MARJORIE YERMAN | One on One It's a wonderful life, down on the farm

Q. Are you a pioneer of sorts, as a female president of the Mahoning County Farm Bureau?
A. Well, I was the first woman president in Mahoning County when I took office five years ago, but there are more of us than you might think. I just came back from an Ohio Farm Bureau conference in Washington, D.C., and out of 88 Ohio counties, maybe one-fourth of the presidents were women.
Q. How long has farming been a part of your life?
A. As long as I can remember. My parents had a 250-acre dairy farm in Poland. I used to have to get up and milk the cows before I went to school, starting when I was about 8 or 9 years old, but I loved it. We were in 4-H, and we always had a lot of fun with it. We raised dairy calves, and then we were in the Steer Club and had to teach the steers how to lead for shows. They'd grow to be 1,100 to 1,200 pounds. We ran so many fields with those steers, trying to teach them how to follow a lead. I wish everybody could have the experience of farm life. It's a wonderful life.
Q. You were probably hoping to marry a farmer?
A. Oh yes. I was always looking for a farmer. (Laughs.) My husband's family had been farming since 1922, and when we were married in 1960 we went into the dairy business. We switched over to beef cattle in 1969, and about that time we both went to work full time. I worked for Farmers National Bank; George got a job with the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services. We couldn't make a living with farming alone, but we still enjoyed it. Our vacation was making 5,500 bales of hay every summer.
Q. Are you still farming?
A. No. We rent out the farm to a farmer who raises corn, wheat, hay and soybeans. We sold the cows in 1982. We had to do that for health reasons. Coming back that day, it was like coming home from a funeral. It still chokes me up today.
Q. That must have been a difficult time.
A. It was kind of strange. We went out to the field the morning we were going to sell them, and the cows made a big circle around us and stood there mooing. It seemed like they knew. It was so sad. It broke my heart.
Q. You've been forced to retire from farming, but it seems like you've managed to stay very active in the industry through the farm bureau.
A. Oh yes, it gets in your blood. It's a part of me. I'm also on the Mahoning County Extension Advisory Board for 25 years. I work as a volunteer at the Mill Creek Park Experimental Farm. I'm a 4-H Alumni treasurer and past adviser, a trustee for the Lake Milton-Craig Beach Library Board and a precinct committee person for Milton Township. And of course I've been on the Mahoning County Farm Bureau board for over 25 years. It keeps me occupied.
Q. What does the farm bureau do for the farming community?
A. It's a grass-roots organization. Each township has its own council. We meet every month to discuss issues, then we meet with legislators to let them know what the farmers' needs are. We're always asking them to support legislation for farm programs.
Q. Is it tough to be a farmer today?
A. Yes, it's very hard. The prices that farmers are being paid for their products are so low, and the cost of production are getting higher and higher. There's the high cost of fuel, seed, fertilizer and machinery. It's hard to make it. There's a lot of pressure for farmers to get bigger. A dairy farmer used to be able to make a good living with 20 cows, now it takes at least 400 cows. The average farm in Mahoning County was 150 acres five years ago -- now it's 200 acres.
More and more farmers are working off the farm, and a lot of people are selling out, if the price is right. It's scary.
Q. What about government subsidies? Don't those help offset the low prices?
A. We've never had subsidies for dairy or beef, but most farmers don't like subsidies anyway. They keep the prices down. Most farmers believe that prices will be more fair if subsidies are phased out.
Q. What other legislative issues are farmers interested in?
A. We want to see the estate tax eliminated. That's a big one. The way the law is now, it's very hard for a farmer to pass his land on to his children. When he dies, his estate has to pay a big tax, and sometimes the only way the children can pay it is to liquidate the farm.
Q. With all the activities you're involved in, I doubt you have much free time, but what do you enjoy when you have a spare afternoon or evening?
A. Oh, I love gardening. I usually plant five dozen tomatoes, some cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, beans, beets and dill. That's my vegetable garden. And it's nothing for me to plant 30 flats of flowers. I love to give the vegetables away, and I enjoy the work. It's my exercise.
Q. I can't help noticing you have several cats, and a lot of flowers around the house.
A. Well, we have 14 cats. Most of them stay outside. And I love to do silk arrangements -- better than housework. I took some flower arranging courses. In fact one woman wanted me to be a teacher, but I told her I didn't have the time.
Q. Do you find time for the Canfield Fair?
A. Oh, I've been going to the fair all my life, and I don't think I ever missed one. I'm there before it starts, setting up the Mahoning County Extension booth, and then I'm there every day. I always go to see the animals first. I might buy a hot sausage, but I don't eat much of the food at the fair. I always take a lunch. For me, the fair is the people. It's just so rewarding to know so many wonderful people.
XThe interview was conducted by Cynthia Vinarsky, Vindicator staff writer.