Derick Backer

I grew up always working with my grandfather on his farm. It was always a love of mine. When I was in high school I also found I had another passion, auto mechanics. I decided to pursue that and went to college for general mechanics. For over 10 years I was working for car dealerships. Farming was where I wanted to be. I left my job as a shop foreman at a dealership to take over my grandfather’s farm. I have now been on the farm for over 12 years. Before I came back to work on the farm, my father was working with my grandfather due to his declining health. After my grandfather’s passing, my father still helps me with many jobs around the farm, including baling hay; we farm about 350 acres of hay off-site.

On my home farm we raise beef, pork, and chicken; we also raise chickens for eggs. In the last several years I have been working towards the goal of regenerative farming and rotate my animals through my land using rotational grazing and other regenerative practices.

We have an on-farm store, online sales, and several different farmers markets around the state. My wife, Heather, is fully involved in farm life too. She does all the bookkeeping, billing, and everything to do with organizing the markets. I have two children: Freddy, 5, and Lela, 15. Both love the farm life and are involved heavily in day-to-day operations. Lela is involved in three different 4-H groups, two involving her true passion, horses, and the other is Beef Club.