Our story starts with Sara Hadenfeldt, a woman whose roots stretch deep into Nebraska soil. She farms with her husband on a multigenerational family farm, Hadenfeldt Farms near Dannebrog. With a family of six, including her four children and husband, Heath—the farm is bustling with life.
“We have cow/calf pairs and soybeans and corn. That’s kind of what we do for the farm.” Sara said, explaining the current state of their operation.
It is clear that farming is not just a job for the Hadenfeldt Family, but a way of life. The farm itself has a rich history going back nearly a century.
“My great-grandpa Hadenfeldt moved to this farm in 1927, and my grandpa and his brother Norman came back and farmed,” explained multi-generational farmer Heath Hadenfeldt. “We’ve been on the same farm for 95 years.”
This sense of continuity and attachment to the land is the cornerstone of their enduring legacy.
Sara, originally from a dairy farm just down the road, had strayed from farming to pursue a career as an X-ray tech for seven years. However, she could not ignore the longing for the farm.
“I really missed a lot of things on the farm,” she confessed. “Your heart just comes back.”
It’s a sentiment many who grew up in farming families can relate.
Heath, too, had ventured into a different profession as a diesel mechanic when he first got married. Still, the allure of the farm and its rhythms eventually drew him back. Sara and Heath both agree that their shared passion for farming is something they want to pass down to their children.
“Learn something other than the farm and then come back,” Sara said.
Hadenfeldt Farms is more than crops and cattle. The family stewards are preserving a way of life and passing it on to future generations.
“As ag producers, our duty is to take care of the land and the animals,” Heath said passionately. “I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
Sara added: “Heath’s grandma and grandpa—they really were just the heart of it. And, you know, to lose them, it’s hard because just that next generation and next generation, we just hope that we can continue that through another 100 years.”
The Hadenfelt Farms video is brought to you by the Nebraska Soybean Board. Feeding, fueling and innovating for the future. Learn more at nebraskasoybeans.org.
