By Lynn Betts

Farming is all about family, and for the Cooks, the family has been centered on farming through seven generations in Hardin County.

Fifth-generation farmer Lisle’s great-great-grandpa Ira bought land in the 1880s that’s still in the Cook family, and Lisle spent most of his 47 farming years expanding the 320 acres he began farming with his dad.

In recent years, it grew to 1,200 acres. Lisle has been taking steps to give his sons the opportunity to keep that land in the Cook family for years to come.

Lisle married his childhood sweetheart, Margaret, while an undergraduate in animal science at Iowa State University. On the day Lisle graduated in 1960, the couple moved back to Hardin County to begin farming with his father, Maurice.

STILL FEEDING: Lisle Cook has turned over daily decision-making to his sons, but he still gets out on the farm most days to feed cattle, help haul grain and assist with spring fieldwork.

“I started farming with an M Farmall and a three-bottom plow,” Lisle says. “I think anyone could farm then. But today, we need the very brightest of our young people in agriculture. They’ve got to have the knowledge and ability to use new technology in everything from seed to livestock to GPS, and farm with a much higher level of financial exposure.”

Lisle gradually bought more land through the years, adding anywhere from 20 acres to 300 acres when land became available. He and Margaret own the land free and clear. “I tried to have land paid off as we went along,” he says. “We were fortunate to get through the ’80s without losing land. Farrow-to-finish hogs bought a lot of land for us.”

The land is spread out for 15 miles north and south and east and west, all in Hardin County. Son Jeffrey lives on the homeplace near Hubbard, with crops, a wean-to-finish hog operation, and a 75-head cow-calf herd. Son Daniel has crops and a purebred Angus seedstock operation. Son Paul has crops and a wean-to-finish hog operation. A fourth son, Scott, is manager of drivetrain engineering for large tractors at John Deere in Waterloo.

Farm succession planning
Lisle and Margaret have formed limited liability companies with each of their four sons. “Our sons pay cash rent to the LLC. Our stock outweighs theirs, but each year some shares of the company transfer to them; it’s a way to transfer assets over time,” Lisle says. “Three of our sons farm with us and their in-laws. The boys make all the day-to-day decisions on the land; their hog and cattle operations are separate from the LLC,” Lisle says.

The sons are active in the community, something they picked up from Lisle. While Lisle was farming, he was very active in local farm and civic organizations, and at state and national levels. He traveled the world — South Korea, South America, France, Vietnam and England, to name a few — promoting the use of U.S. grain as an officer (including chairman) of the U.S. Grains Council. Lisle served as president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and president of Hardin County Pork Producers. He was also a 4-H member and 4-H leader; all four sons and most grandchildren have been involved in 4-H as well.

Lisle was elected a state legislator for two years. “Serving in the Legislature was a privilege and a really good experience, but campaigning wasn’t much fun,” Lisle says. He was named a Master Pork Producer and received the State Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award, among others. He and Margaret were active supporters and generous donors to a new library and community grocery store rebuilding project after a gas explosion in the center of Hubbard.

Lisle is retired from active farming, but still drives his pickup from his home in Hubbard to the home farm to feed 75 head of cattle every day. He also helps haul grain and does some fieldwork in spring. “We always said if any of the boys wanted to farm, we’d help them,” Lisle says. He’s excited that two grandsons are going into farming, and two granddaughters have married farmers, to extend the family connection to farming.

Profile of Lisle and Margaret Cook

HOMETOWN: Hubbard
FARM: corn, soybeans; help sons with wean-to-finish pig, cow-calf and purebred cattle operations
FAMILY: sons Jeffrey, Scott, Daniel and Paul
LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS: Hardin County Pork Producers, Hardin County Cattlemen, 4-H Leader, U.S. Grains Council, Iowa Corn Growers, Livestock Health Advisory Council, Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Corn Growers Association, state representative in Iowa Legislature, church member, Hubbard Medical Center and Hubbard Care Center boards

Betts writes from Johnston.