep an eye on the hog operation, so we complement each other,” he said.

The farmer is a 17-year member of the DeKalb County Farm Bureau board and for the last year and a half has served as the president of the organization.

“I’m making good connections with people so I’m enjoying being the president,” Boehne said.

A lot of the work by the county farm organization is behind the scenes type of activities to keep politicians and county board members informed about the agricultural industry.

“It’s the stuff most members don’t see, but they get the benefits of it,” the president said. “That $65 membership is helping to give them government programs and provide scholarships for their kids.”

It is important to provide kids with agricultural information, especially high school students, Boehne said.

“They’re not aware of what agriculture has to offer,” he said. “So, we have to make changes and go to them because there’s so much potential in the agricultural industry.”