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Where do you live, and why?
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Ben D, N CA
Posted 10/3/2012 16:53 (#2621693 - in reply to #2621319)
Subject: RE: Where do you live, and why?



Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot		I was born and raised here in the valley. I bought this place from my grandfather in 2003. He was the only other owner, as the whole area was a lake bed prior to that, and was drained to make into farms. Although where the house and shop sits is above the lake level, on the old beach. Everything we farm is all nice black lake bottom though. After WWII the last parts of the lake to be drained were drawn in a lottery to WWII vets, who had farming experience, enough capital to develop the farm, and three letters of recommendation stating their good moral character.

I'd always wanted to farm, but after my dad went bankrupt growing potatoes, he got a pretty bad attitude regarding agriculture. He ended up taking over my grandfathers farm and horseradish operation, and in between college and working I always came and helped him out. Ended up getting some ground of my own, but unless it was farmed Dad's way, he wanted no part of it. His ways weren't very progressive, not to mention he didn't ever use any fertilizer since he still owed suppliers from the 90's. I could tell it wasn't going to work, and with no land or equipment of my own I went back to school and worked on rock crushers to pay my way through college.

My high school sweetheart (also a local, 5 generations I think) was going to school in OR, but she was working here for an alfalfa grower to pay her way through school. I was hanging around his operation quite a bit, ended up becoming friends with guy, and we wanted to get married. Since I was working on the road, I decided working for him would be a better fit so I could be home. Before I finished the seasonal rock crusher job however, my grandfather called and wanted to sell his home place. I jumped at the chance. He financed part of it off the books, and the bank financed the rest. Dad was not happy about it at all, even though he had first chance to buy it. He thought he should inherit it, I guess. Not to mention he knew he wouldn't be farming it any longer. I wasn't really welcomed back home by him.

Long story short, it has always been home to me. Just took a long time to make it back home. My wife grew up 20 miles from here, and her family has always lived in the valley as well, so we both have roots here. But neither one of us is real sentimental, and we've though often about selling our farms here and moving to another part of the valley or to some other western state. Lot of nice places out there. We both like west Texas and Idaho.
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