Sloan Farms, centered in Gore, Okla., is comprised of 2,500 leased and owned acres.
The Sloans sell seed corn and wheat, and sell soybean seed for Pioneer. Dub, his son Steve and grandson Cody work together with one full-time farmhand to produce the best corn, soybeans and wheat that they can. They also plant 25 acres of sweet corn.
“We’ve been raising sweet corn for 50 years; and if we quit, we’d probably get run out of town,” Dub said.
The Sloan family is highly community conscious. Dub, Steve and Cody have each served on committees or boards of one kind or another, with Dub having served on the federal land board. In addition, Cody is the fourth generation to serve on the Gore Public School Board.
Another indication of their understanding of community is their attitude towards the acreages they lease.
“Our goal is to treat lease land like our own. That’s not only good business, it’s also being a good neighbor. Rent on lease land is paid by shares,” Steve said.
Harrison Sloan left Arkansas and founded the Oklahoma farm in 1918 with 100 acres. He produced mostly cotton, corn and watermelons, with a small area set aside for truck farming. In the 1930s, during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, Harrison’s son Clifford traveled to California to learn about irrigation, hoping to prevent another drought disaster.
Clifford’s understanding of the critical importance of a dependable water supply led to the farm keeping up with technology by moving from furrow irrigation to sprinklers that had to be moved every two hours to a 31-pivot system that now covers 70 percent of their acreage.
Clifford, Cody’s great-grandfather, carried the memory of the hard times. He believed no time should be wasted giving birth to Clifford’s practice of starting “new projects,” such as picking potatoes on holidays and weekends. Another practice Clifford always followed was growing two gardens: one for family use, and one for friends and neighbors.
A favorite family story is about two ladies loading as many turnips as they could from his garden. Clifford asked what they were doing, and they explained that Mr. Sloan had said they could have as much as they wanted. Without telling them who he was, Clifford replied, “Well, in that case, let me help you.”
Though most people think crop farmers have a free winter, the truth is every month has responsibilities. January and February require fertilizing and strip-tilling corn ground prior to seeding. Also Pioneer seed arrives in bulk, boxes and bags and must be stored. Important repairs and maintenance are completed.
The Sloans begin delivering seed corn and planting corn and sweet corn in March and April, while also treating soybeans in preparation for their delivery. Young corn plants are side dressed with fertilizer and weed spray. Then wheat is harvested in June with soybeans planted on the newly harvested ground creating three crops in two years.
Sweet corn harvesting begins at the end of June, a whole process by itself.
“Sweet corn is now Cody’s responsibility,” Steve said. “I quit at midnight and let him organize vendor pickups, which start as early as 1 a.m. and continue until 6 a.m., so vendors are ready to sell as soon as their markets open.”
One family tradition is the Sloan ladies selling sweet corn to locals under a favorite tree.
Soybeans are, hopefully planted, and sprayed by July 4, which is when corn irrigation begins. Corn is harvested at 18 to 19 percent moisture in late August or early September and completed by the end of September.
“In the old days, a farmer could pick 70 bushels a day by hand where now we do 20,000,” Steve said.
Soybeans are harvested at the end of October through the end of November, with wheat planted in the harvested soybean fields. Even in December, general cleanup readies the farm for the next year.
Soybeans and wheat are no-till crops, while corn is only strip tilled, reduced tillage in furrows of 1-foot strips guided by GPS.
“We only work the ground when some gets torn up because of rain or other issues,” Dub explained. “Parts of our land haven’t been tilled for 15 years and are as good or better than when we started.”
“No till requires more weed control work, but requires far less overall tractor usage,” Steve explained. “Tractors are replaced less often, a highly attractive economic advantage.”
The Sloan’s have a field day, usually in mid-July, that features planted plots of current corn varieties for customers to see.
“In truth it’s more of a social event with lots of food and conversation,” Steve said. “I consult with my customers one-on-one about their orders and what best fits their needs, often by phone to help them take advantage of early order discounts. I won’t sell what I don’t plant and have built this business by trust.”
Steve’s belief is why they plant their show plot with only what farmers need now rather than future varieties.
Because of unseasonable and large amounts of rain last year, the wheat crop was poor.
Cody suggested this would be a perfect time to try an eight-variety display plot of wheat and beans in it, like they do for their personal farming, allowing people to see and make comparisons of growth and yield. This idea is his latest contribution to a family business he will someday run.
“My goal is to sustain what we have and build from there for our future generations,” Cody said.
