Farming is in his blood
Submitted by jcht2010 on
It’s rare to drive anywhere in Jackson County and not pass a grain truck, a tanker truck filled with fertilizer, or stalks of corn dancing softly in a breeze.
Farming is a vital part of Jackson County, aesthetically, economically, and culturally.
Harvest time in Jackson County means long, hard hours for farmers, and Lloyd Kulak of LaSalle is no exception. Kulak, who is now retired from a chemical plant, said his days are shorter now that he can concentrate solely on the farm. For many years, he did both.
Kulak’s family has been in farming for generations – since before his anscestors even came to the United States.
“My family is from Czechoslovakia, but Kulak is actually a Russian name,” he said, laughing, “It means ‘rich farmer.’ They got half of it right, anyway.”
Kulak grows everything from sunflowers, to corn and maize, to cotton. He speaks of his crops with a glowing affection usually reserved for a child or a beloved pet.
“I love cotton,” he said, “cotton is my favorite. You plant it later than corn or milo, because it’s not as cold tolerant.”
He explained that young cotton is susceptible to damage from insects and other environmental factors, especially an insect he calls a fleahopper, which can damage immature cotton crops to the point of decreased yield.
A farmer by birth and by choice, Kulak is showing no signs of giving up the farm any time in the forseeable future. He speaks passionately and protectively of his crops, whether they be corn, milo, sunflowers, or the cotton he’s so fond of. In good years and in bad years, he loves it, and says it was never about the money.
“You have to have it in here,” he said, pointing to his heart, “you have to love it.”
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