The year 1978 was a terrible year for farmers in the mid west. Grain elevators closed their doors and, farmers were in debt. The story takes place in Ida lake, Iowa on the Rolling Hills farm.
February first, 1978
Today Mark went and got the mail and he got a notice from the Farm Credit Service saying "Mark Anderson of rolling Acres farm owes us 130,000 dollars in farm loans. You must pay 50,000 dollars in 75 days or their will be a foreclosure." He came crashing into the house cussing up a storm. I asked " What's a matter" " The goddamn Farm Credit Service wants their damn money back!" " I told him calm down the kids are still asleep." The he just stormed out of the house and got in the truck and drove away. He didn't show up until eight o'clock that night.
Nancy Anderson
February third, 1978
Me and mark woke up early and took 15 head of cattle to market to sell. We brought in 20,000 dollars. Mark said "Only 30,000 left to pay." He took a old family tractor a ford 8n he sold it for 10,000 dollars to an auction company. He was so sad that it was going to be sold on auction.
Nancy Anderson
October 14th, 1978
Harvest is moving by so fast we bought a new combine last fall it sure does clean the crop great. We get the cleanest grain samples ever. It is a Gleaner F2 be run a 25 foot platform head for the wheat. We run a four row corn head. We got the 50,000 dollars paid off in August. We had to sell our swine operation to pay the rest off. In September we bought a 4640 from a foreclosing farmer. It is a very smooth tractor with the gears. We also bought a a 400 bushel grain cart from a local welder. It really makes us move through corn.
Nancy Anderson
YOU ARE READING
Farming in the 1980's
Non-FictionThe farm crisis hits hard in northwest Iowa on the Anderson Farm
