Sugar Beet Farmer Hangs His Hat Up After 41 Wonderful Years

They say that farming is not just a job, but a way of life. This has certainly been true for 3rd generation Fairview sugar beet farmer Robbie Stepan. As Stepan reflects on his last 41 years of farming, and experiences his final beet harvest, his feelings expressed of retirement are bittersweet.

Stepan has always enjoyed beet harvest and says that he couldn’t ask for a better one than this year’s. However, Stepan has not been able to say that about every harvest and remembers some very wet years, prolonging harvest. “One year, on the 3rd of October, we had 11 inches of snow.” Stepan also recalls his first beet harvest in 1972, when the area received about six inches of snowfall. Farming has been a lifestyle and career that Stepan feels very fortunate to have had, but he is looking forward to shedding the associated stress.

Stepan always knew he wanted to be a farmer. “Even when I was a kid, I knew I wanted to farm. If I could have quit school in the 4th grade to farm, I would have,” he said laughing. Like many other farm boys, Stepan didn’t enjoy school. Regardless, he graduated from Fairview High School in 1967; then enlisted in the Navy and served our country in the Vietnam War.

After serving four years, Stepan came home in 1972, bringing with him Anita, a beautiful lady that he had met in Seattle at a naval radio station after returning from Vietnam. Anita and Robbie were wed shortly after and she became a natural farm wife. Stepan followed his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps by farming sugar beets. Some years later, Steppan and his wife started a family and raised their son and daughter on the farm.

Stepan’s beloved wife, Anita, passed away in the spring of 2012. He maintains that he feels very lucky to have had 40 years of wonderful memories with her on the farm. “She spoiled me rotten,” he said, remembering her firing up the wood stove to warm his feet when he came in from the cold during beet harvest and always welcoming him with a hot meal.

Stepan has seen many changes in farming since he began in 1972. “Machinery wise, everything is three times bigger,” Stepan said. “I started out using a small tractor with no cab.” Now days, tractors have enormous horsepower, with air conditioners, GPSs, and many other luxuries.

Stepan also noted that “Input costs are so much higher and people are spending so much more.” The cost of fuel, machinery, help, and other expenditures continue to rise. However, the rising cost has also been met with good marketing prices, making the higher expenditures worthwhile.

Farming takes faith and patience. Stepan admits that he was lucky to get into farming in the early 70s when the commodity prices were good. However, prices later plummeted. Stepan said, “In farming, it cycles and you just accept it.” Some years were financially better than others. As a result, there were several years Stepan took on a winter job to help pay for expenses.

Farming comes with a lot of hard work and long hours, not allowing Stepan much opportunity to travel over the years. In retirement, he is looking forward to fulfilling his desire to travel. Despite Stepan’s choice to retire, he concludes, “I feel like the luckiest person in the world. I served in the military, met my wife, was married for 40 wonderful years, and raised two great kids, while farming.” That is certainly a career that anyone can hang their hat on.