Meet Jim Sipes

Jim Sipes is the fifth generation to continue his family’s farm legacy. The Sipes family lives in Morton County and the farm corporation includes Jim’s parents, Bob and Kaye Sipes; an Aunt and Uncle, Nina and Ron Sipes; and Jim’s family.

They grow wheat and grain sorghum on 12,000 dryland acres (they don’t use irrigation) and use minimal tillage. Minimal tillage is a tool that helps conserve soil. Another tool they use that keeps the soil healthy is crop rotation. On the Sipes’ farm, they rotate between wheat and sorghum, as well as letting the soil rest.

The family has been in the certified-wheat-seed business for more than 75 years. All of their wheat acres are dedicated to seed production. Jim, his father, and his grandpa, Glenn have all been awarded the highest seed honor given to Kansas seedsmen — the Premier Seed Grower Award.

Jim runs the day-to-day operations and uses the knowledge he received from his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agronomy every day. He’s also a state leader of the Kansas Farm Bureau, representing the 9th District as the Director.

He says these are challenging times in Southwest Kansas because of the drought and chemical-resistant weeds on the farm. He’s thankful the area has finally started getting some rain.