Submitted by Suzie Davidson, ICA Coordinator

The Charles and Maxine Smith family moved from Boone County, Indiana, to a farm in Hendricks County in 1950 with four children ages 2, 3, 4 and 6. Charlie had returned from serving in the United States Air Force during World War II and, although he did not know it at the time, contributed to what would become the Baby Boomer generation.

The original farm consisted of 250 acres, a farmhouse and a big red barn with a few outbuildings. There is a creek running through it, which made for fun ice skating in the winter, trapping and fishing and exploring in the summer. Corn, soybeans, wheat and hay were grown. Cows were milked, and there were chickens for food and eggs, as well an assortment of ducks, goats, sheep, a donkey and various horses. Of course, no farm is complete without barn cats and a dog (there was even a pet skunk).

Various beef cattle were raised, black Angus and white Charolais. At one time, there was a confined hog production operation. Mother always had a big garden, which provided frozen and canned fruits and vegetables during the winter months. All of that has gone to the wayside now as corn and soybeans are the two crops harvested, and Mother’s garden is planted around her house between the shrubs and flowers.

The farm has changed dramatically over the years because livestock production is not a source of income. Old barns have been torn down and new ones built. Fences have been taken down and a small stand of trees removed to make way for more agriculture, and there are no temporary corn cribs set up in the fields.  Because corn and beans are the main crops, there are grain bins. There are now two homes on the original farmstead instead of one. All of the barns and grain bins are painted white – red barns are a thing of the past.

Technology has improved the farm equipment. No longer is a corn picker pulled by a tractor without an enclosed cab thereby exposing the driver to dust, dirt and the elements. Instead, one piece of equipment is used, simply by changing the head, for both shelling the corn and combining the soybeans. A computer inside the air conditioned/heated cab is set to navigate the rows. Semi trucks haul the grain directly from the field instead of gravity bed wagons. And it is not unusual to see a farmer talking on his cell phone will driving a tractor or other piece of large equipment.

As time went on, additional acres were purchased that joined the original homestead with the most recent purchase of 150 acres in 2010. The farm is still owned and operated by Smith Family Farm, Inc. Charlie is 89-years-old and Maxine is 86-years-old. They have grown from a family of 6 to a family of 38. It is believed that there may be some future farmers down the line.