If you visit Wes Anderson’s farmhouse, chances are he’ll say, “Want a cookie?” Take one – they’re delicious! He bakes oatmeal chocolate chip cookies every Thursday night. His brother Kip Anderson makes the same cookies at his house on Sundays. they think the recipe came from their great-grandmother.
Baking cookies may not be the first thing hyou think of when you imagine a farmer. Instead, you might imagine someone who spends a lot of time working outside or in barns. Wes and Kip do that, too. They raise pigs and grow corn and soybeans on thei farm near Waterman.
Raising pigs from farrow (birth) to finish (ready for market) is hard and dirty work. But these brothers don’t mind. They know that what they do to keep their pigs safe and healthy results in safe, healthy food for people.
Wes and Kip’s five children range in age from 8 to 20, and all of them help out on the farm in some way. “Once they’re old enough, we make sure they’re doing something,” says Wes. For example, Wes’ teenaged daughter drives the tractor pulling a grain cart during harvest. Kip’s 8-year-old, Alexa, is anzious for her chance to drive the tractor, too. All the kids are or have been 4-H members and raise their own pigs to show at the fair. Although both dads want their children to care about the farm, they hope the kids follow their own interests, whether it is farming or something else instead.
PROfile:
Wes & Kip Anderson – 4th generation farmers
Family: Wes – wife Susan, children Ian -20, Dayna -17; Kip -wife Laura, children Josh -13, Zach – 11 and Alexa -8.
Trivia: Wes & Kip’s great-grandfather moved to the U.S. from Sweden.
Article from this month’s Ag Mag – from the DeKalb County Farm Bureau
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