Hat Chat

Indiana Master Farmer honorees in 2009 included Rodney Hager, Chris Mann, R.D. Wolheter, and honorary winner from Purdue, Bruce McKenzie. Maurice Robeson of Camden is also on the list this year. HAT interviewed Robeson at the luncheon earlier this year to find out more about the Carroll County winner.

Robeson started farming with his father in 1960 and grows corn, soybeans, and wheat. They raised hogs up until 1997.

Robeson has some very definite advice for the future generation of farmers: always know your financial position every single week. “When I had hogs I knew exactly how many hogs I had every week, the value of the hogs, and I continually knew my financial position. In agriculture you can get under water so fast that in six months you can lose everything you had if you don’t realize what’s going on. Your cost of production is extremely important because our margins are so small. When I was involved in eggs, if we made a cent a dozen we were making good money, so margins can really be tight. So I think that’s one area that you really need to watch.”

Hear the entire HAT interview:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.