By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent MOLINE, Ill. — At this year’s Gathering of the Green, one family of John Deere collectors took a quick break before they begin harvesting wheat. From May to September, Ron Miesener’s family, from Elk City, Okla., custom-combines their way across the United States.
Ron Miesener explained this is a family tradition that started when their six kids were babies. “The whole family goes and we live in travel trailers,” he said.
Kristy Miesener handles the immense cooking duties for the crew of 10-11. “My wife cooks everything on the grill including cakes, and pies,” Miesener said of her.
Along with the equipment, they take all their food along. “We have two deep freezes and cook steak every day. We use 2.5 dozen eggs, a pound of bacon and a loaf of bread for breakfast before we go to the fields. We have a family setting,” he explained.
After serving in Vietnam, Miesener came back to farm and trained in Texas, where he took a 22-month diesel mechanic’s course. Then, he bought a repair shop and put his knowledge to work. Starting out, he was farming, working in his shop and custom harvesting and planting on a local basis.
In 1976 he met his wife through a job. It only took a few months for the couple to date, fall in love and marry.
“This February, we will be married for 32 years,” he added. “We have six children – Marie, David, Katie, Elizabeth, Daniel and Emma. All the kids worked on the farm.”
Over the years, Miesener said they have increased custom acres. “We do custom hay, custom silage, custom chopping and combine harvesting. The custom supplemented the farming,” he said.
These days, the Mieseners focus no longer on farming, but on custom harvest.
“We all drive combines,” Miesener said. “The kids grew up on the floor of a combine. All the kids started early, driving.”
All equipment is John Deere; they run five combines, Model 9600s that Ron rebuilds himself.
“We are a conservative operation and we totally rebuild our combines and other people’s combines, too,” he said.
Besides that, the family is also collecting and restoring antique tractors for themselves and others.
“We collect for ourselves and also do some buying and selling,” Miesener said. “People have started asking us to do restorations, and we have a two-year waiting list. We have about 30 tractors of our own.”
Where this busy family gets time for all their efforts is a mystery, but Miesener said it is not an issue because he loves what he does. He shared his secret to a happy life, which is living with a priority list of what he calls the four F’s: faith, family, friends and farming.
“You are in charge of your time, talent and treasures, so make the best of it,” he added.
From the looks of the Miesener family, they are doing just that.
This farm news was published in the April 9, 2008 issue of the Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
