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IF YOU FOLLOW POLITICS —or can’t move to Tahiti every four years to avoid those who do—you’ve probably wondered if we are, in fact, hurtling toward the apocalypse. It’s a reasonable assumption. Warring political camps have spent billions of dollars to convince us that half the country wants to steal America from the other half and drive it off a cliff. They call it “mobilizing the base,” because that sounds less despicable than “manipulating people’s fears and insecurities in the reckless pursuit of power.” Still, thanks to you, I don’t lose much sleep over it. Over the past four decades, I’ve interviewed thousands of farmers, ranchers, businessmen and researchers all across the country. I’ve lived in small towns and big cities, played pickup basketball on the playgrounds of Philadelphia and…
Joy’s Dream My husband, Glenn, and his father, Edward, built our dairy barn in 1956 with lumber salvaged from a barn built by Glenn’s grandfather, Torger. He homesteaded here in 1882. We stopped dairying in 1988 but still use—and love—our barn. Barn quilts in Ohio and Iowa inspired us to create our own unique quilt design, which we call Joy’s Dream. JOY HAGEN WEBSTER, SOUTH DAKOTA Goodbye Velour “Memories of Jenny” in the February/March issue reminds me of my son’s registered Guernsey cow, Velour. She was the grandmother of Valentine, a two-time American Guernsey Association All-American. Velour lived to be 19 years old but began to suffer from arthritis. One day I spent six hours in the barn trying to keep her comfortable until the vet arrived to…
My gramps, Howard Kunkle, is a hardworking retired coal miner and a wonderful family man. And he has always been a kid at heart—he was doing handstands at age 70! He has a beautiful chunk of land we call The Pond near Creekside, Pennsylvania, where he lives with Grandma Margaret. Gramps is also a super fun Great-Gramps to my children, Lilly and Blake. He bought some wheels at a garage sale, and then his wheels started turning. He took those wheels and built a wagon train for the kids. Grandma Margaret decorated each cart with a theme. One is a race car, one an ocean, one a school bus and one a flower garden. Along with the train, they built a little coal-mining town for the kids to play in.…
Flying the Flag Recently my husband, Steve, and I traveled out to Barnard, Kansas, to help our friends Mike and Connie Gebhart with the wheat harvest. Steve drives a grain truck for them, hauling the harvested wheat to the grain elevator, where they measure the weight and moisture. The Gebharts have two sons, Matt and Kelly, who take turns driving the combine. Our farm manager, James Thomas, and other friends and family also help out. This picture was taken on July 4. Mike decided to fly the flag to show his patriotic side. I thought this was such a great way to celebrate being an American. JUDY BETTIS KANSAS CITY, KANSAS Patriotism on Parade Every year my dad, John Arie of Bondville, Illinois, drives his 1911 Model T…
Built as a small family farm in 1910, Barberry Hill Farm has evolved to meet 21st century needs while still maintaining much of the charm and character of its near-19th-century origins. My wife, Kelly, and I are now raising the fourth generation—our five children—on the family farm in the heart of Madison, Connecticut, a quaint coastal town along Long Island Sound. Less than a half mile from the seaside, Barberry Hill Farm is 25 acres of history, an example of a time that has almost been erased from the New England landscape. We keep it going through a variety of activities, including Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions, farmers markets, a farm stand and sales to local restaurants. Our goal is to maintain the land as a viable productive entity, which means…
I live on my great-great-uncle’s farm with my mom and dad and my brothers, Jake, JW and Stephen. I’d like to share a story that I wrote in the fourth grade. Because I am the oldest, I have to help my mom and dad take care of my brothers and also help with the farmwork. We have lots of beef cows, two Belgian horses, two Thoroughbreds and two Quarter Horses. I help my dad clean out the barns and feed the horses. We have a man who trims the horses’ feet. He gives them medicine for worms and brushes them until they look really clean and shiny. My dad is going to help me learn how to harness and lead the horses. I will then be able to try riding…
