A Family Farm: Life on an Illinois Dairy Farm

In a new memoir, Robert Switzer tells the story of his family's dairy farm and captures the experience of millions of other family farmers over the course of the 20th century. The book, "A Family Farm: Life on an Illinois Dairy Farm," puts one family's story into the context of the economic and political forces that shaped American agriculture from the 19-teens to the early 1990s. It's a very personal story, told without sentimentality, of the loss of this way of life for millions of farmers.
Read more about the book here: www.news.illinois.edu/news/12/...

[@jerrybaird2059]

Excellent video. My family history has some similarities to yours, but more unhappiness. Around 1919, my grandfather left his job as a postmaster and bought a farm in Campbell Hill southeast of St. Louis. He thought he would become rich and overrode the pleas of my Grandmother, taking out a mortgage. Prices fell, he couldn’t pay the interest and foreclosure began. Then in additional cruelty of fate, he went blind. One day he stumbled to the barn and shot himself. My Grandmother gave the insurance money to the bank, an unthinkable in the 21st century. Decades later, my uncle, also a farmer, said it best: “It’s a sweet life, but sometimes a hard one.”

[@davidkimmel4216]

Very enjoyable. Thanks

[@fasx56]

Very well done video and a personal story of a family and their farm and how farming evolved in this country and all the difficulties and trials and some good times the family went through. Farming was and still is a lot of hard work and a gamble on crop prices and the weather. We as a country do not appreciate our farmers enough, they are the ones who keep our grocery store shelves stocked with food and we all take it for granted, thank you farmers of America.

[@CountyLineCowpokes]

Would love for you to check out our TH-cam channel, County Line Cowpokes! We are a multi-generational family farm and ranch having fun and doing what we love!❤️

[@brycewiborg8095]

Your family, and mine. Thank you.

[@joelee662]

This was a great fram story I like the pictures 👍🇺🇸
those people work very hard I know I grew up on a farm well thank you for sharing this video 👍🇺🇸.

[@CountyLineCowpokes]

Would love for you to check out our TH-cam channel, County Line Cowpokes! We are a multi-generational family farm and ranch having fun and doing what we love!❤️

[@deonelawlar8726]

Grew up on a farm n Mckenzie county western n dak our big tractor was a 730 John Deere great life growing up on a farm during the 50s and 60s

[@CountyLineCowpokes]

Would love for you to check out our TH-cam channel, County Line Cowpokes! We are a multi-generational family farm and ranch having fun and doing what we love!❤️

[@LedgemereHeritageFarm]

My father used the same program after wwii and started a dairy. He was a sailor too

[@dawnmoser7517]

thank u for sharing,enjoyed

[@CountyLineCowpokes]

Would love for you to check out our TH-cam channel, County Line Cowpokes! We are a multi-generational family farm and ranch having fun and doing what we love!❤️

[@creepymoi]

life seemed very hard in many ways and sometimes when I'm out walking I think about it, that those who lived before formed much of the society we live in today

[@liamalan2531]

Wow I live only 20 minutes from there! Very interesting.

[@farmingsmalltownandruralla1597]

beautiful and sad story, thank you

[@CountyLineCowpokes]

Would love for you to check out our TH-cam channel, County Line Cowpokes! We are a multi-generational family farm and ranch having fun and doing what we love!❤️

[@7viewerlogic670]

Good video.

[@CountyLineCowpokes]

Would love for you to check out our TH-cam channel, County Line Cowpokes! We are a multi-generational family farm and ranch having fun and doing what we love!❤️

[@nieyswen7945]

i like that

[@dougtheviking6503]

So who sold it ?

[@LadySpace_888]

This didn't really delve into what life was like on a dairy farm at all.

[@woodchuck1946]

Dairy farm....... not one picture of a cow!