P.E. Brocksmith and Son Farm

P.E. Brocksmith and Son Farm Family Works With Mother Nature

For six generations, the Brocksmiths have focused on working with Mother Nature on their farm in Vincennes, Indiana. The family is known for being leaders in conservation farming practices for four decades, long before the term “regenerative agriculture” was in the vocabulary. “Our true passion is for conservation and taking care of the environment,” says Susan Brocksmith. “We are constantly looking at how to work with Mother Nature more efficiently – so that we can be minimalists and use the power of nature as much as possible.”

Susan is a co-owner and operator of P.E. Brocksmith and Son Farm with her husband, Mike, daughter Casandra, and son-in-law, Nathan DeBord, as they raise corn and soybeans. Susan’s roots in agriculture run deep as she was raised on a crop and livestock family farm near Bicknell, Ind. A Purdue graduate with a degree in agricultural systems management, her career illustrates the many ways to be involved in agriculture along with work on the farm.

After first working in ag sales, Susan’s “day job” for over 35 years has been in the field of education. Her time in the classroom has helped countless students see the wide variety of opportunities in agriculture, and today she is the Dean of the Business and Public Service College at Vincennes University. “It is important to challenge young minds to think outside the normal,” she says. Susan and Mike bring students out to their farm to illustrate the real world application of what is being taught in the classroom. “For example, we have shown students the roots of the cover crops that are robust due to our conservation practices. We help students see, smell and feel what is going on in the field.”

The family grows Pioneer brand non GMO corn that goes for initial processing in Washington, Indiana, where it becomes a key ingredient for a variety of products ranging from hand sanitizer to candy. Their soybeans go to ADM and move down the river to eventually be exported.

Necessity is often the mother of invention on a farm, and the Brocksmiths early in their farming days realized they needed a way to do more with less labor. “At that time, we had livestock along with the crops and needed to find a way to do it all with less people,” Susan recalls.

“We saw the benefits of not tilling the soil and using cover crops as a way to take care of the land and do it more efficiently.” The Brocksmiths are truly conservation farmers, being the first people in their area to utilize no till practices in 1977 and have been planting cover crops since. Explaining cover crops, Susan shares that by planting a crop to “cover” the field after the main crop is harvested, they are able to stop erosion and add nutrients. “This cover crop, which stays on the ground all winter, is a growing plant that eventually goes dormant while it holds the soil where it needs to be. When it dies in the spring, it provides nutrients that our crops can then use for the next season.”

The Brocksmiths point out that it is important to take the long view when farming. “ We

tell people that this is a marathon, not a sprint.” Susan says. “You learn things every year, and some practices may not work every year, yet we stay invested in working with Mother Nature and letting her help us.”They have seen over the years the difference their conservation practices are making in the ground, like noticing increased resilience of the soil and less soil compaction. This is helpful in many ways, including when there isn’t much rain, because the plants roots can go deeper, water is used more efficiently.

Along with making the soil better, Susan and Mike work to make their community stronger as they engage in numerous organizations. Currently, Susan serves as President on the Indiana Corn Marketing Council Board and is on the Knox County Farm Bureau Board of Directors as well as the Good Samaritan Hospital Board of Governors. They both have been leaders with their Soil and Water Conservation District and Mike is currently collaborating with other farmers to start up a group called Farm Advisors to share insight and mentor fellow farmers about conservation practices. Mike also serves on the Natural Resources Conservation Service state technical committee as well as the Knox County Sheriff Merit Board.

“Both Mike and I want to make a difference to make our community better,” Susan says. While finding time for volunteer work can make for long days, she says they want to be part of bringing common sense and insight to help make outcomes better. “Having Zoom technology has helped with our board work as we can attend meeting while on the tractor,” Susan notes. She says her grandfather always reminded the family that “your service to community is the rent we pay for the lives on this earth.”Her deep-rooted commitment to her family and the ag industry helped her earn the 2017 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year honor.

The family enjoys the camaraderie of the Indiana State Fair and takes deep pride in how the agricultural exhibits help share both the past, present and future of Indiana ag. “We love seeing the interactions between those in the ag industry and public – and of course we enjoy the ice cream,” Susan says.

Susan and Mike, whose first date was at the Knox County Fair, are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren between two and four years old. As they look at this next generation, their plan remains to work with Mother Nature to help future generations succeed. “We stay focused on the land to build success for the future,” Susan concludes.