What’s right is right

There is no doubt that farming was Dad’s passion and what he truly loved to do. Even though sometimes he really got worked up over it, anyone around during the times when the hay was down and there was a chance for rain knows how he could get. The crappy part is that we really do not have too many pictures of him farming.

The story behind the pictures below is based around the simple idea of what is right is right and sometimes you have to take on the government to prove a point. Dad sold off a few lots on the other side of the road from the dairy which was entirely pasture field. After he got rid of the cows, he would just bale the hay and sell it. Now the county saw those few lots sold off and said, wait a second, we can charge him tax on the rest of that land because we are hurting for money. So they just increased the taxes substantially because the taxes are much lower on farm land.

When dad saw this he was pissed. I remember him talking to me on the phone and telling me he was going to get a lawyer because it was bullshit. I told him he was crazy because you cannot take on the government. There was months of back and forth between him, the lawyer, and the county. They even went so far to say, “well we were out there and we did not see anyone farming.”

Dad used a few choice words I am sure and pointed out that when you farm you are not out in the field all the time. So the pictures below were taken for evidence of him farming the rest of the pasture. You can see that he is mowing everything down. In the end he won his lawsuit and I could not believe it. Of course they had already spent the money so there was no refund so they said they would take it off the next year which they still have not done.

I am glad it happened as we now have at least a few pictures of him out in the field.

Shawn