Farm life is something that I have no knowledge about. I know that it is very hard work, there is dirty work, and that the people who farm always have a sort of humbleness. My grandparents both grew up on farms in the 1940's. This was post WWII and right when the baby boom was happening. During this time, many farmers took up war-related jobs in the cities. New technologies were being invented at this time to help make farming easier like commercial fertilizer being used, frozen foods getting popular in 1941, and switching from horses to tractors in 1945. Farming was becoming much easier and my grandparents both got to experience these new inventions.
Even with these advancements, they still grew up with humble beginnings. They both lived in the midwest, my grandma being from North Dakota and my grandpa from Wisconsin. Both places were cold in the winter and hot in the summer so each families had to prepare for the changing climates.
My grandma grew up on a dairy farm that would help supply milk, cheese, meat, and eggs for the town she lived in. My grandma would get up bright and early in the morning so that she could do her daily chores. She would help feed the animals, milk the cows, and collect eggs from the chickens. She would then go inside and help cook breakfast for the rest of the family. Once that was finished, she would help her mother around the house with whatever chores needed to be done, while her brother helped her dad out on the farm.
My grandpa lived on a farm where he would help his father cultivate crops such as wheat and barley. They had to work fast before the winter snow would fall down. It got very cold in the winter so my grandpa would end up helping in the barn with the animals. He also remembers how hot it would be in the fields during the summer months. He did not enjoy having to work out in the fields and decided to go work at a cheese factory in order to get off the farm. This is where my grandpa developed a hatred for all things diary, and to this day he cannot eat any dairy products (except for ice cream because apparently that's different to him).
My families history in farm life is much more vast than I had believed it to be. It was always a treat learning how different my grandparents grew up from the way I did. I know one day I would love to experience what farm life could be like. As each day goes by, I am thankful for the farmers who work hard to help put food on my table each night. My respect for farmers grows more and more each day and that is how it shall remain.
Work Cited:
"Historical Timeline -- 1940" Agriculture In the Classroom. Web. 24 Jan. 2016. http://www.agclassroom.org/gan/timeline/1940.htm
