CALHOUN COUNTY IS GROWING STRONGER WITH EVERY HARVEST. KCCI OLIVIA TYLER TELLS US HOW A GRANDFATHER AND HIS GRANDSON ARE KEEPING THEIR FAMILY LEGACY ALIVE. I’VE FORGOTTEN A LOT OF THIS STUFF. IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE MELVIN AND TUCKER SPENT AFTERNOONS ON THE BURNER FAMILY FARM. HE USED TO RIDE WITH ME IN THE COMBINE. I JUST REMEMBER SITTING UP THERE AND WATCHING HIM CLICK A BUNCH OF BUTTONS. SO DO YOU REMEMBER THESE MOMENTS WHEN TUCKER WAS THIS TINY? OH, YEAH. AT HOME ON MY DESK. I’VE GOT ONE WHERE HE’S. HE’S ABOUT THIS TALL. WE’RE WALKING OUT TO GET IN THE COMBINE FOR TUCKER, LEARNING HOW TO HARVEST WASN’T OPTIONAL. IT’S BEEN A FAMILY FOR A LONG TIME, AND I HOPE IT CAN STAY THAT WAY. THE BURNER FAMILY FARM WILL TURN 150 YEARS OLD NEXT SUMMER, FIVE GENERATIONS BEFORE ME HAVE LED TO THIS POINT, AND I HOPE TO SEE THE 200 YEARS. THAT’S ALL I’VE EVER WANTED TO DO. AND I DID IT FOR 65 YEARS, SO I MUST HAVE LIKED IT. GRANDPA MELVIN IS 83, BUT THAT DOESN’T STOP HIM FROM DOING WHAT HE LOVES MOST. COMBINING WITH HIS GRANDSON. EVEN IF THESE DAYS IT TAKES A LITTLE EXTRA EFFORT TO GET UP THERE. IT’S A BLESSING. I MEAN, I’M JUST GLAD YOU KNOW HE CAN COME OUT SOME DAYS AND JUST GET IN THE COMBINE WITH ME. AS TUCKER’S GROWN UP, THOUGH, TIME IN THE FIELD WITH GRANDPA IS FEWER AND FAR BETWEEN. HE’S INVOLVED IN SPORTS, AND AND I DON’T GET AROUND ANYMORE. LIKE I SHOULD. OR I’D LIKE TO. AND YEAH, I MISS HIM. BUT THAT DOESN’T STOP THEM FROM REMINISCING ON OLD TIMES WHEN THEY GET TOGETHER. I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT HOW I HAD TO DO THAT ONE ROW DOWN THERE, BECAUSE THOUGH COMBINING HAS CHANGED SINCE GRANDPA MELVIN STARTED, YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT CHANGE BECAUSE IF YOU YOU KNOW, YOU’RE GOING BACKWARDS. IF YOU DON’T, SOME THINGS NEVER DO. I’VE LEARNED FROM THE BEST FOR SURE IN ROCKWELL CITY. OLIVIA TYLER, KCC
News We Love: Grandfather and grandson strengthen family legacy on the farm
Melvin and Tucker Berner are nurturing their family legacy on their family farm in Calhoun County, Iowa, as they combine together just like they did a decade ago.
Updated: 3:12 PM PDT Oct 25, 2025
Grandpa and grandson duo, Melvin and Tucker Berner, are cultivating more than crops on the Berner Family Farm; they are preserving a legacy that has endured for generations.Melvin Berner recalled, ” used to ride with me in the combine.”Tucker Berner added, “I just remember sitting up there and watching him click a bunch of buttons.”The Berner Family Farm will mark its 150th anniversary next summer. So, for Tucker Berner, learning how to harvest was not optional.”It’s been in the family for a long time, and I hope it can stay that way,” Melvin Berner said.”Five generations before me have led to this point. And I hope to see the 200th year,” Tucker Berner said, reflecting on the family’s deep roots.Melvin Berner’s passion for farming runs just as deep.”That’s all I ever wanted to do. And I did it for 65 years,” he said. Now 83, he still joins his grandson in the combine, even though he has to use a forklift to get up.As Tucker Berner has grown older, their time together in the field has become less frequent.”He’s involved in sports, and I don’t get around anymore like I should or would like to. And, yeah, I miss him,” Melvin Berner said.But they both reminisce on the good memories when they can.”It’s a blessing. I mean, I’m just glad, you know, he can come out some days and just get in the combine with me,” Tucker Berner said.
Grandpa and grandson duo, Melvin and Tucker Berner, are cultivating more than crops on the Berner Family Farm; they are preserving a legacy that has endured for generations.
Melvin Berner recalled, “[Tucker] used to ride with me in the combine.”
Tucker Berner added, “I just remember sitting up there and watching him click a bunch of buttons.”
The Berner Family Farm will mark its 150th anniversary next summer. So, for Tucker Berner, learning how to harvest was not optional.
“It’s been in the family for a long time, and I hope it can stay that way,” Melvin Berner said.
“Five generations before me have led to this point. And I hope to see the 200th year,” Tucker Berner said, reflecting on the family’s deep roots.
Melvin Berner’s passion for farming runs just as deep.
“That’s all I ever wanted to do. And I did it for 65 years,” he said. Now 83, he still joins his grandson in the combine, even though he has to use a forklift to get up.
As Tucker Berner has grown older, their time together in the field has become less frequent.
“He’s involved in sports, and I don’t get around anymore like I should or would like to. And, yeah, I miss him,” Melvin Berner said.
But they both reminisce on the good memories when they can.
“It’s a blessing. I mean, I’m just glad, you know, he can come out some days and just get in the combine with me,” Tucker Berner said.