I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook reels. When I sit and mindlessly scroll I have seen some of the dumbest and the fakest videos that people make just to get views and make money. Yet I keep scrolling and watching because there are some that are just so funny or sweet. At the end of November there was a reel that made me stop scrolling and actually watch it. A young farmer was celebrating the year anniversary of quitting their job in the city to work on the family farm full time. This isnโt anything new, but it was unique because this farmer was a young female. Her profile picture showed a beautiful blonde haired woman in a sundress in an open field like something youโd see strait out of a country music video. Her reel showed her tending to cattle, working on tractors and playing chicken with combines while on the last pass harvesting a wheat field. Wanting to build my farm session portfolio, I knew I wanted to tell her story.
Paige (Turek) Dvorak grew up one of three daughters of Tim and Jill Turek. Iโm sure her parents heard many of the same questions and phrases by well-meaning family, friends and even strangers that Kip and I get. โI hope this baby is going to be a boy!โ โWhen are you going to have a boy?โ โYou have to have another baby because you need a boy to carry on the farm.โ โYou have to have a boy to be a farmer like his dadโ. They may not say these things with malicious intent, but I like to remind them, our daughters will be just as capable of carrying on the farm if they choose to. The Tureks are no different and raised their three daughters to be able to help with the farm responsibilities but also let them be their own person. One daughter is working on a degree to enter the medical field, and another works a job in Wichita at Koch in one of their agriculture sectors. Then there is Paige that now works full time for the family farm.
Growing up, their farm responsibilities started out with simple tasks like caring for the dogs. Then they were put in charge of filling the cows water tanks. Before they had hydrants at every tank, the girls would have to move the big long water hose from tank to tank, ensuring the cows all had water. Paige enjoyed following along with her dad as he tended to the cattle and worked in the fields. One rule Tim had was, the girls could pierce their ears when they were 13 or when they could drive a tractor. This was enough motivation for all three girls to learn to drive a tractor before age 13. When her mom was asked if she always knew Paige would end up farming she said, โI didnโt realize it was truly [her] passion until Senior year of high school and [she] DID NOT want to go to college. Then in college the only time I heard or witnessed [her] totally invested and intrigued with a class was all things Ag or especially Agronomy. I always thought [she] would 100% live rural on a farm but not all in operations side too until college.โ
Like most farmers I know, she is well educated and completed her bachelors degree in Agribusiness with a minor in Agronomy and Ag Real Estate Appraisal at Oklahoma State University in 2020. As her mom said, Agronomy classes were her favorite. After graduation she took an agriculture job in Wichita in the ethanol industry. Her heart belonged to the farm though. She returned in December 2021 and joined her father and two other men. I can relate to her situation as sheโs surrounded by men and attempting to get some processes more organized throughout the businesses. We laughed with each other knowing it feels a little like a lost cause but weโll keep trying anyways.
Following in her fatherโs footsteps, she is the 6th generation Turek to farm. Her dad bought the current home-place farm after graduating high school during the 1980s land foreclosures. Once he graduated from K-State he returned to South Haven, grew his farm operation, and started a seed wheat business. Turek Seed currently has 9 varieties of wheat but it changes every year. They source seed from Kansas State, Oklahoma State and other research facilities. The interesting thing about wheat is that after harvest, some can be saved to replant the next year. Universities and research facilities are always looking to create better wheat that is drought and disease resistant to produce higher yields though. For all sorts of reasons, other crops cannot be saved from harvest and planted the next year and farmers must buy new seed. (This would be an agronomy lesson for another day) However when farmers like my husband are ready to try a new variety they go to businesses like Turek Seed to get the latest varieties.
In addition to the farming and seed wheat business the Tureks have a cow calf operation. Growing up, her dad loved calving season. Itโs the slow(er-ish) time for the farm when tractor and equipment maintenance is being done. Truthfully there is never really a slow time, just a time when things are less busy. Calving season lasts January to March and they stay busy delivering calves nearly every day. This particular day there were two calves that had been born in the morning. They monitor the calves to ensure they are nursing and staying warm. One calf they knew they needed to watch closely so they moved it and mama into the barn to warm up and begin to nurse. As I arrived Paige was getting ready to tag the calves. Their calf tags have the same number and letter as their moms. Timโs love of calving season flowed down to Paige. Despite the dead trees, dead grass, cold temps and sloppy manure filled mud everywhere, there was a special feeling in the air as new life was beginning. The calves skipped after their moms with wobbly knees just learning to move. Paige gently positioned herself over the calves to quickly tag their ears. After hanging with me in the afternoon she was up all night watching for another calf to be born. Knowing that a calf was coming they kept a close watch. At 3:30am two legs were out and she was unsure how long for. After some time waiting, she decided to venture back home for a bit to give the mama some space. She and her husband, Coltin, get to live just up the road from her parents and rent her grandparentsโ old house. An hour later when she returned, mama was caring for her fresh calf. Throughout calving season there are many sleepless nights worrying and taking care of their cows and calves. Come next spring of 2024 they will have to part with a portion of their calves when they go to the auction and the cycle will continue.
The current drought not only effects their farming operation but also their cattle. Without the rain the summer source of water and food for the cattle has dried up. They were forced to dip into their winter stash of hay. A silver lining to the drought was that they were able to use the stalks from the failed milo op to make silage and mix with the cattleโs winter feed to get them through the season.
Paige helps with most aspects of the businesses including working the cattle, operating tractors, bookwork and any other tasks that need completed. Thankfully she gets to avoid the mechanical aspects of major repairs and maintenance and keeps busy with other duties. Everyday on the farm is different and she has many roles she gets to fill. This helps her to creat content for her social media like the reel I had seen in November. Some may think theyโre just farmers, but I think Paige said it best, โweโre farmers, ranchers, engineers, accountants, managers, mechanics, gamblers, weathermen, scientists, analysts, and caretakers.โ I think she could add a midwife to her list as well.
