At 89, when someone starts talking about replacing some of their equipment, you figure they're probably talking about hearts, hips - maybe livers. But for Kermit Hillyer of Hastings, Iowa, that's not what he meant at all. The 89-year-old Hillyer was talking about hay equipment.

Hillyer, who grew up just down the road from the 200 acres he now farms, decided it was time to upgrade his hay operation. So, two years ago he bought a new Vermeer TwinRake. Last summer, he traded in his old Vermeer C Baler for a new Vermeer 505 Super I.

"I was raised right here in Hastings and I've been in farming almost 70 years now. Dad and Mom farmed here and I got started just north of here. We grew mostly corn, oats and hay ... and eventually beans. Also had a few cows - always had cows."

Hillyer says he's always liked farming. After graduating from high school, he rented and farmed 120 acres while living with his parents, just up the road. He eventually bought more land and diversified into hogs and cattle, at one point, raising 1200 hogs and 400 to 500 calves. But he and his wife decided to give up the hogs and eventually sold half of their land. Today Hillyer raises beans, corn and about 65 acres of alfalfa/orchard grass hay. He also has 19 cows and raises and sells calves.

"I raise more hay than I can use. I sell a lot of it. Last year, I got 10 bales per acre and I sold it all before the first of the year. A lot of people just don't want to fool with hay. It's not that difficult, but they'd rather raise corn and beans. They only put up hay when they can't do anything else - so they never have good hay," he says with the laugh of a seasoned hay equipment operator.

Hillyer has seen a lot of changes in farming, but what concerns him most is the slow death of family farming. "Everyone's trying to get bigger. It's not good for the country. Our little town over here used to have a lumber yard, 2 elevators, 3 grocery stores, a blacksmith shop, a garage and a bank. All the little towns have just dried up."

The hay business has changed too, Hillyer says. "We've been cutting hay for years. My folks had hay. They used to load it up and put it up the hard way - up in the barn. Then we got into baling. I've seen changes all the way from the beginning."

Hillyer has seen some rough times lately. Last spring, back surgery laid him up for the planting season and most of the summer. He also just got a cast removed from when he broke his ankle in December. But he's determined to hit the fields again this spring. "I'll be out there this year."

Hillyer's neighbor has been helping with some of the baling lately. "I do the raking and he does the baling for me. And when he needs to do his baling, he just uses my baler. He even does some custom baling with it. I've got some good neighbors around here. They'll all help out if I need them."

What does he think of his new Vermeer purchases? "Never had any problem with my Vermeer equipment. It just runs really good. I like that rake a lot - even made my old baler work better. It made a better row - so I didn't have to zig as much. What I like about this new baler is that it feeds-in better and it makes a more solid bale. The bales are usually 1000 to 1100 pounds - which is perfect for me to feed. I don't want those 2200 pound bales. They're just too big." Hillyer speaks highly of his Vermeer dealer. "I got to know Arnold (Damman) pretty good. He's tops! I've always taken my baler to Arnold to have it serviced - bearings, chains - whatever. He takes care of me pretty well. I'm just afraid he'll retire one of these days."

Farming has changed a lot over his lifetime, but Hillyer laughs at some of the stories he's heard about some of the younger farmers. "I don't have any advice for someone just getting into farming, but some of those young farmers have a lot to learn. There was one young guy who just bought his own farm just up the road. He had some corn last year and decided to sell before it got to three dollars. Later, he went back to the elevator and asked them if he could buy his corn back for the same price they gave him so he could sell it at the higher price. Those guys just laughed."

Hillyer admits he doesn't see himself baling hay in 5 or 10 years, but doesn't know when he'll quit. "I like hay. It's easy. I'm getting along fine and I'll be out there again this year - just trying to raise a little extra hay for my cattle."