Not My Grandfather
Not my Grandfather’s Farm
Background
Farming has forever been a part of the Schisler family. The farm was created by and has stayed alive to this day, through hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. Just outside of Astoria Illinois there is an old gravel road named Shaw/Schisler road. At the end of this road you will not find big fancy machinery, or state of the art buildings, you will not even find cable television. What you will find though is one of the last farms in the area that is still family owned and operated and one that has survived by using old-school farming techniques that have been passed down from one generation to the next. By no means is my family farm a big business or multi-million dollar agricultural enterprise, it is exactly what my great-great grandfather intended for it to be when he started it way back when, a family farm. Sadly I do not know how much longer I will be able to say that.
The advancements in information systems and technology have made old school farming a thing of the past. No longer are farmers using almanacs or the fact that old Joe’s knees are hurting this year so it is going to be a harsh winter followed by a dry summer, which is bad news for the agriculture industry. With computers, phones, tablets, and many other electronic devices a farmer can stay up to date with soil trends, weather analysis, crop growth pattern, all while sitting on the front porch swing drinking cup of coffee. If it were up to me, I prefer the old ways of getting up off the porch swing driving out to the fields and getting my hands dirty. We may never get rich down on that farm at the end of Shaw Schisler road but that is my Grandfather’s farm.
Old School Farming
Background
Farming has forever been a part of the Schisler family. The farm was created by and has stayed alive to this day, through hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. Just outside of Astoria Illinois there is an old gravel road named Shaw/Schisler road. At the end of this road you will not find big fancy machinery, or state of the art buildings, you will not even find cable television. What you will find though is one of the last farms in the area that is still family owned and operated and one that has survived by using old-school farming techniques that have been passed down from one generation to the next. By no means is my family farm a big business or multi-million dollar agricultural enterprise, it is exactly what my great-great grandfather intended for it to be when he started it way back when, a family farm. Sadly I do not know how much longer I will be able to say that.
The advancements in information systems and technology have made old school farming a thing of the past. No longer are farmers using almanacs or the fact that old Joe’s knees are hurting this year so it is going to be a harsh winter followed by a dry summer, which is bad news for the agriculture industry. With computers, phones, tablets, and many other electronic devices a farmer can stay up to date with soil trends, weather analysis, crop growth pattern, all while sitting on the front porch swing drinking cup of coffee. If it were up to me, I prefer the old ways of getting up off the porch swing driving out to the fields and getting my hands dirty. We may never get rich down on that farm at the end of Shaw Schisler road but that is my Grandfather’s farm.
Old School Farming