Chuck Sutherland farms across a wide swath of Allen County.
He and cousin Joel Sutherland are partners, farming mostly row crops like soybeans and corn on 3,000 acres. Their plots are scattered across the county, stretching from Humboldt to Carlyle and from west of the Neosho River to LaHarpe.
As such, the topography is quite diverse as well, from hilltops to river bottoms.
And in 2022, the Sutherlands saw firsthand how fickle Kansas weather could be.
Even with different plots of land within a roughly 20-mile radius of each other, some experienced substantially different weather patterns.
“Down by Humboldt it was quite a bit dryer,” Sutherland noted. “The northern part wasn’t as bad.”
An extended dry spell, including a six-week stretch between measurable rains, wreaked havoc on corn and soybean crops at times, Sutherland acknowledged.
Coupled with sky-high input costs, 2022 was one of the toughest years in recent memory.
“2012 was worse,” Sutherland said, recalling the last extended drought to hit Allen County. “But last year was close. I’m kind of scared this year will be another 2012.”
But not all looks gloomy.
Periodic wet spells through the fall and winter have helped restore some moisture into the ground.
“The wheat actually looks pretty good,” Sutherland said.
And some input costs have ebbed a bit, although fuel prices remain stubbornly high.
But truth be told — even with all of the trepidation of having your livelihood dictated at times by Mother Nature — Sutherland wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“This is all I’ve ever wanted to do,” he said. “Farming is the only job worth doing. It’s the only job worth having.”
SUTHERLAND, a third-generation farmer in Allen County, will be recognized for his conservation work by receiving the Key Bankers Award next Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Allen County Conservation District Annual Meeting.
Keeping his land fertile is an ongoing task, Sutherland notes, from building terraces to prevent soil erosion, reinforcing ponds or even taking advantage of the Neosho River’s waters to irrigate crops in river bottom fields.
