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west of Big Sandy. Even then life was
not easy, and during the depression
they would have moved again, but they
didn't have the money to leave, so they
stayed. Bob and his wife Martha, whom
Bob met while working in North Dakota
between growing seasons, were Steve's
grandparents.
As the years marched on, the farm
was passed down to Bob and Martha's
son, Ernest, in the early 1950's. During
the years that Ernest and his wife
Marlys farmed, land expansion called
for more efficient equipment. Ernest
was a great mechanic and enjoyed good
tools. Mostly he bought used equipment
and made it mechanically sound. His
grandchildren don't remember getting
toys as a Christmas gift from their
grandfather; they received tools.
He had two sons, Bryan and Steve,
who occasionally thought they had
better ideas or a better method for
getting something done as young
teenagers often do. Ernest would
remind them that, "I might not always
be right, but I'm boss." After they
grew older, they were given quite a
bit of latitude in the decision-making
processes. "I was most fortunate to
work beside my dad," said Steve. He
Harvest continues for weeks
at the Bahnmiller farm
southwest of Big Sandy.
In this Bahnmiller photo, the men
are hurrying with seeding as they
watch a spring storm roll in.
Photo Provided by Bahnmiller Farms