Farm With a Corner View

The Schifer family’s hard work keeps this picturesque heartland farm growing into the 21st century.

- Fred Hendricks

From the seat of his tractor, Greg Schifer can see it all. He and his wife, Verna, own and operate Corner view Farm, a beautiful 2,100 acres of corn and soybeans in the heart of Ohio.

“We strive to grow the best crops possible,” Greg says. “Planting is more than just putting seeds in the ground. Stewardship of the land requires an understanding of soil content, soil condition, weed control and proper planting techniques.”

Paul Harvey could have been talking about the Schifers in his famous speech from the national FFA convention in 1978, when he said, “God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker.’ So God made a farmer.” Greg was just an upstart himself in 1978, but he and Verna have been the primary caretakers of Corner view Farm since Greg’s father passed away in 1996.

Greg’s great-grandfather launched the family farm on 140 acres. His grandfather and father farmed the land for two more generations. Greg’s parents, Wayne and Lois Schifer, expanded the original homestead with the acquisition of 170 acres at intersecting roads in Crawford County, Ohio, and named it Corner view Farm. At one point it included a small dairy herd with crops to support the livestock. Feeder cattle later replaced the milking herd. Eventually the livestock operation was phased out altogether and grain became the sole farming enterprise.