weet corn, pumpkins, hay, soybeans and wheat grow on the land Mike Dussel calls home.

"I've grown up here. My dad's grown up here. My family has been here awhile," Mike says.

Mike sits at an old rectangular table made of solid oak in his family's kitchen, which dates back 150 years. Four generations of meals have been served at this table.

The older of two sons, Mike will someday inherit the oak table and the family business.

But he has other plans. Mike, a sophomore business major, is the first male member of the family of farmers to attend college. More than 100 years ago, farming was a major occupation in the United States. But now farmland is disappearing and so is a new generation of farmers. Even though Mike does not want to discard the family's occupation, he does want to explore his options.

"I started seriously working on the farm when I was 12 years old," Mike says. "I can remember doing easier chores around the farm at age 6. Now that I'm in school, school comes first. I'll help out when I can. In the summer, I'm back to 14-hour work days."