Red Oak farm featured in, on cover of new book
A Red Oak farm family is one of 25 featured in a new book published by Practical Farmers of Iowa - “The Future of Family Farms: Practical Farmers’ Legacy Letters Project.”
The book gathers the letters and stories of families about the land they cherish – how they acquired it, what they treasure most about it and their hopes for its future. Some of the writers descend from families who have owned a particular patch of earth since the 1800s, while others became farmland owners more recently. Some are no longer farmland owners at all, because after careful thought about what matters most to them, they sold their land to the next generation of farmers.
Maggie McQuown and her husband, Steve Turman, own a farm outside of Red Oak at 1586 200th Street. Maggie said the farm has been in her family since 1899.
“My great-grandfather and grandmother bought the farm, and I came in possession of the farm in 2012. I grew up on the farm, my paternal grandmother and my dad grew up on this farm also,” Maggie said.
Growing up, Maggie was the youngest of four children. Her brothers and sisters were her playmates, and she has fond memories of her childhood.
“The farm had a couple of ponds. My brothers built a raft, and of course I had to try it out. We had a horse we rode. We played all sorts of games out in the pine grove, swung on a rope swing and dived into haylofts, and built snow caves in the winter.”
Other fond memories included being a member of 4-H and showing off her projects, weeding soybeans and de-tasseling corn, and tagging along with her father when he did his daily chores.
After she graduated from Iowa State University in 1974, she moved to New York City, working in advertising, marketing and fashion for 14 years, before working in advertising in Chicago for five years. After that, she moved to Dallas and worked in marketing and consulting, and also met her future husband Steve while working in Dallas.
A medical diagnosis in 2011 required her to retire, and her husband was also looking to retire, which brought them back to the family farm.
“Steve has three sons from a prior marriage in Minneapolis. We didn’t want to retire in Texas, and he wanted to be closer to his sons. I inherited the farm, and we decided Red Oak would be a good place for us to retire. I couldn’t think of any place I’d rather live,” Maggie commented.
While away from Red Oak, Maggie was very in-tune to what was going on with the farm, but she was still shocked with how things have changed.
“I was surprised at the kinds of problem weeds, the big weather events and how the weather has changed, and just the difference in how people farm.”
One of the major areas of focus for both has been keeping up to date on conservation practices.
“Our farm has been no-till since the late 1980s. My brother is a forester, so he and I are the most conservation-minded. We decided as a retirement project we wanted to do a variety of conservation practices, like prairie restoration and shrub planting. We also do a lot of things with solar power,”
Maggie said she heard about the book through Practical Farmers, and was interested in being a part of the book, to give the farm some legacy.
“None of Steve’s children have farm experience, and I have no children of my own. We don’t want the farm just sold to anybody. We felt that doing the letters would help us decide what we want to do with the farm next, though we haven’t made any decisions yet.”
Maggie said it’s been rewarding to be able to put all the memories of the farm to paper, for everyone to share in.
“Committing things to paper makes them a reality. We’re honored to be part of the book, and for the opportunity to use the writing to help us plan for the future.”
While she loves the urban environment, she said coming back to the farm has made her realize how being connected to the earth is so inspiring.
“It’s been very invigorating, but also worrisome. When we have a big storm I worry about how the farm will be affected. I can really understand now what my grandpa and my dad went through over these years. You’re at the mercy of nature, but you’re also one with nature,” Maggie said.
Teresa Opheim, Farm Transfer Program director with Practical Farmers of Iowa, compiled the volume and says: “We are so pleased that so many farmland owners like Maggie and Steve are willing to share their stories for this book. They are leaders in tackling farmland succession issues, which are affecting so many people. Forty percent of America’s farmland is owned by those ages 65 and older, so now more than ever, it is time for farmland owners to think through the legacy they want to leave behind.”
To order the book, visit www.uiowapress.org/books/2016-fall. Help for writing your own farm legacy letter is available at www.practicalfarmers/org/farmtransfer.