American Faces No. 113: The American Farmer

This might well be the quintessential American Faces story so far.  Not because of Larry K.’s face but due to the fact that he is an American Farmer who has continued to farm on the very land his family has been farming since the 1950’s.  For many years he was a dairy farmer in the St. Michael, Minnesota area.  Larry, his brother and their families raised Jersey dairy cows for milk production along with growing corn, soybeans and hay.  In the not too distant past the farm transitioned to crops and raising Angus/Holstein steers that may someday find their way to markets near you. He continues to farm a couple hundred acres of ground slowly being enveloped by housing developments all around.  Year in, year out his tractors continue to work the very ground on which  he was raised.  

The stresses of farming have always ebbed and flowed but in my ten plus years of knowing Larry I have always encountered a man who had a warm smile, a kind word for the day and a dry joke or seven to lighten the mood.  I have had the privilege of Larry’s kind and cheerful nature as we loaded trailers full of hay for the goats my wife and I keep.  Even when I haven’t seen him for a while and we greet each other with a handshake, it feels like he’s a friend I have known forever.  I think that is the true measure of a good man. 

When I asked Larry why farming means so much to him he said, “It’s what I have always done and I enjoy it”.

So as 2026 begins to move ahead, take a deep breath and remember life stresses will ebb and flow.  First, enjoy your family.  Second, smile…you and the others need it.  Third, make a difference in the world around you.  It definitely needs you.

Photos and story by: Nielsen Studios

Editing by: Cristine Nielsen

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