Farming is hard, but if you ask people who know about farming from decades past, “hard” isn’t the right word to describe it. “When you see how it used to be done, it’s amazing anything got …
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Farm history comes alive at annual heritage days
Posted
By Kate Miller, Record Staff Writer
Farming is hard, but if you ask people who know about farming from decades past, “hard” isn’t the right word to describe it.“When you see how it used to be done, it’s amazing anything got done,” said Charlie Hoelscher, president of the Warren County Missouri Old Thresher’s Association.“It required a lot of labor. Everything was manual, and nothing was easy.”To put it in today’s terms, the evolution of farm equipment, from push plow to combine, is similar to the evolution of the car safety seat. At one time, cars didn’t have seat belts.Check out the photo gallery from the event here: http://bit.ly/2bD9rBEAt one time, children weren’t required to sit in safety seats. At one time, air bags didn’t exist. Now, a world without these things are unimaginable, just like doing things the old way on a farm is unimaginable.That’s the point though. Farmers want people to remember farming’s roots and how closely tied those roots are to the nation’s founding and its history.Old farm equipment was put on display at the Farm Heritage Days, held Aug. 13-14 in Warrenton. This year’s event was the 39th hosted by the thresher’s association.The event, which is visited by as many as 600 people a day, offers vendors, demonstrations and activities for all ages, and all with an old-time farm theme. There were storytellers, threshing machines, early tractors, a sawmill demonstration, and much more. The event focuses on farming from 1900 to 1960. People who farmed during those later years were there to talk about how it really was.“I learned a lot from older people,” Hoelscher said. “If you listen to them talk about the older days, you can learn.”Alan Emge, show director, said people are often stunned by the primitive way Americans farmed. “Most people comment on how dangerous the equipment used to be,” he said, adding that the gadgets of yesteryear had open blades, pulleys and other safety hazards that made farming dangerous.Kids were among the most curious at the event. They climbed tractors, shucked corn, tinkered with old tools and push and peddle machines of yesteryear.“It’s amazing it actually entertains them,” Hoelscher said. “It’s like a new toy they never got to play with.”The mission of the association is to preserve the heritage of rural, farming life. Farm Heritage Days is its biggest event and is held annually during the second weekend in August.
Ryan and 5 year old Colton Kohlbusch ride a Case tractor.
