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Close to farmers:
#ThinkingInGenerations
Farming insider: Vis Farm, USA
About the Vis Family Farm
The Vis farm was established in 1992. These days, three generations work together here to farm maize, soybeans, and hybrid rye. Farmer Todd Vis took over the farm from his father, and now his two sons Cole and Jared are ready to adapt the business to the agricultural challenges of the future.
Farm facts
Family-run farm where three generations work together
Location: Pipestone County, Minnesota, USA
Crops cultivated:
Maize, soy, hybrid rye
Special features: Less than one percent of Minnesota’s inhabitants work in the agricultural sector, yet the home state of the Vis family is among the biggest producers of agricultural goods within the USA.
My wish for the future of the family farm is that it will still be run well in the fifth, sixth, and seventh generation.
Question time
We’re in southwestern Minnesota, not far from the border with South Dakota. Although only a few people here work in agriculture these days, the state of Minnesota remains one of the country’s biggest producers of agricultural goods. Does that make you proud in a way?
Jared: Playing a part in feeding the United States and the world makes me proud to be a farmer. And being able to do this kind of work with my family makes it even better.
Todd, as a father, you no doubt feel the same way about working together. Are you happy with the way you have prepared your sons for a life in farming?
Todd with his sons Jared and Cole
Todd: I am delighted they are part of the family business. It’s really fulfilling to have them here. When they take over the farm, I plan to remain involved in whatever they’ll let me do then. Even if they only need me for driving tractors in future, or just working the soil from time to time, that’s also fine.
Now we’ve talked about the future, let’s go back to your beginnings. Cole and Jared, did you know early on that you wanted to work in farming?
Cole: Yes, even when I was little I always knew I wanted to be a farmer. I always had little tractors at home, and we played with them in the house when we couldn’t go into the fields.
Jared: I started wanting to become a farmer at a young age. My earliest memory on the farm takes me back to my own first ride on the tractor. I saw myself as an equal in the business early on, even though I was not yet included in the company partnership. The current registered partnership is just a name change; I’ve felt like an equal in the business for a very long time.
How was the handover, or the introduction to the work on the family farm? Is there anything that stands out in your memory, looking back?
Cole and Jared working on the farm
Cole: What I like to think back on is the constant willingness to try new things. My grandfather and my father were always open to change, open to doing extra things to improve our crop yields with less input. I really value that, because I also see other farms. I have friends and acquaintances whose fathers and grandfathers are really reluctant to try new things. It’s really great to be in a position where you can push things forward and see how effective they are.
Todd: My father, Cole’s and Jared’s grandfather, started the farm in 1992 and introduced me to farming back then. Even now, he still helps us out every day. Now it’s my turn, and I think I’ll pass on the business in much the same way as my father did with me back then.
That all sounds very harmonious. Are there not also moments when it's tricky working so closely together?
Jared: We get on well with each other. Sure, sometimes we don’t quite agree on something, but in the end we make sure we get on the same page.
Cole: My favorite thing about working with my family is that I see them so often. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes it’s not, but mostly it’s good.
The Vis Farm
You two will take the farm into the future. What image do you have in mind when you envisage this farm still in the hands of the Vis family many years from now?
Cole: My wish for the future of the family farm is that it will still be run well in the fifth, sixth, and seventh generation and that it will develop into a business that people respect.
Jared: When I think about the future of the family farm, I picture my children, whom I want to support in whatever they choose to do. If one of them decides to carry on the farm, I will try to show them the way – just as well as my father once did for me.
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