For Michigan farm kid Hans Fenner, driving a tractor isn’t just a spectator sport. The hardworking 8-year-old can confidently drive a tractor, a golf cart, and a Bobcat vehicle on his family’s farm.
The youngest of the three Fenner siblings, Hans has had a special interest in tractors from the time he could pull himself up to the window and watch his grandfather, Bryan Fenner, and father, Jonathan Fenner, work on the family’s 1,900-acre farm.
Now, as a preteen, his fascination with wheels hasn’t left him.
“He’s up at 6, and he’s begging to go outside and work the tractors in the fields,” his mom, Devon Fenner, told the Epoch Times.
How It All Began
One day, Mrs. Fenner had left her kids to play on the swing outside when she noticed Hans, then 2, climb onto the family’s golf cart and drive it “flawlessly.”“I knew at that moment that he was going to take this farm on and be driving equipment at a very young age,” the 34-year-old stay-at-home mom said.
That summer, the toddler again surprised his parents by raking hay with an old Ford tractor, with a look of pride and accomplishment on his face.
This moment made the Fenner family confident that Hans would be “very capable and eager to get out and farm.”
Around the age of 5, Hans—who'd been sitting on the buddy seat in the tractor since he was a newborn—started driving the tractor himself. Obviously, with plenty of safety precautions and care on the part of his parents.
Now, he has progressed to driving other equipment like the Bobcat and bigger planter tractors and has been feeding cattle with one of the family’s smaller tractors.
When asked how he feels about driving a tractor, Hans has a simple answer: “Cool.”
While Mrs. Fenner and her husband encourage Hans and his siblings—Evelyn, 12, and Hudson, 10—to help out on the farm, they’re very well aware of the need to protect their children from the dangers inherent in operating farm machinery and ensure they have plenty of supervised practice sessions.
Additionally, Hans and his father are connected by radio, which allows them to stay in constant communication around the farm.
“We make sure the boys understand right up-front the job that is to be done and the way that it is to be handled,“ Mrs. Fenner said. ”And if they cannot meet the expectation of the job that needs to be done, then they’re not ready to take it on. And so we’re very careful with what we allow them to do.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Fenner makes sure to stay in very close proximity to Hans as he drives the tractor around.
Hans and his siblings have also received support from their beloved 74-year-old grandfather on the farm.
“They’ve a wonderful teacher who’s had decades of experience under his belt; who sits beside them and teaches them and nurtures them and makes sure that they’re safe and that they understand what’s going on,” Mrs. Fenner said.
The elder Fenner is “very gentle and soft-spoken” and has a humble nature that draws children to him, and Hans has been able to create many fond memories of farming with his beloved grandpa as he drives the tractor around.
Throughout the year, Hans helps out on the farm with various tasks. During calving season, he ear tags the cows; in the spring he disks out the hay field; in the summer he is focused on working with hay, wheat, and rye; and in the colder months, Hans helps load up the tractor with corn.
“Hans has a work ethic at the age of 8 that we don’t see in a lot of adults,” his proud mom said.
A typical day for Fenner kids involves homeschooling until noon.
“We use a curriculum called Master Books, and they must do their schoolwork in the morning,” Mrs. Fenner said. “That works best to ensure that they have enough play time and things to do, or time to do the rest of the things that they want to do through the day.”
The Fenners never force their kids to work and always provide them with the option to play or work on the farm.
Mr. Fenner is always open to having them on the farm and, when they’re willing, assigns them tasks that they’re able to accomplish.
The kids are encouraged to be outside and don’t have cell phones in order to protect them from being exposed to negative stuff.
The couple’s parenting philosophy revolves around faith.
“We pray over our children every morning, and we pray for God’s protection and that he guides our family and blesses this farm and others through it,” Mrs. Fenner said. “[We] are raising these kids to be hard-working individuals who honor God, honor their country, [and] honor their parents.”
Most people have responded positively, although there are a few naysayers that Mrs. Fenner chooses to ignore.
When asked about the best age for kids to begin working on a farm, Hans said, “Three.”
However, Mrs. Fenner had a more nuanced take.
“As a mother, I feel each parent knows their child best, and if you feel that your child is capable of a certain task, go for it,” she said, adding that one should “obviously use caution” and do some research first.
“That’s what we did with our kids. We put them out, we let them try, and they succeeded,” she said.
Hans is a “go-getter” and takes on life at “full speed without fearing a challenge or a hard day’s work” and is determined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather to become a farmer one day.
“I’m going to take over the Fenner farm,” he said.
