A fifth-generation farm is a testament to an enduring legacy and resilience, a rare gem in today’s rapidly changing world. With each passing generation, the challenges and complexities of maintaining a family farm also evolve, making the survival and prosperity of such farms an extraordinary achievement. These farms are more than just businesses; they are living histories, where the knowledge and values of those who came before are cultivated alongside the crops.
Reaching the fifth generation is not just a milestone, it’s a celebration of tradition, commitment and the unbreakable bond between a family and its land.
Huehl Acres is a fifth-generation farming operation in Freedom Township, Michigan, which is located between Chelsea and Manchester. It is owned and operated by brothers Gerald and Dennis Huehl and their wives Carol and Susan.
The original farm has been in the family since 1839, when the brothers’ great-great-grandfather, John Huehl, started with 20 acres. The farm has now expanded to 417.5 acres owned and a total of 1,500 acres that are farmed for corn, soybeans, wheat and hay.
Steve Eshelman (pictured left) has been the Huehl brothers' tax and accounting specialist since 1986, shortly after GreenStone launched its tax services division.
The Next Chapter for Huehl Acres
“Mom sold the cows after our dad passed away, and in 1976, we decided we wanted to get back in the dairy business,” Gerald said. “We milked cows for 41 years.” They produced and sold milk until April 2018 when the last of the cows left.
Previously a dairy farm, Huehl Acres now focuses on cash crops and specialty farming work, such as hauling grain or custom combining for other farms.
Along the way, the brothers have continued to grow the operation into what it has become today.
“We borrowed money from Federal Land Bank, which later became GreenStone, in 1979 to buy the next farm,” Dennis said. “We used to joke that we went in to borrow $100-200, and then rounded it up to the nearest $10,000 and then rounded it up to the next $100,000.”
Dennis Huehl stands in front of his father’s tractor, one of the many symbols of the farm’s five-generation family legacy. His father purchased the tractor the year Dennis was born, and he recently restored it to its original state.
Working the Figures
The Huehls’ relationship with GreenStone’s tax and accounting team began in 1981—only a few years after the cooperative launched its tax services division.
“Our computer goes back to 1989,” Gerald said. “Before that, we filled out the paperwork and sent it in every month to GreenStone.”
Steve Eshelman, tax and accounting manager at GreenStone, has been the tax and accounting specialist for the Huehl brothers since 1986.
“We always like the fact that we go in and spend a couple hours one morning with Steve every year, and other than a form or a phone call, that’s all the time we’ve had to put in to get our taxes done,” Gerald said. “It’s simple and stress-free. We’ve been very happy with it.”
Planning Pays Off
Steve said that the Huehls prefer to do tax planning before the end of the year.
“They want to get a good idea of where they’re sitting, so they can make some decisions of where they want to end up when doing their tax returns,” Steve said.
The brothers also shared that the tax accounting service GreenStone provides is convenient because Steve is able to share the information with their financial services officer, eliminating one set of paperwork they need to supply.
“If a customer authorizes it, we have electronic storage for tax information, so the loan officer can then go into the system and get that information, so the customer doesn’t have to be bothered at all,” Steve added.
The brothers said that GreenStone has been especially helpful the last few years as they transitioned to cash crop farming as they were able to do preplanning to minimize the tax burden as much as possible.
“Through tax planning with the Huehls, we were able to minimize their taxes as much as possible with the sale of those cows and some equipment that went with those cows,” Steve said. “We planned ahead of time and were able to work out the best scenario for them.”
The brothers’ sons, Robert, Thomas and Nicholas Huehl, have all shown interest in the farm, which means the next exciting hurdle will be to work the farm into the sixth generation of the Huehl family.
"Farming is more than a livelihood; it's a legacy,” Gerald said. “One day we’ll pass on the seeds of tradition and let the future harvest be even richer.”
As the Huehls look to the future of the farm, Steve said he is happy to continue to work with them and help ensure the success of their operation.
“The Huehls are very easy to get along with, very intelligent and ask very good questions,” Steve said. “They know enough about taxes to ask the right and tough questions to understand what’s best for their operation to minimize taxes as much as possible.”
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