MAPLETON — Evoking the words “family farm” in 2007 conjures a different image than it might have a few decades ago. The Duncanson brothers, Pat and Karl of Mapleton, agree times have changed, and yet, in some ways, have stayed the same.

The Duncansons, operating as Duncanson Growers, are the third generation to work the land near Mapleton, as well as family land near Beauford. Both are raising families, but have no intention of trying to force their children into farming.

The Duncansons operate thousands of acres of cropland, including corn, soybeans and peas. They also finish cattle and pigs. Duncanson Growers is a truly diversified farming operation.

Pat Duncanson compares family farming to operating any small business. His brother Karl, meanwhile, contemplates how employees seem to become like family.

Karl came home from college to farm full time in 1980. Pat followed him in 1984. Another brother and a sister chose accounting and teaching, respectively, instead.

Perhaps in some ways, Pat and Karl are the yin and yang of farming. They admit they are very different people, with different interests and strengths, but they are bound together by their love of family and farming.

Q: What does it mean to you to be a farmer today?

Pat: I’m not exactly sure. I used to call myself an Agriculture Production something-or-other, but now I’ve gone back to farmer ... Many of my days are totally in the office. I spend much more time in the office with telephone, computer and what I would consider a fairly traditional business setting. I spend much more time doing that than I do working with livestock or crops in actual production.

Karl: A farmer is a producer, and a caretaker. He’s got to make a living. And in my case, a person who loves his job.

Q: Do farmers ever get a day off?

Karl: The way we run our operation is a little different than most. Some people just crop farm. We do things a little different — we work seven days a week. Some people don’t want to.

Pat: Karl says we work seven days a week, and I guess we do, but compared to a dairy operation, we have flexibility.

Karl: But livestock lend themselves to the fact that somebody has to be working.

Pat: There is certainly 24-hour, seven-day-a-week responsibility… No matter where I am in the country, my cell phone is on. I get alarm calls from my hog barn telling me something is wrong … I need to make sure I get ahold of somebody to take care of that alarm.

Q: Is this working for you?

Pat: Well, from a financial standpoint, we’ve been able to raise our families. As we look at the important things in life, that is probably the important thing. So from a financial standpoint, it’s working. From a business standpoint, the business today is probably stronger than it was when we started farming. Karl: I’ve never had a day I didn’t want to come to work.

Q: You both have degrees from the University of Minnesota. Is a college education needed to be a farmer today?

Pat: No.

Karl: I don’t think so. It’s a time to grow up and mature, and see things from a different viewpoint.

Pat: I think life experiences are important. And an education doesn’t hurt.

Q: You both decided to enter farming full time in the 1980s, during the farm crisis. Why?

Pat: That was probably the best time to start, because it was really all uphill.

Karl: It couldn’t get any worse. Luckily, there was a base here to start with.

Pat: It was a painful time for our family and for our business. But it was a time to learn. It taught us profits aren’t always going to be there.

Q: What is the best part of working together, with family?

Pat: Karl and I aren’t the same person. We get to spend time together, and we count on each other. We have each other to bounce ideas off of.

Karl: You know they’ll be there.

Pat: There are people you count on. We count on employees, as well.

Karl: There are a lot of positives. There are also some things that are challenges.

Pat: Sometimes professional relationships are easier than family relationships. In a family business, we need to have both professional and family relationships.

Karl: Sometimes the lines get blurred, or intertwined. We pick our battles, and don’t sweat the little things.

Q: How is technology changing farming?

Pat: The changes in the past 10 years are greater that the changes in the 10 years before that. Equipment updates allow for less machinery doing more work.

Karl: Margins are thin, so being able to decrease overlap in the fields adds up.

Q: Is farming at all the same as it was 50 years ago?

Pat: We can get a load of cattle on our word. The understanding is that if the livestock meets our standards, we keep it and pay for it. If it doesn’t, it goes back. All on our word.

Karl: And we’re still dependent on weather. But we need to enjoy life.