There has been a transition with family farms for many decades. Dairy farming has slowly, and not so slowly, accelerated from small family farms milking a small number of cows to milking several hundred and some milking several thousand or they go out of business. Farming has changed the way the crops are raised and produced. In the past, hay was bailed primarily in small rectangular bales weighing 50-85 pounds. It was labor intensive putting up thousands of bales and filling the barns for the cattle during the winter months. Now, hay is chopped and put in tube-like enclosures hundreds of feet long, and in huge piles. Other times hay is baled in large round bales weighing several hundred pounds each. This transition in farming has made the old hip-style barns obsolete. Milking the cows has moved from the stanchion to the milking parlor. Today’s interview is the third farmer/former farmer interview who has transitioned away from farming. The first two farm interviews were dairy farmers. Today’s farmer was a beef farmer.
Marion Press: Ron, I know from experience, you are a pillar of this community. Please tell us about yourself as to where you’re born and where you’re raised.
Ron: I was born in this house right here 339 21 Mile Road, Marion. I lived here until after I graduated from Marion High School.
MP: Your roots go deep on this property. Your roots run here for generations. I will ask you more of your generational roots, but now please tell our readers how you and Glenda met.
Ron: I worked for a company out of Lake City, and I went there on weekends to pick up my paycheck. This would be during the years of 1965-66. While doing so, I became acquainted with a few people. A few of those people played sports. During some of these sporting events, I had the opportunity to meet Glenda’s sisters. Glenda was the youngest of 5 sisters. Two of my friends married her older sisters. I was the best man at one of the weddings. That is how Glenda and I met.
MP: Ron, when did you start dating?
Ron: Well, that is a funny story. I am 5 years older than Glenda. So, when we met, she was still in school at Lake City High School and was not 18. I gave her a quarter and told her to call me when she turned 18, which she did. Glenda spoke up and said, “I still have the quarter and it is solid silver. Before Glenda graduated, her sister lined us up for me to take Glenda to the prom. That was probably our first date. Glenda graduated in May of 1968, and we were married on July 19, 1969.
MP: After your marriage did you live in Marion?
Ron: No, we moved to a Lake north of Battle Creek. I went to Battle Creek to work in a furniture store. We lived there for about five years when our son was due to start school. We moved back to Marion and purchased the farm on 20 Mile Road west of Marion.
MP: Tell us about the farm on 20 Mile Road.
Ron: The property already had a farmhouse and a barn. We started farming right away. We raised beef cattle that were crossbred. They were crossed between Hereford, Angus, and Holstein. We started with about 12 head and eventually left about 50. Most of our beef was sold through the Marion Livestock Auction. We only raised hay for our cattle’s consumption. There were other farmers like Jake Quist who raised corn, but it was only on a lease basis. We had an agreement that after so many yearly crops the ground would be seeded back to hay.
MP: What kind of machinery did you use on the farm?
Ron: I started with an old Cock Shutt 30 tractor. Eventually, after a year or two, I bought two case tractors, a 430 and a 730. I used the 430, a smaller tractor, to clean the barns. The 730 was a 4-bottom plow tractor.
MP: We know how you and Glenda met and were married. Tell us about your children and grandchildren.
Ron: Our oldest child is our son James, who lives in Montana. He is retired from the Air Force and is now the postmaster at Fort Harrison which is a military base in Montana. James has a daughter and a son. His son Jordon and his wife live in Tennessee. James’ daughter is Alexandra who also lives in Tennessee and is a teacher.
Our number two child is Audra and she lives near Tustin and has two children. She works at Cadillac. Audra has a daughter Paige who lives in Cadillac. Glenda gets the honor of babysitting Paige’s little boy each week. Audra’s son is Levi and is a senior in high school.
Our number three child is Dawn. She lives between Mancelona and Kalkaska. She has a daughter Destiny and a son, Dustin.
MP: Ron, would you tell our readers your work history?
Ron: Right after high school I worked for McPherson Road Construction and their offices were in Lake City. The owners were Mike and Leon Tenbrock from Marion. They gave me my first start at work. I can’t say how much I appreciate those guys. After our marriage, I worked at the furniture store in Battle Creek. Again, after moving back from Battle Creek, we farmed on 20 Mile Road. I worked in Cadillac for years in addition to farming. I worked at NOC (Northern Opportunity) Industries. I started as a night foreman and then went up to be in charge of shipping and receiving. When I left, I was plant manager of NOC. I worked there from 1979 through 1998. I needed the benefits for the children.
MP: You have had several community involvements in the Marion area. What were/are those involvements?
Ron: I have been the chairman of the alumni committee for 10 years. We organize a reunion once a year. It coincides with Old Fashion Days in Marion.
I was on the Fair Board for several years. I was speed secretary for the horse races at the fairgrounds. I was responsible for the horse pull events.
I serve on the board of the Marion Area Historical Society We have been attending the Marion Baptist Church between 30 and 40 years. I help with the food distribution for Feeding America once a month in Marion.
MP: The farm you reside on now (21 Mile Road) has been in your family for a long time over a hundred years. Tell us the history of the generations.
Ron: My father had a few head of cattle, but his occupation was owning and operating a sawmill, Earl Lloyd Sawmill. My grandfather Lloyd moved here from the Harrison area. He purchased this farm in 1901. The farm passed to my father and mother. After my mother passed away, I purchased the farm from my siblings.
MP: When did you stop farming and why?
Ron: We sold the cows in 2015. I retired in 2017 and we took a trip to Alaska for about 6 weeks.
We decided to retire from farming because of my age and it became harder to get young people to help. The shoveling got to where my arms wouldn’t take it and so part of the decision was my age.
MP: Glenda, you have been a farmer›s wife, a mother, a homemaker, a farm hand being a helpmate to Ron. Please tell your story that parallels Ron’s.
Glenda: I was born in Caldwell Township in Missaukee County and lived there through the 12th grade. I attended Lake City Area Schools. I spent most of my time growing up on the beach of Lake Missaukee. I was a beach bum. I had never been on a farm other than to visit a few times with my friends. So, living on the farm with Ron was a new experience for me and I got right into it. I milked cows, made butter, and did anything I could to help. I was a stay-at-home mom until our kids were all in school. Then I got a factory job at Evart Products in Evart. I retired there in 2016.
MP: Do you have any hobbies?
Ron: I have a collection of tractors. I spend some of my time on these special tractors. The tractors I collect are Cock Shutts. I still have that tractor I moved up here with and started farming with. I’ve had it since we moved up here in 1975.
MP: Ron, you have raised your children in the Marion area. You now have grandchildren and a great-grandchild, you have had successful careers and many, including myself, consider you a pillar of the community, what is the most meaningful to you?
Ron: This community was supportive of me when I had the accident and they raised about $2500, which was a good amount of money in 1960. When I turned 21 that money was turned over to me and I bought a house in Marion on Carland Street and used part of the money for repairs. When Glenda and I were married and moved to Battle Creek I sold the house in Marion and used the money to buy our house in Battle Creek. Five years later we sold our Battle Creek house and used the money to buy the farm West area of Marion on 20 Mile. I always took care of that money and invested it instead of spending it on cars, toys, or anything else.
Another very meaningful area of our lives is our children. Each one has lived lives worthy of admiration and respect. They have served this country, their communities, and their families well. We are proud of them.
First and foremost, our family, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild mean everything to us. Our love and affection for them are priceless and dear to our hearts. In addition to our family, our community who reached out and touched my life, a boy at 14 years of age, has created within me a deep sense of appreciation, gratitude, and love for this hometown. Words cannot express the deep sense of belonging and affection that I and Glenda feel toward our friends in this community. I have dedicated myself to fulfilling and maintaining a sense of pride and determination to honor the goodness and generosity of this, my loving community.