All photos courtesy Anne Hamersky.

Clint prepares to plow under a field of drought-stricken corn. "Clint's been farming since he could walk," says Annette. "He never wanted to go to school. Kindergarten was OK, because he could be on the farm half the day, but in the first grade, he wouldn't get on the school bus. When I drove him there, I got out to talk to his teacher and he locked me out of the truck!

All the boys helped on the farm, but Clint had a knack for it from the start. We encouraged our kids to follow their passions, but with Clint, we tried to discourage him. I joke sometimes that there's a gene for farming-and we should try to find it and weed it out. This is Clint's third year farming full time and he hasn't had a crop yet." The family hasn't seen a good rain for six years.