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“My wife, Marilyn, is the reason why we’re here today,” says Lee Thelen during an interview after the couple was named a 2025 Michigan Master Farmer. “She’s the star and has gone way out of her way to be an extremely good Extension educator and promoter. She has brought that knowledge to our farm and to many others.”
Marilyn, reaching over to touch Lee’s knee, says, “We’re a team.”
The duo farms 1,800 acres just north of St. Johns in Clinton County, but they have a reputation for sharing and implementing knowledge that spans every corner of the state. They raise corn, soybeans, wheat and steers.
“When it comes to some of the most successful farms, it truly is a team effort, not simply one person leading the charge. That’s exactly the case when I think of Thelen Farms, as Lee and Marilyn are the true definition of a team,” says nominator Phil Tuggle of Michigan Agricultural Commodities.
Both Lee and Marilyn have been involved in farming their entire lives. With three sisters, Marilyn grew up on a diversified crop and livestock farm in St. Joseph County. She followed her dad around until she attended Michigan State University, earning a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree in animal science.
On 200 acres with eight siblings, Lee grew up raising cows, pigs and hay with his father, Leon, and baled hay for sale early in his farming career. “In the hayfields, I drove a lot of tractors as a kid and always enjoyed it,” he says. He also worked at S&H New Holland Dealership as a mechanic, gaining valuable skills in equipment repair until the recession hit and he lost his job.
“I started doing more hay,” Lee says. “In 1981, I borrowed some money and bought a tractor — one more payment and it’s mine,” he says with a smirk, while showcasing his lighthearted humor.
With Marilyn graduating college, she worked as the Michigan State University Extension livestock educator in Clinton County, setting the stage to meet her future husband. When she rented a house down the road from Lee, he came to plow her driveway and had a chance to talk to her.
“I had a house that needed the windows painted, so I talked her into coming down, and it went from there,” Lee says.
They married in 1987, and together bought their first 40 acres on a land contract from Lee’s parents. Over time, they purchased the remaining acreage and bought additional acres in the area as it became available. They now own 539 acres and farm an additional 1,261 rented acres.
Much of the rented ground has been farmed by Lee for more than 30 years, which allows him to manage the soil sustainably.
“We work together because all of our landowners are partners,” he says.
They have two children, Katie, 33, and Matt, 31, who both work in the ag sector, as well as Matt’s wife, Maddy.
The Thelens are involved in multiple community and ag organizations, and their commitment to agriculture has garnered several awards.
Early years
Marilyn stayed with Extension for four years before taking a position with the Michigan Department of Agriculture, where she coordinated the county fair program for more than 12 years.
“It was a fun job, but I came back to Extension in 2001 as a field crops educator, doing a lot of work in soil health and manure management at a time when comprehensive nutrient management plans were just getting started,” she adds, noting that her last five years she served as the associate director for Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute before retiring in 2023.
Working with MSU Extension and professors from MSU, they tested and showcased production and soil management systems, while hosting field days that included a soil pit and smoke-in-the-tile demonstrations — both illustrating soil structure.
Over the years, Lee and Marilyn’s goals have remained constant: to make no tracks and to build soil carbon while improving the soil’s water-holding capacity and water infiltration. And, of course, to make a living.
“Someone in a partnership needs to understand the financials so you don’t get over your head, and that’s everything from inputs to equipment upgrades,” Marilyn advises. “Take a sound look to know if you can generate the dollars to meet those obligations and move forward at an affordable pace.”
Can’t buy it, build it
Lee is a self-taught welder and engineer, which has benefited the farm tremendously. “I learned by living it, and I do enjoy that kind of stuff,” he says.
The family has built barns, grain bins, a farm shop and more. Most recently, Lee added a fertilizer building with Gabrielle rafters and oversized 31-foot doors that swing open and allow a dump truck to enter and unload. “Buying fertilizer by the semiload saves about $35 a ton, and that adds up with a 50-ton load,” Lee says.
He also fabricated his first two no-till planters and other equipment needs. “We couldn’t afford to purchase it, and equipment was hard to find back then,” he says. “In 1986, there was a gentleman up the road, Tom Benson, who promoted no-till in a big way. I watched him make it work and I thought, ‘Shoot, I can do that too.’ ”
He has incorporated various reduced tillage systems over the years to minimize soil disturbance. Today, fields typically have one pass with a low-disturbance vertical tillage tool before planting. Manure and cover crops are used in the system to build the soil, which has been especially beneficial on their sandy soils. The system minimizes the number of passes and allows them to farm with minimal horsepower.
“We like the soil structure, tilth, productivity, and the bacteria and activity in the soil,” Lee says. “Our yields are great, and it allows us to save money. At the end of the day, sometimes the only profit you have is what you didn’t spend.”
Mentors are important
Lee and Marilyn say it’s important to have good mentors. “If you want to be successful, you’ve got to have some people who have had success ahead of you,” says Lee, who valued the late Ken Swanson and the marketing and production meetings he hosted at his home. “Those Saturday morning meetings went on for about 25 years and were very educational. Ken, who was also a Master Farmer, understood the numbers — how to make money, spend money and save money — and he would share that knowledge in a second.”
Lee also cited the late John Schlarf, a neighbor he worked with at the dealership who taught him mechanical skills. “It’s good to get advice from a lot of different sources.”
Incorporating technology
From autosteer and spray booms that don’t overspray to financial analysis tools, the Thelens have made it a priority to embrace technology when it makes sense. “There’s a lot of stuff that is pretty cool and beneficial, but it’s a long way from free,” Lee says. “Some of it is valuable and necessary, but way overpriced. You’ve got to pick what you can do.”
Marilyn and Katie handle the computer side of the business. “Technology helps to identify acres that are making you money and those that aren’t,” Marilyn says. “It’s a choice to not farm those acres or better match inputs to the needs of the crop. Some people use consultants, but Katie and I have been trying to do that ourselves, and I think we’re getting close.”
Technology used to develop new genetics has Lee excited. “We’re getting yields like we have never had before — ever,” he says.
Livestock diversity
Over the years, they’ve raised sheep, hogs and cows. “After a short time with sheep, we remodeled the barn for feeder pigs, but got out six months before that market crashed,” Lee says.
Today, they purchase Holstein feeder calves and finish on corn and pellets. Steers are marketed as freezer beef and through United Producers.
“Growing up, the kids bottle-fed calves and we split the profit three ways for college,” Lee explains. “Later, we split it two ways between kids and then, eventually, we took the expenses and they got all the money. But, between 4-H money, working for us and cattle money, they came out of college debt-free.”
The Thelens are currently working on a succession plan. Katie, who works in Kentucky for Syngenta, has shown more interest in the farm in the past couple years — coming home to combine 500 acres of corn last fall. She also bought 42 acres from a former landlord of her parents who recently passed. “She’s learning and understanding inputs, marketing and the financial side of how things go up and down,” Marilyn says.
Matt is not excited about coming back to the farm, and his folks are OK with that. “It’s a great life and worth it, but if you don’t love it, don’t bother,” Lee says. “In a lifetime, farming has been really good to us, but it’s not for everyone. We’ve got a good life and a good retirement, and our kids are ambitious, forward-thinking and good money managers — we couldn’t be more proud.”
Marilyn and Lee Thelen at a glance
Farm: Thelen Farms, 1,800 acres, raising corn, soybeans, wheat and steers
Ag and community: Lee: Greenbush Township supervisor; member of the Clinton Area Ambulance board and serves as chairman; founding member of the Clinton County No-till club in the 1980s. Marilyn: Clinton County 4-H Council; member of St. Johns Rotary Club (2009-18); GreenStone FCS director. Marilyn and Lee are members of St. Joseph Catholic Church. They volunteer and support the Clinton County 4-H and Youth Fair, are members of the Michigan Barn Preservation Network, and have opened their farm to MSU Extension and the conservation district by hosting many field days and research trials.
Awards: MAEAP verified in farmstead, cropping and livestock systems; 1999 Clinton County Conservationist of the Year; 1998 Outstanding Service to 4-H; 2006 USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Certificate of Appreciation, Clinton Conservation District and NRCS dedicated support to educate and implement sustainable conservation practices; 2012 Clinton County Farm Bureau — Ecology Champion Award; 2022 MSU Extension Meritorious Service Award
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