His Story

Robert Jones and his brother are second generation farmers. Their mother and father started farming in 1959 and it continued from there. Today, the two partners farm over 5,000 acres of cash grain with Robert’s son and four nephews working as junior partners. They mostly plant corn with a small mix of winter wheat as well.

“Farming is something I wanted to do from the time I was 4 or 5 and was old enough to go in the field with my dad. I knew what I wanted to do and as I grew up, I had a passion to farm. It’s not a desire. It’s a passion.”

Robert clearly loves his profession but that isn’t to say that he doesn’t recognize the potential challenges and hardships that can go along with it. “It’s one of the most challenging businesses in the world. The biggest challenge is staying profitable and staying in business. You have to have the desire to do this because at the end of the day, there are a lot more attractive ways to make a living.”

One thing that makes it difficult for a farmer to consistently stay profitable is the uncertainty of weather each growing season. “We’ve had more major droughts since 1983 than my grandfather and dad had during their entire careers. We’ve seen a lot of crop failures and federal crop insurance just doesn’t cover enough. You cannot outguess the good Lord.”

Last year, Robert heard about Total Weather Insurance (TWI) and went to an informational session to learn more. “It was pretty much a no-brainer. It was simple and easy to grasp. That’s one of the great things about TWI.”

“It’s a cost of doing business. If the insurance doesn’t pay, you’re happy that you got the bushels you had planned to harvest. That’s the way to look at it. The insurance gives you a cushion so you can guarantee your livelihood for at least one more year.”