What
I visit I had to a family owned and operated farm in West Branch, Iowa. Some
readers of this blog were born and raised on farms, so you know about what it
takes to operate such an enterprise. I usually describe my hometown as a small
farming community of 100,000. I grew up in the shadow of the Empire State
Building as a suburban city boy in northern New Jersey, aka a "Jersey
Boy." When I was growing up, we had several fairly large working
"truck" or produce farms and two or three dairy farms within the city
limits. We had farm fresh veggies available from several roadside produce
stands and our milk came from within a mile of our home.
But,
as I said, I was not a farm boy. Two of the houses my parents owned, while I
was growing up, had back yards that bordered on a couple of the large truck
farms. I watched the farmer at work. I never participated or had any clue as to
how difficult and challenging operating a real farm is. Of course, over my
adult lifetime I've chosen to live in more and more rural areas. And my own
last stationary home was on a 49 acre small ranch in the Shenandoah Valley of
Virginia where I had a half dozen horses boarded. I was, for all practical
intents and purposes a "country gentleman," but certainly not a real
rancher or farmer.
My
friend, Jolene Brown, a woman I met through my professional speaker
affiliations, has invited me on several occasions to visit the family farm she
and her husband own and operate in West Branch, Iowa, when I might be passing
through that area. I finally did get through her part of the world and took her
up on the invitation. Wow! What an education I received about the field of
agriculture. I had an uncle and aunt who owned a sizeable farm in Sussex
County, New Jersey, complete with farmhouse without indoor plumbing and an
outhouse with the half-moon carved in the door. But, I never saw Uncle Richard
working that farm.
The
photo above shows the Browns' farm as I approached it from one direction (the
small town of West Branch, which happens to also be the birthplace and burial
site of President Herbert Hoover and his wife).
The
photo to the right shows the farm from the back as I was leaving down a
different road taking me to a different town. The land you see in the photos is
only a small representation of 500 acres. Now, I know how big a piece of
property of approximately 50 acres is, because I had one. Multiplying my known
world by ten times was mind boggling. The Browns describe their farm as a small
farm. Whew! It looked more like a small kingdom to me.
I can't even imagine a cattle ranch that may
be as large as 100,000 acres or more or the largest ranch in the U.S. the King
Ranch in southern Texas with about 1,200,000 acres. Just as a frame of
reference that's 55.5 times the size of Manhattan Island or just slightly less
than the entire land area of the state of Delaware. The Browns' small farm is
only 1/43rd the size of Manhattan Island, but it still looked like a kingdom to
me and I challenge anyone to walk the perimeter.
The
barn was huge and was constructed in 1895. It's stood for 120 years and I'm
going to suggest, unless something of cataclysmic proportions occurs, it's
going to be there in another 120 years.
The
farm house, pictured here, was
started in 1902. It has, of course, gone through a series of renovations,
remodeling and upgrades over its lifetime, but it still had that feeling of
solid "bones" and permanence. When you entered the house you just
felt warm and secure, something I don't feel in many modern houses. There is a
difference.
Jolene
operates her international speaking, consulting and coaching business from an
office in the house. She speaks to agricultural audiences and small family
owned business audiences throughout the U.S. and other countries. Her main
topic is the importance of the "family business/farm" and plans for
succession of the farms/businesses. She does much of her consulting and
coaching from the office in the beautiful farmhouse.
I
learned so much about farming and the agricultural business while I was
visiting. Too often we take things for granted when it's as simple as going to
the local supermarket, Walmart supercenter or weekly farmers' markets to pick
up our produce, dairy and meat. Seeing first hand, up close and personal, the
massive equipment, the buildings, the grain dryers and elevators, the fields,
the tiny plants just coming out of the ground that will, in a few short months,
become the amber waves of grain and fruited plains as described in the tribute
song to our country, "America, the Beautiful" was more moving than I
can express in mere words. Learning about and seeing the actual work being
done, the long hours, the amount of business and paperwork involved was a
revelation that has led me to a new understanding, appreciation and respect for
"the farm" and the hardy people who choose and love the land and
working it.
Here
are my hosts, The Farmers Brown, Jolene and Keith.
Keith
is the main farmer, working very hard from dawn's early light until the sun
sets and then tending to paperwork. Jolene contributes to the labors required
by maintaining the house, the lands around the house, their private vegetable
and herb gardens and some attractive flower beds, providing the meals and
running her own business. And, during the harvest season, Jolene sets her
business aside and joins Keith in the fields and helping run the dryers and
grain elevators. These two industrious members of our society operate and do
everything on their farm, all 500 acres, themselves, no hired hands.
Thanks
Jolene and Keith for all you do, for being the great Americans you are and for
your contributions to all of us who are "Jersey Boys" and other city
and suburban dwellers. And thank you for your hospitality and the opportunity
to learn and understand so much about an important/vital facet of the American
story and way of life.
