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120 years of farming.

B

Bill(Wis)

Well-known Member
April 1st, 1901 was the day my grandfather and grandmother moved onto the farm I currently own. My father was born there in
September of that year. They added onto the house in 1905 making it a five-bedroom home and had a poured concrete silo erected in
1911. In 1914 they purchased a neighboring farm and added onto and remodeled the main dairy barn in 1915. They purchased another
neighboring farm in 1930, during the depression. Paid cash. No mortgage since the original was paid off in 1914. No debts, highly
productive land although accompanied by a much shorter growing season than Iowa, good neighbors although not as many anymore,
excellent markets for farm products, great transportation network, lots of trucks. 25 150 car trains go through every 24 hours.
Cold in winter, hot in summer. Looking forward to a great year. Happy April first.
 
Great American success story Bill, congrats to you and your family for all their hard work. Hoping you can continue there for three more generations!
 
April must have been a popular month for buying farms. Grandpa bought mine on April 9 1927.
 
Farm leases used to run from April first through to March 31 the following year, or whatever number of years the term ran. So if someone was moving on to a new farm ,April first was the logical month, before spring planting began.
 

Great history you have with the farm there. Do you have a few photos you can post of the farm through the years?

Gerrit
 
My granddad bought our farm in 1914. We're close on your heels.

That said, the farm has undergone a complete change of buildings since my dad bought it in '45 or 4'6.
All the buildings were pretty much wrecks at that time. We struggled for a few years, while building a grade A dairy barn, and than a decent house. Smaller buildings gone, son and I built a 24x36 garage/workshop, and then wife and I built a 48x96 polebarn later. If grandpa could come back now, he'd never recognize the place.
 
Does Wisconsin have a Centennial Farm recognition program? My first cousin owns the farm that our great-grandfather owned before 1880 (I don't know the exact year), then our grandfather and then her father. There is a prominent sign on the property.
 
Great Grandfather moved from Southeast Minnesota ( Nestrand) to Northwest Minnesota (Winger) around the turn of the century. To grow wheat. They had dairy cows, chickens and pigs. Quite the farmstead along with all kinds of fruit trees for canning in the fall. People really knew how to live off of the land then. Cousin still lives on the home place though none of the original buildings are standing. Tom in Mn.
 
Yes. I missed the application date in March (again) but definitely intend to apply one of these years. In previous years I was just too damned busy. Full time job on the east coast. Flying pickup trips to the farm and then back to the job, etc .Ceremony at the State Fair where the Governor presents the awards. It's really no big deal to me but I'll get it one of these years. :)>))
 
Great story Bill. Love to hear stories of yesteryear. When my Grandad and his brother were still here i loved listening about the old days. RB
 
My sisters and I still own the farm in Southern Wisconsin that has been in our family since 1856. My Great, Great Grandfather acquired this land from the U S Government and the original deed was signed by President Buchanan. They were immigrants from Norway. The Abstract is very interesting reading.
 
Hi, fascinating reading these accounts of people moving and
establishing new homes. Wonder if they would have done the same if
they had known two World Wars were just around the corner.
DavidP, South Wales
 
Interesting, it's a great feeling being on a place your grandparents worked so hard for! The farm im on has been in the family for 75 years, many changes but it still is an active family farm!
 
Tradition is cool. It's great when you preserve and improve your family heritage, when you are proud of your ancestors. In the 21st century, this attitude to heritage is like seeing a dinosaur. I have met many people who absolutely do not value their origins in pursuit of everything new and modern.
 
All of my ancestors came from Germany, beginning in 1843. Using 20/20 hindsight, I'm sure they all would say they made the right decision. My wife's ancestors all came from Ireland in the 1800s and many of their offspring became dentists, MDs, lawyers, etc. They all seemed delighted at being here. An interesting aspect of all this is that the immigrants came thousands of miles to establish new lives and then their offspring, in many cases, never went any more than a few miles from home. I guess that meant they were either happy, contented, or both.
 
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