GOSHEN —
Brad Showalter is a third generation farmer.
It’s in his blood and he’d like to be a full-time farmer, but he said the Showalter Farms can’t support another family member, so he works three days a week as a firefighter with the Goshen Fire Department.
He’s been with the department since 2007 and said he got his start as a volunteer firefighter with the Benton Township in 2004 while still in high school.
“I wanted to stay at home and farm. My grandpa started it (the family farm business). I like it. There’s something different everyday and being home with family is the main thing,” Showalter, 27, said.
He applied with the Goshen department, since he was already a volunteer firefighter and didn’t need a college degree for the position,
“I didn’t want to go away for four years to attend college,” he said, and farms with his dad, Bruce; his uncle, Steve; and grandpa, Glen.
“We get along and it goes well,” Showalter said. “I get three weeks of vacation with the fire department and I use it in the fall to pick corn (at harvest). We work a lot of hours in the fall. Farming can be stressful, but it’s a good time and I like it.”
He laughed when talking about the technology that’s in farm machinery now and how he’ll get phone calls while on duty at the fire station from his family because he knows how to use it.
While on duty at the fire station, he drives the fire truck which includes going on some calls with the ambulance, but Showalter said he’s more “with the fire department side.”
“People think it’s pretty exciting, but it can be pretty boring. It’s the same type of thing all the time,” he said. “If someone needs help, it feels good to help them. It has its ups and downs like every job, there are good days and bad days, the same way with farming.”
He’s been married for three years to his wife, Rebecca, and they are both St. Louis Cardinal fans. They travel to St. Louis, Mo., each year to watch some games, he added.
“That’s what we like to do,” he said, smiling. “I like that better than going to work.”
Local News
Related Photos
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Brad Showalter and wife Rebecca in St. Louis. Photo submitted
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