Earl Mallinger knows a lot about farming and staying healthy. At 105 years old, Earl has some sage advice for others on how to live a long and fruitful life.
“Keep moving, once you, once you quit moving, you go downhill pretty fast,” Crystal Sugar’s oldest beet farmer said.
Earl credits his 1,000-acre Minnesota farm for keeping him healthy all these years. He says the exercise and fresh air has helped to keep him active.
“I like the fresh air for one thing, and I like to see the crops grow and see what God has done. A fella has to have a lot of faith when you have a little seed and you get a crop like this,” Earl tells Inforum.com. Nowadays, Earl has others doing the field work, but he still makes all the decisions for the business.
He tells AgWeek that he’d advise new farmers to “work hard” and keep God at the center of life.
“If you didn’t inherit land from your parents, start small. Work hard and don’t spend too much money and you’ll be successful,” he said. “Remember that God is in control. You have got to have Him with you. Also, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses. I didn’t work much on Sundays and I still made a good living.”