(WAKEFIELD, NE) - Across the Midwest and here in Siouxland, this summer's dry weather has crops in dire need of rain, but one farmer is beating the heat.
Larry and Karen Sherer grow produce in Wakefield, Nebraska. Running a garden is a way of life for the Sherer family. They tell us the tricks of the trade to plant, grow and sell those fresh fruits and vegetables.
20 acres of land and 60 different kinds of produce, 75-year-old Larry Sherer has his work cut out for him and his family.
"Some items we're on our knees pulling weeds," said Larry Sherer.
His wife, Karen, has duties of her own.
"It keeps us busy. We do fight sometimes, but I've always gardened. And I don't know what I'd do with out it," said Karen Sherer.
She orders every seed watching for different varieties and prices. Larry said the key to a successful garden is to rotate your produce. So you will see his vegetables like broccoli in a different spot every season.
"Getting it mapped out so you don't use too much ground for one item and short yourself on something else you might want to plant. It just takes a lot of knowledge and experience in order to sit down and do that."
A big question this summer has been how to deal with intense heat. The Sherer's have a traveling irrigator Larry moves every five hours day and night.
"All you gotta do is think about how much work we do and this is our living that if it takes water, we're gonna see to it that it gets it," explained Larry.
However, the drought isn't his biggest battle.
"The biggest thing is ground squirrels and raccoons. That's even worse than no water because I can irrigate," said Larry.
A machine is timed to set off a loud boom every few hours to keep those pests away from his garden.
They trade ideas of what to plant and where. Karen won't let Larry take the glory for her ideas.
"The white one was mine. Yeah, it was!" laughed Karen.
They may pick on each other a bit, but both agree on one thing.
"When I have a nice looking garden, I want to keep it that way and it instills me, motivates me to go out and do what needs to be done," said Larry.
Larry and Karen are not alone. Their son Joedy and daughter Kathy along with a few grandchildren help them garden every day.
