A large number of farmers from Europe, especially Germany, immigrated to the United States for a better life. And many of them found it in central Illinois. Among them was the Loschen family — this week’s farm family of the week.
How long has your family been farming? Our family has been farming in this area for around 160 years. Mark and Brian are the fifth generation. Mark’s sons Travis and Brandon and Brian’s sons Brock and Royce are the sixth, and Travis’ kids, Ellie, Arnie and Ronnie, are the seventh.
Where is your farm? Our farm is based just north of Royal, and we farm primarily in Champaign and Vermilion counties and also have one farm in Ford County. How and why did your family come to this area, and from where? Our ancestors came here from the Ostfriesland (meaning East Frisia) area of Germany, which is the northwest part of Germany near the North Sea. They came here in the mid-1800s, from about 1850 through 1870, depending what branch of our family you’re talking about.
They were seeking a better life in America because of a lack of farmland in Germany and because of the religious freedom America offered. They were drawn to the Royal and Flatville area because of the marshy/swampy soil that was much like what they were accustomed to in Germany. They drained the land by digging ditches and putting in drainage tile, and turned it into some of the best farm ground in the world.
What does your operation consist of? We are primarily a corn and soybean operation. When Mark and Brian’s parents, Arnold and Delores, were raising them, they had dairy cattle first and then beef cattle. Now Brian still has feeder cattle from spring through fall.
Brian’s son Royce and Travis’ kids, Ellie, Arnie, and Ronnie, all raise chickens and sell the eggs as their own individual projects. How many family members does the operation support? Mark and Susan, Brian and Amber and Travis and Meghan are all supported from the farm. Do any family members work other jobs? Mark and Susan both retired from Illini FS three years ago.
Brian owns a trucking company and does excavation work, and Amber helps Brian on the farm and does bookwork. Travis is the Schaeffer Oil rep for this area, and Meghan is a teacher. Brandon works off the farm and helps on the farm in the fall as he’s available.
Brock works for Birkey’s Farm Store in Urbana and helps farm all year as he’s available. Susan, Amber and Meghan all cook meals for everyone in the field and help them get equipment moved from one field to another. Brian and Amber also have two children, Alexis and Lucas, who live and work off the farm.
Alexis and her husband, Makenzie Heyen, and their daughter, Cecelia, live in Thomasboro. Alexis is a community manager in Champaign, and Makenzie is a graphic designer. Lucas works for a property-management company in Champaign.
How have you seen farming change over the years? The size and cost of equipment is a big change. Arnold, Mark and Brian’s dad, started farming with the Super M 71 years ago. Back then, farmers just hauled grain to the elevator with small wagons.
Now, almost everyone has semis. Advancements in seed genetics and the yields they produce have also changed drastically. Technology is the other major change.
Everything has a computer and monitor hooked to it now, and GPS with autosteer drives the tractors in a straight line. Also, farmers keep getting bigger and bigger and swallowing up all the smaller farmers. Your equipment: Green (Deere), red (Case IH) or other? We’re primarily Case IH equipment and have a long family history of using IH equipment.
We also have three Versatile four-wheel-drive tractors (two are blue and one is red). What makes farming such a good vocation? Being able to get up and go outside to work everyday and be your own boss. Being able to work side by side with your dad, brother, sons and nephews is a pure joy.
Being able to plant and harvest and work the soil on God’s beautiful earth is something that’s hard to describe to those not accustomed to it. It’s a life that encourages faith and trust in God everyday. If you could change one thing, what would it be? We wish the young generation had easier access to farming.
Input costs make it unrealistic in most cases for young farmers to even get started. Most ground that changes hands now simply goes to the highest bidder or the person willing to pay the highest cash rent. It didn’t use to be that way.
People used to be willing to help young farmers get started and looked for young guys to rent their ground to, not just whoever would pay the most. What’s the best time of year on the farm? We all agree that harvest is the best time of year on the farm. The weather is usually calm and cool, and it’s when you get to harvest the fruits of your labor from the whole year.
You spend an entire year working every day to grow a crop, and harvest is when you finally get rewarded for all that hard work. What are some other areas of interest for your family? We are all members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Royal, and our ancestors have been since it started.
Brian and Amber’s son Royce is starting high school and is very involved in sports, so they spend a lot of time at his baseball, basketball, football and track events. They also enjoy socializing within the community and spending time with family. Mark and Susan enjoy their grandkids’ events and socializing with friends and family, spending time in their pool, and going on convertible Camaro rides.
Travis and Meghan raise a huge garden and enjoy canning a lot of their produce as well as raising three young kids and spending a lot of time at their events. Travis and Mark are involved in the I&I Antique Tractor Club in Penfield and enjoy working on family heirloom tractors..
