Charles Derry, Chuck, of rural Rippey was part of the panel, “Evolution of Farming in Greene County.” This was one of the four History Chat conversations during the Greene County Fair, sponsored by the Greene County Historical Society. Chuck is pictured here with Jerry Fields, Jed McGee, moderator, Roger Custer, and Mike Bravard.
Chuck was the only one on the panel and from the audience who had farmed with horses. He was in about the 7th grade, when his dad hitched the horses for him, and he cultivated with a one row cultivator. He was pressed into service as the family was getting behind in removing the weeds from the field, so the tractor and horses were both used. He described having the reins around his neck, and he would just turn them at the end of the row, and they would walk straight down the row. (A laughable moment as that now occurs for farmers with Global Positioning Systems, GPS).
He was also able to describe the wires used in the checking of corn. That means it could be cultivated both ways in the field. This led to a conversation about how chemicals have changed farming. Allowing decreased labor because of herbicides and thicker populations of seeds due to applied chemical fertilizer.
It was a wide-ranging discussion from caring for livestock, to equipment, to least favored farm chores. A video was made by Roger Aegerter and will be available on the Greene County Historical Society Museum web site.
Thank you, Chuck, for representing Rippey.