A native of Scott City (and classmate of Brian and Paula’s), Pat began working on his grandfather’s farm as a teenager. He purchased his grandfather’s 40+-year silage cutting business in 1999 and performed custom cutting from Texas to Kansas until 2004, when he sold the silage business and started a commercial manure spreading business. 

VFF had been a long-time customer of Pat’s silage cutting business and in 2005, Pat joined forces with VFF in the spreading of raw manure on VFF and other area farmers’ fields. To supplement Pat’s manure spreading, he also began operating equipment for VFF during the busy planting and harvest seasons. Pat helped VFF establish Shallow Water Ag (VFF’s manure composting business) in 2008 and was a partner in the Dry Lake Farms merger between the Vulgamore and Harkness families in 2010.

Pat is an important team member for VFF. He oversees all the planting operations. When he’s not busy in the field, he’s likely rebuilding a planter or fertilizer applicator in the shop. Pat has likely logged more seat time on tractors and combines than anyone on the VFF team. He is a human autosteer system.