Return to TFB Main Page
Return to Current Edition
Texas Agriculture Archive

July 4, 2003

All in the Family
Farming's a family affair for the Nedbaleks of Sinton...

By Lana Robinson
Field Editor

If a father and son are to farm together, they must have mutual respect and harmonized goals, along with a lot of patience and a good sense of humor, to make it work. Even at best, there are times when the everyday bumps and grinds could wear on one another's nerves or set off sparks, but Bobby and Troy Nedbalek of Sinton have learned to take it in stride. And by fall, another son, Jason, plans to return to the family farm to put his hand to the plow.

"I have three sons, and when they were growing up, I envisioned that we'd all be in agriculture," says Bobby, a mild-mannered man who raised his sons here in the Coastal Bend. "It didn't quite work out that way. John David, the oldest, is a Lutheran pastor up at Roundtop. But that's good," he adds, smiling. "He prays for us."

Divine intervention is important to these dryland farmers who yearly face the potential for drought and late season hurricanes. The region received plentiful rains in the fall and winter, but in early June, it had gone nine weeks without a rain, and none since the Nedbaleks planted a 2,100-acre sorghum crop (160 acres did get one watering of 1 to 1 ½ inches from a shared overhead sprinkler system). By the middle of the month, they received some spotty showers_nothing to brag about, but perhaps enough to keep the grain from falling and to perk up their 2,200-acre cotton crop.

"Farming can be gut wrenching," Bobby suggests. "It's a long way from planting to harvest. There are times when in June we have sprouted grain, boll shed, and standing water. At other times, rain has taken out cotton at the end of the system. But year in and year out, we do pretty well. We have an extremely consistent crop."

Farming history

Unlike his sons, Bobby didn't have the opportunity to farm with his own father, who died when Bobby was a young child, but he had uncles who were farmers.

"They were my mentors," he recalls.

While still in high school, Bobby started working at the local John Deere house as a mechanic. Next, he was assistant manager of a grain elevator. He entered farming as a profession in 1965, and produced his first crop in 1966.

Troy and his family are the third generation of Nedbaleks to live in the same house, which is west of Sinton. He started driving a tractor at the age of 8.

"We had a 4430 or 4020 with a cab, which was safe enough," his father notes. "And we had CB radios for communication. We graduated to a two-way and now we have cell phones."

Troy says they also use a lot of hand signals to communicate, with the noisy equipment. Over the years, the men have come to think alike in many ways. Each has his strengths and weaknesses.

"Two heads are better than one in farming, so long as both sets of brains are on the same wavelength," Troy suggests.

"We each have our departments of responsibility," says Bobby. "My passion is to be sure things are done on time. Troy's very connected to electronic technologies–computers, GPS (Global Positioning System)–we let each other specialize in the areas we're best at.

"Troy's wife, Jennifer, worked for the FSA (Farm Service Agency) when she was in college at Texas A&M," Bobby continues. "She is our parts runner. She also keeps the farm books. Her knowledge of they farm programs is a fringe benefit for us. She knows what the coded numbers are, which is a real advantage..."

After completing a six-year stint as a field representative for the Texas Farm Bureau, Jason, the youngest son, is eager to get back to the farm.

"When I was a kid growing up, I wanted to be a farmer," says Jason. "I always thought that's what I'd grow up doing. I thought, 'Boy this is going to be neat when it's Dad and the three brothers'. Instead it's Dad and two brothers. I'll have the same kind of deal as Troy. I'll have some of my own land, and we'll farm all of our land together. It lets us have enough land to make it feasible. I'll be starting from scratch. We don't exactly know how it's all going to work, but we're counting on picking up some new land, which, in theory, will be my land."

Jason admires the work ethic of farmers.

"I'll be an order taker the first year, learning the things I used to do. I'll make myself listen to them, but after that, I should be back in the groove. Hopefully, I can bring new ideas into the operation," he observes. "Dad is receptive to change. Troy and I feel real similar on what we do on the farm. In my job, I have seen things that other farmers are doing that gives me a perspective that I think will help. I'm grateful to have something like this to go back to.

"It's exciting, knowing that you're putting something in the ground. Whatever decisions you make affect the yields. That's the fun part. The greater the risk, the greater the reward, and farming is high risk," Jason adds.

Farming activities

No doubt, Bobby has cultivated a lot more than sorghum and cotton over the years.

Dad's taught us two things," says Troy. "One, you do what needs to be done when it needs to be done; and two, think like a pig–a show pig , because we used to show pigs. You anticipate what's coming up and be prepared, whether it's changing tips or making repairs. That way, we're sitting on the turnrow waiting for the weather to give us a break instead of the other way around."

Bobby says times have changed, and their style of farming has changed accordingly.

"We had two tractors planting this spring. However, we sometimes use a custom sprayer (airplanes), even though money is tied up in equipment. This is critical and time-sensitive. Even though we have a combine in the shed, we can't get ahead fast enough. A man that does custom work traditionally cuts 25 percent of our grain," says Bobby.

When the cotton's ready for harvest, and there's a weather threat, the Nedbaleks call in reinforcements.

"We have custom harvest people from out of the area who arrive with a fleet of 11 machines to harvest. The clock's ticking, so we work night and day until it's done," says Troy.

Troy says he enjoys the lifestyle and freedoms that he has as his own boss.

"I take liberties. I get to take my son hunting and do the other fun things. We're essentially tied up for six months out of the year, and especially busy during harvest. But there's no substitute for hard work. Efficient work is the answer, smart work," he says.

Much of the freedom, Troy explains, is because of labor saving equipment and the fact that the family is farming more land than when Bobby started out. Today, they have two full-time employees to help accomplish tasks.

"I have more time to spend with my kids than Dad did with his, and because we have employees, my son doesn't know how to drive a tractor," Troy confesses.

The Nedbaleks rely on their GPS monitor when spraying. According to Troy, the GPS allows him to flag where weeds are located so he can come back and spray to avoid a problem in that vicinity the next year.

New equipment isn't cheap—such as the new $25,000 high-speed cultivator with a guidance system–but it adds flexibility by saving time and labor.

"We're not the first ones to change to new technology, but we do adapt and get on board as quickly as we can afford it. So we're not the last to make the conversion," Bobby notes.

Looking to the future, Bobby says he would like to expand his operation.

"My goal is to have a picture perfect field so folks will invite me to plant and will say, `I want Bobby to farm that land.' Almost all the available land is already leased. We're selective about expanding within four miles of the house. It's not the best land in the county, but it's extremely convenient. We have everything three miles one side or the other, that way, we don't get strung out," he says.

The Nedbaleks have been active in the San Patricio County Farm Bureau. Bobby has served on the board and as a past president. A recent McCoy Fellowship winner, Troy currently serves on the San Patricio CFB board and has also served as the YF&R chairman at the state level. Upon returning home, Jason also plans to become involved.

"I know, after serving as a fieldman, that all those calls and those contacts to congressmen and state lawmakers, coming from an organization the size we are, really make a difference. One individual farmer may feel like a loner. As an organization, it allows us to get our foot in the door in places. It made me more receptive to making those calls. It's going to be interesting. I know farmers are busy, and things come up, but knowing what I know, I think I will try a little harder to be there for the meetings."