Military mindset guides Mercer County farmer

 

By ALI PRESTON
FarmWeek

In Mercer County, Zach Taylor’s life revolves around two principles that have guided him through military service and farming: dedication and safety.

The lessons of readiness, awareness and attention to detail became second nature to Taylor, who enlisted in the National Guard the day after he turned 17. He left for basic training the day after graduating high school and turned 18 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

“It went pretty fast,” he said of his time from enlistment to deployment.

Taylor initially enlisted as a 13 Bravo, or a Cannon Crewmember, then went into military police (MP) training. The following year, he was mobilized for Iraq as a Provisional MP.

“We transported around the prime minister of the country for a while, convoy security,” he recalled. “You name it, we did it.”

During his six years in the National Guard, Taylor learned that vigilance wasn’t optional.

“Nothing would happen for a week, and everybody would get kind of complacent or relaxed,” he said. “That’s when things would go really, really bad.”

When Taylor returned from Iraq, he faced a harsh reality: There was no family land left to farm.

“She didn’t want me to have anything to do with that,” he said, noting the challenges his mother and father had faced. “Her and my dad started the farm in the ‘80s and ended up losing everything.”

But agriculture was part of Taylor’s identity. Growing up, he learned how to weld, repair equipment and work the land from his grandparents.

“I spent a lot of time in the shop with my grandfather. He was patient, always teaching me to figure out what was wrong and fix it,” Taylor said. “I knew from a young age I wanted to farm.”

So, with no family land, Taylor got a job in uniform as a civilian working as a mechanic at the Rock Island Arsenal and saved everything to invest in his own farmland.

“I started with hay and all kinds of little odds and end pieces,” he said. He slowly expanded his operation with the help of friends and guidance from the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC).

“They tried to make you look forward more,” Taylor said of FVC. “I was just trying to get day to day, year to year. It was good in that aspect of trying to get you to look forward.”

Today, he manages roughly 700 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa, alongside a 35-head cow-calf operation.

“It was never really meant to be what it is,” he said of the growing operation. “That’s what I told the banker the first time I borrowed money, that I don’t ever plan to actually make a living off of the farm.”

Taylor has spent the past 15 years working full time for Lock and Dam 17 in New Boston.

“If one of my kids wanted a start in agriculture, that would be it. If one of my younger kids decides they want to farm, I’ll probably let them do it and I’ll work for them part time,” he said.

On the farm and in his career, Taylor’s military-instilled focus on safety is ever present. He believes farming demands the same level of attention as a military mission.

“It’s the same way with a firearm, tank, weapon, tractor … they’re all machines,” he said. “Machines don’t have feelings. If you tell them to do something, they’ll do it — whether it hurts you or not.”

Taylor ensures his children, Nathan (19), Mitchell (13) and Natalie (10), learn the same respect for safety. All three are active on the farm, including running equipment and showing livestock. And they’ve all heard their dad repeat the lessons he learned in the military.

“My kids have heard me say it 100 times — you can’t take your eye off the ball,” he said.

Though farming comes with its challenges, Taylor’s unwavering commitment to safety ensures that the operation — and his family — thrives.

“You come from a culture where quitting isn’t an option,” he said of his time in the military and on the farm.

“Even things I wish he would,” his wife, Jennifer, said with a laugh while sitting at the kitchen table next to him.

Whether it’s operating machinery or guiding the next generation, Taylor’s lessons in vigilance and safety ensure that both his family and farm are ready for whatever comes next.

“You just got to do it,” he said. “And don’t take anything for granted.”

Editor’s note: This story is part of the Cultivating Our Communities campaign, a collaboration by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Specialty Growers Association to showcase Illinois’ diverse farmers. 

This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.