“There’s no one silver bullet that fixes everything, but technology is the key to make us more efficient,” Schenk tells AgriNews. “More efficient with seed, fertilizer and time.”

Indiana AgriNews and Beck’s Hybrids honored the Schenk Family as the 25th Indiana Farm Family of the Year during the Indiana Farm Bureau State Convention in French Lick on Dec. 9. 

Schenk and his wife, Carla, farm more than 1,000 acres of corn, double-crop soybeans and wheat in Posey County, located in southern Indiana. They’ve been a Precision Planting dealer since 1996 and also run an excavating business. 

The family’s farming operation also includes Schenk’s parents, Jerry and Linda. The family enjoys that every day as a farmer is different and that they have the opportunity to work with a lot of local farmers through the Precision Planting dealership.

“To me, it’s more than just a business. It’s a relationship builder,” Schenk says. “You build relationships with neighboring farmers and share ideas. I’ve learned a lot from other farmers.”

As his parents are handing over the reins to him and his wife, Schenk says he’s thinking about having to find reliable help and how it’s the biggest challenge ahead for the operation. 

He’d also like to add more acres in the future, but he’s first focused on farming every acre he has to the fullest. Soil health is important to the operation, and they plant a lot of wheat for erosion control. He says they also lay tile and build water and sediment control basins to keep their soil in place.