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Mid MO | My Dad graduated in 67. Started buying our place in 80, from my Pawpaw. Terrible draught that year. Dad paid 18% interest, so he made 2 pmts a year to save $. I think that was on his opp loan.
Grandparents benefited from the interest rates. My Grandmother was a big saver.
NFO ran a hog buying station. Grouped up little bunches of hogs into loads and marketed them for a better price. Had to work sorting hogs so every often, if you were a member.
Had a neighbor get drafted(Vietnam). His family went to see him off and left 1 brother behind to sort hogs. Dad happened to be dropping off hogs that day. He wasn't busy so he stayed to help. They loaded something like 1,000 hogs. Dad said it was the most hogs he ever moved in a day.
NFO eventually went away. Buyers bought out one another and markets closed. "Big boy" from the next county over wouldn't join and was under cutting them for a penny a pound. Thought he was too big to fail. He's gone now too.
Dad said it was a good thing while it lasted, helped a lot of folks keep going. He got out of hogs in 94. I remember when Dad paid off our farm. That was a big deal and a proud day.
I don't remember any white crosses on the courthouse steps here, but I remember the neighbor boys moving away and Willy Nelson on tv. Funny feeling as a kid when you can feel the fear and worry on the adults but don't know why. Since then I've decided that my Dad is some kind of genius to have gotten us through that.
My Dad's generation was one of the largest to return to the farm. Mine is one of the smallest, but both my brother and I farm. That can only be because of our folks. Hope we can do a good of a job as Dad.
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Farm strike 1978
