Farm Auctions: A Sad Time.

 

The coming of spring meant the coming of farm auctions when I when I was a kid. There were many auctions as small family farms closed down, one after the other.  It was a sad time in the country.  In was also a sad time for the small villages that depended on these farms for their livelihood.

Especially after World War II, farming changed--tractors replaced horses, electricity replaced lamps and lanterns.  Get big or get out was the message of the day.  In the neighborhood where I grew up there was a small family dairy farm about every half mile.  I remember them well: Bill Miller, Allen Davis, Andrew Nelson, Griff Davis, Arlan Handrich, Joe Hudziak,

Charlie George, Bill Witt (my grandfather), Frank Kolka, Jesse DeWitt, and McKinley Jenks.

            On a chilly spring day, in 1965, my dad sold our small herd of registered Holsteins at an auction.   It was a sad day, for dad had worked since the 1920s to develop and improve his dairy herd.  Now he saw them, one after the other, sold.  That evening, when I walked with dad from the barn to house, he was crying.  I had never seen him cry before.

            My dad and mother lived on the home farm until 1973, when they had another auction.  This time the farm machinery, household goods, and feed were sold.  The auction bill also noted a category for “Antiques and Collectibles.” Most of these items the folks used every day; they were more than antiques to them.  A Farmall C tractor was on the list. Also, several horse- drawn machines—a dump rake, a two-row corn planter, a potato digger and a hay loader.  I knew each item, knew it well, knew the stories connected to it.

            It was a tough time, for me, for my brothers, and especially for my dad and mom.  Farming was so much more than making a living, it was a way of life.  The farm auction closed the door on a way of living—so important, but too often ignored.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:  Never forgot the importance of the small family farm to the history of this country.

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS:

You can buy my books at your local bookstore, order online from bookshop.org, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering, or contact the librarian: barnard@wildroselibrary.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984.
www.wildroselibrary.org

If you live in the western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby, visit Dregne’s.  and look at their great selection of my books. Order a book from them by calling 1-877-634-4414. They will be happy to help you.  If you live in northcentral Wisconsin, stop at the Janke bookstore in Wausau (phone 715-845-9648).  They have a large selection of my books.