"The doctor said 'you are too healthy for your own good,'" he chuckled.
Claiming to be "semi retired," Wilson has "cut down on farming," by renting out 250 acres of crop land. He kept the pasture and hay land, as well as 37 angus/simmental crossbred cows in a trimmed down cow-calf operation.
And, "I don't feed out the calves any more," he added. While he has quit breaking horses, he still enjoys horse back riding.
A third-generation Monroe County farmer, Wilson and his wife, Carolyn, own a century farm, land that his grandfather homesteaded in 1879. The couple lives on a nearby farm in the house where he was born and grew up.
Albia High School alumni and high school sweethearts, they recently observed their 54th wedding anniversary.
Honored for their agricultural achievements, Duane and Carolyn were inducted into the Monroe County Ag Hall of Fame in 1991. Their diversified operation consisted of a dairy herd of about 30 cows, a farrow to finish hog setup, several hundred acres of row crops, hay and pasture and a cow-calf operation which included feeding out the calves.
With obvious enjoyment, Wilson relates stories ranging from the peculiar quirks of various horses he has broken to ride to sale barn incidents. He worked 31 years for Albia Sales Company, making sure all livestock was penned properly, taking calls from buyers and keeping track of their bids.
One cattle buyer he will never forget wanted a certain group of 113 feeder calves, but he was superstitious. The "auctioneer was stuck" until Wilson persuaded the buyer to raise the bid a dime per hundred weight, for 112 calves. "We sold the other one separately and got more," he chuckled.
Wilson learned responsibility early working with his father who operated a thrashing run in the Moravia/Iconium area from 1937-50. The thrashing machine was powered by a tractor, via a long belt connecting the two machines. "I spent a lot of time on a tractor seat from the time I was ten years old." he said. He already knew how to drive the tractor when a law was passed requiring someone to "sit on the tractor to stop it in case of trouble." He still has the thrashing machine.
Wilson readily explains his involvement in community affairs. "When someone asked me to do something I was always ready to do what I could to help, with no expectation of what was coming back to me, I guess. I enjoy helping," he said.
The list of volunteer service includes 10 years each on the Farm Service Board at Moravia, and the Mahaska Farm Service Board at Oskaloosa before the two boards consolidated; many years on the Federal Land Bank and Production Credit boards which have merged; many years on the Monroe County Farm Bureau Board; 30 years on the Trinity United Methodist Church board and approximately 20 years as a 4-H leader. At the first Federal Land Bank meeting he attended in Ottumwa, Wilson was about 30 years old and the youngest person there.
His experience with the Federal Land Bank led to employment with FDIC during the 1980s farm crises. He worked on renegotiation of agricultural accounts after People's National Bank in Albia failed. Using computer programs from Iowa State University with an individual's figures, he could design two or three plans a person could follow to "possibly work out of debt," he said. "I felt pretty good helping people keep in businesses."
However, after 18 months he quit due to the stress of "watching the pain people endured as they tried to keep their business going."
Many people appreciated his efforts and have not forgotten. "It feels good when someone I helped talks to me and thanks me again for my help," he said.
Wilson worries that another farm crises is brewing, fueled by inflated land prices of three to five thousand dollars an acre or more, coupled with rising fuel costs.
The Wilsons' two sons and two grandsons are not interested in farming, so far.
But then, not many young people are attracted to farming as a full-time occupation which is another concern of his.
According to a 2004 survey, 65 percent of farmers were at that time over 65, he said.
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