Meet the Heinigers

Sit down for a chat with Kendall and Austin Heiniger, and you’ll likely be struck by their upbeat and playful, yet earnest vibe. It’s clear they care deeply for one another, and for farming. But it wasn’t always that way. In the early years of their relationship, farming wasn’t in the picture.

Kendall and Austin first met in biology class their freshman year at Kansas State University. She was a Kansas City girl (Overland Park, technically) and he came from a third-generation farming family in Fairview. Austin had no interest in farming. At least, not then.

What he was interested in was business, and after earning his degree in business operations management, he started climbing the corporate ladder. The couple married and had children. Austin traveled a lot for work and barely saw his kids. Occasionally they visited Austin’s parents on the farm.

“I always found myself really happy on the farm, really at peace,” Austin says.

Kendall noticed.

So, when Austin asked Kendall what she would think of moving to the farm, she was supportive. But, it was a huge change and Kendall had a lot to learn.

“I didn’t know there were different kinds of corn,” she says, laughing. “I grew up so removed from the farm. Things that are obvious to farmers, aren’t to the rest of the world.”

Kendall wanted to help change that.

Not only did she soak up all she could to learn about life on the farm — that soil erosion depletes nutrients for plants, that soybeans are temperature-sensitive and can’t be handled at certain times of day, that going to a party isn’t an option when it’s harvest time — she started sharing her newfound knowledge with others.

There are a lot of misconceptions about farming, she says. Farmers don’t drench crops in chemicals. Farmers aren’t cruel to animals. Farmers aren’t uneducated rednecks.

“These men and women are incredibly smart and adaptable,” Kendall says. “They run a business, keep up with changing technology, keep up with the equipment, watch for soil erosion — farming is hugely technological.”

“We’re relying on big data, complex biology and mathematics,” Austin adds.

But not everyone understands how complex it is. A lot of consumers have formed opinions about agriculture based on misleading information. Take, for example, the use of antibiotics in livestock. A lot of consumers see labels that read “antibiotic-free” and think that other meats must have antibiotics in them. Not true!

“All meat is antibiotic-free. There is no antibiotic residue in the meat you buy,” Austin says. That’s because farmers follow strict guidelines for withdrawal. These guidelines include how long to wait after administering medication before harvesting to ensure all the medicine has left an animal’s system.

The couple wanted to share this world with others, so they’ve taken to Facebook, where they post short videos they call “Farm Chats” on key farming topics.

“We want people to put a face with their farmer,” Kendall says.

“With their food,” Austin adds.

A lot of people think of buying directly from growers at farmers markets when we think about putting faces with food—shaking hands with the person who grew the crop. However, Austin supplies several well-known food companies. These brands are household names. So, there’s a chance that Austin and Kendall’s crops and cattle are in a grocery store near you!

“It’s pretty neat to see that food you produced make it’s way back in the chain,” Austin says. “Your readers will probably have Heiniger food in their grocery store.”

If you’d like to meet Austin and Kendall and put a face with some Kansas-grown food, follow them on Facebook. There, you’ll get a sense of their devotion to each other, to farming, and to feeding you and your family!