Family farms: great way of life

Editor's note: On the 50th anniversary of the Meisner family farm north of Wellington, Gene Meisner recounts the productivity of the land and the lifestyle it provided. Gail Meisner provided the farm's history during her parents' life for the June issue.

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Like many area teenagers of the 1960s, Gene Meisner graduated from high school and went right into farming with his father, Fred Meisner Jr.

The family had purchased their farm at 10565 N. County Road 9 north of Wellington in 1960 when Gene Meisner was 16 years old. He was already entrenched in the farming lifestyle, as Fred and Esther Meisner had sold a dairy farm in Weld County before moving to Larimer County.

Gene Meisner graduated from Wellington High School in 1962, and began a 42-year career of growing barley, sugar beets, pinto beans, corn and alfalfa. Now retired and living in Greeley, he has fond memories of the family's farming tradition.

Meisner worked with his father for one year after high school, learning the skills needed to go out on his own. The next year he rented land near Timnath. Another year later, he rented land near Wellington. Throughout the years, he continued to share harvesting chores with his father.

"My wife and mother drove the trucks," Meisner said. "Dad and I ran the cutter and packer."

One of the toughest years was 1969, Meisner recalled, when the beets froze in the ground. Some farmers lost their crops, he said, but the Meisner families worked seven days a week, finishing the harvest the day before Christmas. Working the fields "tore up equipment like crazy," he said.

Despite capricious weather, the family farms produced well and thrived. Meisner is particularly proud of the many agricultural awards earned over four decades.

In 1976, his farmland south of Wellington was high station for beets in the Wellington area.

Fred Meisner died in 1977 and Gene continued to farm the land.

In 1980, Coors recognized the Meisner family farm for highest quality barley in northern Colorado. That year's crop also won first prize at the stock show in Denver. "It was the best barley crop ever," Meisner said.

In 1981, the family farm was among the top growers in the state for beets.

Meisner received the local conservationist of the year award in 1986. Shortly before retiring, he received a 40-year gold belt buckle from Coors.

A farm, Meisner said, is a great place to raise children. Son Jerry now lives in Fort Collins and daughter Karen lives in Coffeyville, Kan.

The lifestyle let him spend time with his children. He coached boys' basketball at Wellington Junior High School for four years, and then officiated high school basketball games for 14 years.

Looking back, Meisner said he simply enjoyed planting crops and watching them grow.

"It was very hard work, but it was just a way of life," he said. "There's nothing better than the smell of beet ground when pulling beets or the smell of cutting corn for silage. It's so peaceful when you're by yourself out there."