Taylor Family
Steve and Connie Taylor Family,
We are the third and fourth generation on a farm that was first operated by my grandparents. My grandfather, as a young man, left Missouri headed West, finding employment on a farm near Washtucna, known as Rattlesnake Flat. My grandmother had just obtained her teaching certificate in Wisconsin, and answered an advertisement for a teaching position in a one-room school in Washington (1910). She was boarded at a ranch near where my grandfather worked. They became acquainted, married, and had two children. During this time they were able to realize their dream of purchasing an adjoining farm.
She continued to teach; each morning taking her two infant children in a buckboard wagon to the school house three miles away. Times were difficult, with no savings or local family members for security, a two year draught that resulted in a four bushel crop, hand dug wells, no electricity, and later the depression—to name a few hardships. Now as we farm, we are reminded of the subtle lessons they transferred to the following generations.
We now focus on conservation and stewardship through the use of small dams, terraces, filter and border strips, tree and shrub planting, food and pollination plots, and remote water collection sites—all designed to keep wind and water erosion in check, encourage the appreciation of wildlife, and strengthen our commitment to protect and promote a delicate, well-balanced ecosystem. In summary, we farm with memory and respect for those who came before us, and are dedicated to preserve the viability and the beauty of the family farm to those that follow.
We are the third and fourth generation on a farm that was first operated by my grandparents. My grandfather, as a young man, left Missouri headed West, finding employment on a farm near Washtucna, known as Rattlesnake Flat. My grandmother had just obtained her teaching certificate in Wisconsin, and answered an advertisement for a teaching position in a one-room school in Washington (1910). She was boarded at a ranch near where my grandfather worked. They became acquainted, married, and had two children. During this time they were able to realize their dream of purchasing an adjoining farm.
She continued to teach; each morning taking her two infant children in a buckboard wagon to the school house three miles away. Times were difficult, with no savings or local family members for security, a two year draught that resulted in a four bushel crop, hand dug wells, no electricity, and later the depression—to name a few hardships. Now as we farm, we are reminded of the subtle lessons they transferred to the following generations.
We now focus on conservation and stewardship through the use of small dams, terraces, filter and border strips, tree and shrub planting, food and pollination plots, and remote water collection sites—all designed to keep wind and water erosion in check, encourage the appreciation of wildlife, and strengthen our commitment to protect and promote a delicate, well-balanced ecosystem. In summary, we farm with memory and respect for those who came before us, and are dedicated to preserve the viability and the beauty of the family farm to those that follow.