PIATT COUNTY - When Jake Lieb was just a month away from graduating from Southern Illinois University, he interviewed with several companies in the hope of landing a job.

His heart was in farming, but he did not believe his family farm could also support him.

Lieb, 25, then received a phone call that changed his life.

"My dad called and asked me if I wanted to farm," said Lieb, an outgoing, articulate man with a quick sense of humor.

His father, Terry, a fourth generation farmer who lives in Monticello, had just heard about a tenant farmer who planned to retire. He had worked and lived on a 320-acre plot near Bement for more than 20 years.

"The timing was almost unbelievable," Lieb said. "I was thrilled and jumped at this opportunity."

A 2000 graduate of Monticello High School, Lieb moved into the three-bedroom ranch house soon after the retiree moved out. As part of the deal, Lieb received a treasured companion from the farmer, a black-faced German Shepherd named Kane.

One bedroom in the 50-year-old home serves as Lieb's office, where he uses a precision farming computer program to examine the nearby land and decide what nutrients each acre requires.

"This area needs fertilizer, this doesn't," Lieb said, pointing to the different squares on his monitor, which present various colors according to soil conditions. "I can tell within a foot the chemical composition of the acreage."

Lieb, who is excited about the future of agriculture, especially the employment of technology that makes farming more efficient, realizes he is one of "a dying breed" of young men who are earning their living from the soil.

John Hawkins, spokesman for the Illinois Farm Bureau, said the days when a high percentage of farmer's sons stayed in agriculture are fading rapidly.

"There aren't many young people in it," Hawkins said.

The average age for a principal farm operator in the nation in 2002 was 55.3 years, five years older than in 1978, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture census figures.

In Illinois, 19 percent of farm operators were 65 and older in 2002, compared to fewer than 3 percent who were 34 or younger.

Despite the dwindling numbers of young people entering the field, Hawkins said the future of agriculture is bright. Hawkins said he believes there are young people who will return to farming as opportunities arise. Many who choose agriculture will prosper as they work larger parcels of land.

"There is a trend, there's been a trend over the past few years for larger and larger operations," Hawkins said.

But Sonya Salamon, author of "Prairie Patrimony: Family, Farming, and Community in the Midwest," said the trend toward mega-farms of 10,000 acres or more often works against young farmers looking to get established.

Salamon said the large operators can pay higher rents than small farmers, so when parcels of land become available, they often are snapped up by family-owned corporate farms.

The number of acres needed to earn a living has been doubling each decade, partly due to the higher costs of supplies and fuel, said Salamon, emeritus professor of human and community development at the University of Illinois.

"It used to be, if you have 500 acres, that was standard," she said. "Now, that is considered a small farm."

'I'm Happy'

Lieb, who grew up on the same farm east of Monticello where his father, Terry, also had been raised, said he is able to pay the bills of a single man but realizes he needs to farm more land in order to earn enough to support a family. He hopes to find someone with whom to share his rural life.

"It takes a special person to live out in the country and not be around people," Lieb said.

Just as Lieb mentions his desire to work more land - seemingly on cue - his father called to tell him that a farmer just retired, putting 1,100 acres, almost two square miles, up for rent.

"We didn't get it," his father told him. "It was already rented out."

Jake Lieb explained that farming is an increasingly competitive business.

"If 100 acres come up for rent, 20 to 30 farmers will put in bids for it," he said.

While Lieb understands that farming is a risky business with no guarantees of profit, he said he has enjoyed good fortune thus far, especially because prices have been high during his first two years.

"Corn was below $2 a bushel one-and-a-half years ago," Lieb said. "Now it's at about $3.50. So you're almost doubling your gross income. Hopefully, this demand for ethanol will keep prices up. I'm spoiled. My first year in farming, I sold corn for over $3."

Lieb is convinced that he could make more money working elsewhere in the short run. But he is not planning to abandon farming.

"I love living in the country," he said. "The only time I ever lived in town was in college. I need my elbow room. I don't like to be able to touch my house and another house at the same time."

Lieb said he appreciates the awesome sunsets and sunrises that burst over the fields.

"I'm happy," he said. "I know I'm right where I need to be. I'm keeping the family tradition of farming. Hopefully, I'll pass it on. Once you get dirt in your blood, it's hard to get it out. This is where I belong."

Huey Freeman can be reached at hfreeman@herald-review.com or 421-6985.