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FAIRFIELD – Seth Steele is only 13 years old, but he’s already thinking ahead to life after high school, and how he wants to continue his family’s work on one of the oldest farms in the county.

The Steele family has farmed land 2 miles south of Pekin school for six generations. In fact, members of the family homesteaded the farm in the early days of the area’s settlement. If Seth and his older sisters Briana and Natalie continue that tradition, they would be the seventh generation in the family to farm, a rare feat in this part of the country. Seth helps out on the farm now by doing chores every morning, which include tending to the steers and hogs he shows at the Greater Jefferson County Fair each June.

Seth told The Union that, in addition to refining other agricultural and animal husbandry skills, he wants to become a welder. He explained that welding is a useful trade for a farmer since they often need welding tools to fix their machines.

“On bulldozers, sometimes the front blade can break and you need to weld a part on,” Seth said. “Or on hay rings, if you want to put it back together, [welding] can be useful for that.”

Seth is a seventh-grader at Fairfield Middle School. In his free time, he likes to farm, fish, and play sports such as football, basketball and baseball. The family has a pond on their farm, so Seth doesn’t even have to leave the property to catch bass and blue gill. On the farm, he drives a tractor and UTVs to run chores.

At the fair, Seth shows market steers. He normally shows one per year, and has them for about 14 months. He normally shows two hogs, which he has a shorter time from just March to June. He’s responsible for feeding them and washing them, which is especially important in the warmer months. He also practices walking them around to train them for the show ring.

Seth said the highlights of raising pigs include hanging out with animals and taking care of them, plus hanging out with friends and family. He said he appreciates how family members help him feed the animals when he’s gone, like when he’s away for an athletic event.

“If the heat lamps go out, [my family] always helps me put them in,” he said.

Pigs can’t regulate their temperature very well, which is why they need baths in the summer. But the winter is also a tough time for them because they have very little hair. Those heat bulbs, and deep bedding, ensure they stay warm.

The hardest part of raising hogs is training them, Seth said. They’re not always tame, and can even ruin mats. But Seth said that, by the time he shows them at the fair, they’re much better behaved thanks to the hours he’s put into working with them.

One trick to get them to follow directions is to hold a marshmallow just above their head on a small stick. This ensures they’ll walk around with their head up, exactly what the judges are looking for.

Seth’s father Jason said he’s proud to know that all his children care about continuing the family’s tradition of farming.

“It’s important to know that Seth wants to keep the family farm running with his sisters,” Jason said.