Marvin Atteberry harvests his 71st crop, reminisces and discusses farming’s evolution.

At 95 years young, Marvin Atteberry has no plans to slow down ­­— if anything, he says he’s just getting started. 

Seated comfortably behind the wheel of his trusty 2015 John Deere S660 combine on a warm, dry October afternoon, Atteberry, a longtime West Pottawattamie County Farm Bureau member, paused from harvesting soybeans to reflect on his remarkable journey. Farming near Treynor, he shared stories of days gone by, discussed the advancements in agriculture, and offered his thoughts on what it takes to be a successful farmer today.

 After all, there aren’t many Iowans who can say they’re bringing in their 71st crop. It proves that age is just another number on the farm.

“I don’t like to sit around in the coffee shop,” Marvin said with a chuckle. “I think if I just didn’t do anything, I don’t think I’d be around too long. This keeps me young…, and I really like it.”

Born just three miles from his current farm, Marvin grew up in the area, attending country school and then high school in Silver City before serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Farming was always in his blood.

“I think I was born to be a farmer,” he said. “Being your own boss…, now I think I’m the only one in this generation around here still going. It’s been a good life for the most part…, I just never have really thought about retiring. Fortunately, I’m still alive and able to do it.”

The early days

Farming has changed dramatically since Marvin’s early years. “Just look at this…, it’s kind of amazing,” Marvin said, gesturing toward the high-tech electronics in his combine. “I’ve got auto steer and monitors. It reads everything about the combine. Very nice…, very expensive.” 

Years ago, Marvin couldn’t have imagined how much technology would transform farming. “Heavens no,” he said with a grin. “But I will say…, I’d be gone a long time ago if I had to farm the way I started. Technology is something else. It’s helpful.”

At just four years old, Marvin watched his parents hand-pick corn. By age nine, he was helping, throwing ears into a wagon pulled by a team of Belgian horses. At 14, he picked corn for a neighbor, earning 10 cents per bushel. 

“Had to hitch up his own horses and get everything ready to go in the morning, worked all day, and then had to unhitch and feed and water the horses at night,” Marvin’s son, Tom, added. “Basically, worked dark to dark. Picked about 80 bushels per day.”

Marvin also milked Holstein cows while attending high school, continuing until he left for the Korean War. 

When he returned home in the early 1950s with $1,000 in the bank, he rented 120 acres and started farming corn, oats and wheat. His operation grew steadily from there, expanding to 1,200 acres at its peak.

He harvested with a Massey Ferguson M2 picker pulled by a tractor the first two years and then traded for his first combine. He was ‘red’ until the early 1980s when he bought the new John Deere Sidehill and has been ‘green’ ever since.

The home farm is 162 acres that Marvin purchased in 1994, the first and only acres he has owned where he and his wife, Margaret, who passed away 10 years ago in January, farmed and raised their son, Tom, now an orthopedic surgeon serving western Iowa and eastern Nebraska, and brother and sister Chris and Vicki, Margaret’s children from a previous marriage. 

Tom and his wife, Shawna, have two children, Brooke and Hayden. Tom helps on the farm, especially during planting and harvest. He’s in awe of his father’s resilience.

Marvin still farms roughly 600 acres in the Treynor area.

“Farming is what keeps him going…, it gives him something to look forward to,” said Tom. “If he can’t climb up into a tractor, he will probably give up and be gone soon after.

“As for me, I’m very proud of him. The biggest thing he has taught me is hard work. I hope to continue farming after Dad is gone…, I will definitely farm our spot and I would like to do more if possible.”

Pictured above: Tom Atteberry


Wisdom from the fields

Over the years, others have been key to helping Marvin keep his operation running. John Deere AgriVision in Macedonia services his equipment, Clausen Brothers Trucking in Treynor hauls his crops, and seed dealer Andrew Greiner ensures he has the supplies he needs. Neighbors also lend a helping hand.

A few years ago, Marvin’s life was saved by Jeremy Clausen. While scraping corn off the walls of a grain bin, the grain shifted, trapping Marvin. 

“Clausens were loading corn…, Jeremy came out later to check on things to see if he could help. Everyone was gone but he saw Dad’s truck. Looked all over but couldn’t find him,” Tom recalled. 

“He had a gut feeling and climbed up the grain bin and looked in. There was Dad up to his neck in corn. So, if not for Jeremy, this story would have ended a long time ago.” 

Marvin has persevered through the tough times. The 1980s were not kind. 

“I’ve had a lot of bad years, but back then it didn’t cost that much to grow,” he said. “I didn’t make any money, probably, but I didn’t go bankrupt like a lot of them did.”

Weather always is unpredictable. Drought years followed by wet years make the farming profession challenging. “I remember when I was very young…, black clouds would roll up and you’d expect rain and we wouldn’t get anything out of it,” Marvin said. “What we’d usually get would be a dust storm.”

Commodity price volatility can be problematic. Leverage the good years against the downturns, he says. “The last 10 years I’ve gotten more than I ever thought was possible,” he said. “My first year…, had a fairly damp spring and about July it just quit…, got about 40 bushels an acre I think.

“Best? One year I had 200, maybe a little more.”

He hopes people see him as “a good soul,” somebody who is always there to help a neighbor, just like his neighbors and colleagues have been for him. He’s grateful for a fulfilling career and loving family.

“For that, I’d say I’m blessed.”