The U.S. Custom Harvesters Hall of Fame

INDUCTEES OF USCHI HALL OF FAME

Roger Nitsch - (2016)

Roger William Nitsch was born March 6, 1941 on a farm near Hunter, Kansas. He grew up on the farm and enjoyed helping his Dad with all the farm work. Fifty years ago in 1965 he started cutting wheat for some neighbors. He had a friend, Lloyd Cordwell, who lived in Hunter and went on the harvest run every year. Roger had always wanted to go harvesting away from Lincoln County so in the summer of 1969 he took his Dad's Gleaner A combine with no cab and travelled with Lloyd to Anthony, KS and cut wheat as a custom harvester and has been doing it every year since. In 1970 he bought his first combine which was a Gleaner C with no cab and travelled again with his friend. He upgraded to a Gleaner G before deciding he wanted to go green with John Deere combines. He normally runs 2 combines on the harvest run and 3 combines when he is cutting his own wheat and some neighbor's wheat near Hunter.

In Texas he has cut wheat at Seymour, Wichita Falls and Burkburnett. In Oklahoma he has cut wheat at Okarche, Kingfisher, Carrier, Kremlin and the Enid area. In Kansas he has cut wheat at Anthony, Harper, Pratt, Hunter, Esbon and Jewell. In Nebraska he has cut wheat at Superior, Scotts Bluff, Paxton, Grant, Kimball and Ogalallah. In South Dakota he has cut wheat at Mobridge, Presho, Winner, Aberdeen and Thurton and in North Dakota he harvested at Carrington.

He has made many friends over the years with all the people he has cut for and still keeps in contact with many of those that have retired from farming or their sons and daughters that have taken over the farming operations and have their own equipment. He has had many men of all ages that have gone with him on the harvest run and he has taught them how to run combines and drive trucks. There are two brothers from Wichita Falls, TX who have spent summers with Roger and are now police officers but still take a few days every year to come and run a combine because they love it. He has had a family of eight boys that live in Ohio and six of them have helped over the years and the other two are still talking of coming to Kansas to help cut wheat. These boys are now doing their own farming and have their own equipment but still call Roger often for harvesting advice. There are two brothers from Hunter that went on the harvest run with Roger and now have their own harvest crew and cut from Texas to South Dakota. One of Roger's nephews also went on the harvest run with Roger and he now has his own harvest crew and cuts from Texas to North Dakota and has for several years. Another farmer friend from Hunter went with Roger one summer and he also started his own harvest run. Some of the young guys have said that Roger was the best boss they ever had and they felt like they had learned so much from him that has helped them in their lives even though they are not farmers.

Roger is now semi-retired and only harvests in Kansas. His Son Brad and his Grandson Eric are the ones that now help him most of the time with the farming and custom cutting. He keeps active on the farm and also in the community. He is a member of the Bethany Church of Lincoln County and has been a member most of his life. He has served as trustee for the church for many years and is always there when something needs to be fixed at the church or the parsonage. He helped get the café in Hunter started and served as a member of the committee to build a Community Center which houses the café, the library and a big meeting room. He has been a member of the Custom Harvester's Organization for many years and always enjoys attending the convention each year.

Roger Nitsch