Farmer Profile: Hoping for a Homecoming

Though he introduced himself as an aspiring photographer, Chris Niemann's enthusiasm for all things agriculture was palpable. He first came to The Hand That Feeds U.S. seeking an opportunity to display his photographs on our website; photographs that not only reflected a love for the land, but the harvest as well, a time of year not typically favored by the average photographer.

"So many photographers like the winter and springtime because the air is clean and crisp and there is little dust. I love the fall because of the dust. There's something about the yellow leaves on a corn stalk, the dust in the air, and an International combine humming along that all come together to make one great picture after another."

The story behind this passion for the harvest starts on a fourth generation farm in Nebraska where corn and soybeans are grown on 700-800 acres, as well as the occasional 20 acres of wheat, depending on the year. Chris was raised by both his father and grandfather and considers himself extremely lucky to have benefitted from the wisdom and experience of the two generations.

At 26, Chris isn't the only young person who has remained close to the farm, but he is certainly an exception to the rule. "My generation was pushed to leave the farm and go to college. But if farms could pay like a lot of city jobs do, we'd all be back after a week."

Chris says that his drive to get up and work hard every day is the biggest takeaway from spending his developmental years on the farm. "You have to work to make a living and if you want the nicer things in life, you have to earn them. So many people that are from the city don't believe that I put in a 14-hour day and don't get 'overtime' for it. For me, it's just second nature to do what it takes to get the job done."

About two-and-a-half years ago, Chris left the farm for a job in Oklahoma City. "I really didn't want to leave but at the time, the farm was small, prices weren't the greatest, and the ag industry couldn't support my father, me, and both of our families. I left the farm for the city and missed it every day since. I come back as often as I can and every fall for the harvest, to help Dad out."

Chris says that the ability for his dad to keep things moving rather than shutting down just to make a trip to the cooperative to dump the trucks, makes a huge difference in the cost-efficiency of the operation.

The biggest generational discrepancies that Chris sees between his father and himself involve the need for new technology and the desire to keep with tradition while moving the family's farm into the 21st century. "I am really trying to get Dad into the Precision Ag stuff like GPS and AutoSteer but he enjoys the satisfaction of knowing that the straight planting comes from him, not some computer. We'll get there eventually," he says. "It'll just take time."

While there are several challenges that face America's farmers today, the ability to adapt to new technology included, Chris says that the standout problem is land ownership. The price of land in Nebraska has doubled and in some spots tripled the price that it was just 10 years ago.

That-along with the cost of new technology and stagnant crop prices-make it tough for a young and aspiring farmer to break in.

Chris's passion for farming may have been inherent, but his passion for photography didn't develop until he moved away from the farm. "Every sunset that I miss while living in the city has pushed me to show others the 'real view.' What I see out here on the farm I wish everyone could see."

He knows there's a hard road ahead, but being faced with a difficult task has never deterred Chris and he remains optimistic about the future of America's famers. Eventually, Chris and his wife would like to move back to Nebraska. The farm, he says, is getting stronger every day and he hopes that output will eventually be big enough to support a fifth generation.