For 150 years, the Batie family has defied the traditional norms of farm inheritance.
“We don’t do the traditional ‘oldest son gets the farm,'” said Don Batie. “Our motto has always been whoever wants to farm is the one who should be farming.”
This philosophy has shaped the Batie family farm for over a century and a half, spanning four generations instead of the expected five or six.
Don’s great-grandparents were blessed with five children, and it so happened that the second youngest, a girl, chose to remain on the farm.
She and her husband welcomed 10 children into the world, and the youngest among them—Don’s father—also decided to dedicate himself to farming.
Don, being the youngest of his own five siblings, has planned for his two daughters to assume responsibility for the farm once he retires.
Learn more about the Batie family farm in Dawson County, Nebraska in this week’s episode of Fridays in the Field.