I have been mulling this post in my head for nearly a month. It is more than just documenting a significant milestone in my family's life, revisiting an emotional event, or honoring my parents for reaching the end of an active and successful farming career. The difficulty lies in writing about my Dad and acknowledging here for the first time that he is not doing well. My Dad, as I have known him, is slipping away, seemingly faster every day. In fact, at this writing, he is in the ICU at St. Francis Hospital (hopefully to be transferred soon), having stabilized from another stroke.
I see the photos below and can almost trick myself into believing that I have somehow exaggerated his condition, but the truth is, I haven't had a real conversation with my Dad in a long time. We get glimpses of Dad, but the curtain parts less often, for shorter and shorter periods of time. I miss his laugh, his questions, and of course, just talking.
Right before we left the States in early October to return to Albania, Mom shared that they were considering a sale of all their farm equipment at a public auction. We have known for years that the farm equipment was their 'retirement plan', but the actual retirement date was an enigma. As fourth generation farmers on both sides of the family, and no apparent heir to take over the reins, the transition plan has been somewhat nebulous. Financially Mom and Dad felt they needed to farm several more years to end as they would like, to pay down debt. However, the last three years Dad has gotten weaker and weaker until this year his body just quit on him. A stressful job, bad genetics, poor health -- they all took their toll on Dad.
We didn't really understand the situation when we went home last summer, but in God's goodness, we got to spend some time with him during what would probably be the last summer he could be up and out with us. It made the 'goodbyes' on October 4 particularly tough as we had noticed a significant decline between our arrival and departure. I had barely been back in Albania a month when Mom told me the auction had been confirmed, a date set, and Dad wanted me home to experience it with them. Thankfully, I had an incredibly gracious and supportive husband and children who released me without guilt to go.
Soon after I arrived in Illinois, I was joined by Jenny, Seth and the girls from Vermont. We all stayed out in the farm house with Mom. Dad, and Hannah and prepped for what was going to be a monumental event.
The auctioneer had strategically arranged every sale item in a semi-circle around the farm. Almost hourly, every day leading up to the auction, pick up trucks and cars drove around the perimeter to inspect the goods for sale. Mom's phone rang just as often, fielding phone calls from individuals all over the United States. Mom and Jim (long-time hired man) had spent weeks in November and December pulling out and organizing every item in every machine shed to be sold.
(above) Dad's work bench above, almost completely bare.
(below) Mom and Jim filled rack after rack like the one below with tools, cords, filters, cans, even farm signs Dad had collected over the years... Dad was never one to be 'unprepared' for any need or emergency.
Back in the nooks and crannies of old sheds they found antiques from Grandpa's farming days, like the Montgomery Ward flare box wagons below.
...and my great-grandfather's clay-pigeon shooter (from at least the 1920s, likely earlier).
Mom gave the little girls cleaning tools to clean up some of the smaller items, like the Ranger "Muffin" (below) to look their best to potential buyers.
Mom basically sold everything that wasn't nailed to the ground except a single riding lawn mower and the Gator.
All of the user manuals were located and attached to the item for sale.
The tractors also remained in the machine shed until sale day. Below is the 1978 John Deere 4440 that I remember riding in with Dad as a little girl. She ended up selling well. If compared to auction prices for all JD 4440s (manufactured between 1978 and 1982) sold in 2017, Dad and Mom's would have had the highest sale price of any 1978 model in 2017, and 8th highest price in the US in 2017 for all model years '78-'82....
From my earliest memories, I was always taught to take care of my belongings. Toys were not left outside where the elements would cause them to fade or rust. Every item had its place. Buying quality almost always saved money in the long-run. And ultimately, Dad and Mom modeled the words they expressed: everything we had was God's and we were accountable for how we cared for those belongings. As the days following the auction passed and we could evaluate the sale prices against statistics, I realized that my Dad's stewardship of everything he owned was recognized and rewarded.
The night before the auction, one of my dad's Apha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity brothers from the University of Illinois, stopped by to visit. He had seen the sale advertised and drove more than 2 hours to tell Dad (and us) what an impression Dad had made on him during the year they lived together (47 years ago!) -- that he remembered Dad sleeping with a Bible by his bed and living his life with according to the principles he verbalized. Not having heard many stories about my Dad's university days, it was a gift to get a picture of his life during that season and that hear that he wasn't all that different of a person than the one I knew as his daughter.
The nieces loved the 'farm kid' perk of driving the Gator (not on the road, of course). Yeah, I wish we'd had a Gator when I was their age, ha ha.
Missing Hannah... (she had work that night)
The auctioneer and his crew set out signs the day before, including at surrounding intersections to point buyers to the farm!
It was something else, walking around and looking at all the tools and equipment Dad has used over the years. Some items I remember from early childhood -- many I couldn't believe he still owned! Other pieces were new to me, but for the most part, it was a bit like walking back through time.
The morning of the auction we were up before the sun. I'll never forget waking to the sound of Jim starting up ALL the tractors as well as the combine, letting the diesel engines warm up before slowly moving them out of the machine shed to their sale location, a line up on the frozen field. So much horsepower represented in all of those engines -- it was something to hear them ALL roaring at once.
Walking between the tractors parked out in the frozen field, watching the sun rise, was the moment when it started to get real. I just remember praying and thanking God for his provision and protection throughout Dad and Mom's lives. Farming is a wildly unpredictable livelihood. It can also be extremely dangerous, no matter how many precautions one takes.
But for 46 years, God protected and provided -- through many ups and downs in the economy and evolutions in technology.
Of all the tractors we could have chosen to pose in front of (below), we chose the one that would sell the closest to home... it was purchased by our cousin! Myself with my two sisters.
Mom and Dad never 'pushed' the farming lifestyle on us as girls. To be sure, we joined 4-H, walked beans, de-tasseled corn, painted fuel tanks and machine sheds, helped load planters, ran water jugs to Dad working in the field, mowed and mowed and mowed some more, and accompanied Dad on more runs to count cattle and check on irrigation systems, but I never really showed any interest in the equipment. It would prove to be quite stressful on auction day when I stood with my heart in my throat, completely clueless if things were selling for a good price, or about to be sold for a song!
While there were so many items sold that day (nearly 450 individual lots), we couldn't know where every item went. The copies of the registered bidders list (around 340) showed individuals had traveled from at least five different states. That doesn't include the online bidders.
We did hear an interesting story about the scoop tractor below, far right. Apparently John Deere made very few like her in 1974 so she went to the largest private collector of John Deere tractors in the United States where she will be restored and put on display in climate-controlled comfort! Next time we're passing through upstate New York we can try to see her!
I couldn't help but wonder if Jacob's Road had ever seen as much traffic as it saw on January 18. Truck after truck, many pulling trailers in anticipation of making a purchase, started streaming in pretty regularly about an hour before the auction was set to begin.
The small items on the racks were set to sell first. You can see folks perusing those racks before the sale began.
Mom gave some opening words to kick off the auction.
We were grateful Dad's life-long friend, Leonard Wheat, came to accompany Dad so we could follow the action and visit with the many, many neighbors and friends who came from far and wide to bid as well as just support us with their presence. The auction began at 10AM but I didn't go inside for lunch until after three o'clock.
The auctioneer's truck drove from item to item, on a pre-designed route around the items for sale.
25 minutes after bidding opened, there was still a line to register for a bidding number.
We were honored that nationally-known farm equipment expert, "Machinery Pete", learned about the sale, promoted it on his website, then attended the sale in person with his film crew for his television program. Portions of the sale have been featured on two episodes this month.
Bidding started on the hand tools first. Much later in the day, someone approached Mom to ask if they could borrow a certain type of tool to hook up their new purchase to their truck... except she literally did not have anything larger than some small hand tools in the house for minor repairs!
The auctioneer, Mike Maske (whom we thoroughly enjoyed working with, along with his team of 12 who helped that day), hired Tua and Pippa to be his sheet runners. Basically, each sheet held the item number, sold price, and winning bidder's number, for twelve items. As soon as the sheet was filled with 12 sales, one of the girls would run it from the auctioneer's truck to the ladies in the office trailer parked in the machine shed where they accepted and processed payments. Tua lasted a few hours, but Pip stuck with it to the end. Needless to say she cashed in her chips and went to bed at 6:30 that night! I just wish we had a step counter on her because I'm sure she ran miles! Neither girl will forget taking part in their grandparents' auction!
By 11:00, things were humming, with the ever-present sound of of the auctioneer's "singing" through the loudspeakers in the background.
It was really overwhelming to see so much activity and feel the energy pulsating through the air.
And to see so, so many pick-up trucks surrounding the farm (and still streaming down the road too)!
I couldn't figure out how to get a photograph to capture the size of the crowd ... then I heard the auctioneer had a drone there... photos below courtesy of Mike Maske Auctions.
You didn't have to be a farmer to find something to buy. My Aunt Marcia scored some farm signs (below).
Funny side-note: a former employee of Mom and Dad's talked to my aunt for several minutes before my aunt realized that this friend had mistaken her for her sister (my Mom). It validated a humorous observation we made which was that because it was so sunny and cold, everyone had dressed in many layers, including sunglasses, rendering most of us unrecognizable to each other! It wasn't until looking at the bidder sheets that I learned that many old friends and neighbors had attended, we just didn't 'see' them!
While there was someone selling food in the machine shed (a fundraiser for the local Boy Scouts), Mom had made heaps and heaps of food for the family and closest friends. Special thanks to my Aunt Miriam for supervising the buffet in the house so we were free to attend the auction!
Grandpa Van (left) with my Dad's cousin, Tom.
While Dad sat out most of the auction in the house, he did want to see how the 'big stuff' sold. Below, my cousin Dallas drives him through the now muddy fields to catch the bidding (it's now about 1:30??)
My stomach is now in knots and my photo-taking drops off dramatically. I have no idea how the bidding is going. And my only pair of shoes that I brought to America are getting quite muddy. Needless to say, they were not 'farm appropriate.'
After the last tractor sells, the bidding continues with the smaller equipment, but I'm pretty wiped out. Between the tension and shivering for hours in the cold, a massage never sounded better in my life. My neck, shoulders and back were a tight mess.
Back in the house, Mom starts the long process of signing all the titles over. The auctioneer will hold them until the payments clear.
Below, my Dad poses with Jim, his right-hand man for the past 14 years. Jim joined a line of men over decades without whom my parents could have farmed all the acres of ground they have cultivated. Jim stood by almost every item sold in case prospective buyers had questions about the item's history and specs. Again, I can't imagine Mom having been ready for the sale without Jim's assistance.
Good friends, the Bakers and Bachmans, showed up to lend their support and encouragement.
Martha and Judy!
The auction wrapped up around 4:00 and about 90 minutes later, Mike came in to report on the results.
All of a sudden, forty-six years of farming seemed to come to rapid end.
But in spite of all the sadness I felt and accompanying sentimentality (legitimately inherited from Dad), I recalled Dad's words from years ago. What had eternal value wasn't his success as a farmer, but living each day in light of eternity.
My cousin Dallas echoed similar thoughts in the video below. It was a very touching tribute to my Dad's career.
final-vlog
My quick thoughts on the end of my family’s farming legacy and how it inspires me for The Chosen…
Posted by Dallas Jenkins on Friday, January 26, 2018
For posterity -- here is my post in our Whiteford family's facebook group:
Highlights from David and Sarah vanOrman's Retirement Auction, Manito, Illinois. It started off as a COLD and windy day, but that didn't deter the crowds. 350 registered bidders from at least five states (and many more from across the country online). Many more attended just to enjoy the festivities (including one of Hannah VanOrman's customers at Schnuck's who sought me out to tell me she had invited him). The sun warmed things up and turned the fields into a soupy mess just in time for bidding on the biggest items.
We have a long list of individuals to whom we are grateful for their help and support in the process. We are thankful to long-time employee Jim Williams who knew where Dad kept everything and tirelessly helped Mom organize it all in the months leading up to the sale (pretty much from the time Mom decided upon the sale). Thank you to Darold N Marcia Hogue for coming out to assist in the organization process too (and then buying some souvenirs)! Thank you Aunt Miriam Jordan for helping host the lunch in the house! Thank you Dallas Jenkins for coming down to support us with your presence and drive Dad around on the gator. Thank you to the Shaw girls who ran sheets for the auctioneers and in doing so, played a role in a momentous day for our family. It was a LONG day and they took their job seriously! Thanks Seth Shaw for helping quietly in a million ways behind the scenes in ways we will never know from helping buyers to fetching things and anticipating what was needed next.
The auctioneer gave us a copy of the bidder registration sheet and it was humbling to see how many friends and neighbors from the community turned out that day, many whom we never saw (or didn't recognize all bundled up in their Carhartts)! Mom and Dad had friends who drove from Missouri and Michigan for the day, and Dad's cousin from Texas came as well. One of Dad's fraternity brothers whom he hadn't seen since 1971 drove 2 hours the night before to tell Dad he had seen an advertisement for the sale and he wanted to let us know what an impression Dad had made on him in the two semesters they lived in the AGR house at U of I. He said of the 72 guys in the house, Dad was the only one who kept a Bible on his dresser and he always admired Dad for taking the high road and living by his principals in a challenging environment. Dad's childhood friend, Leonard Wheat, came and assisted Dad on the day of the auction too so the rest of us could do what we needed to do..
There is more to share, but I will save that comments on the individual pictures in the album, if you have interest.
I'm posting this here because we wanted to share a snapshot of this day with you, our family, as this farm is really a part of all of us who have a connection to this place. Mom and Dad just got to be the stewards of it for these past 46 years, a portion of that time shared with Grandpa. In the end, their hard work, investment and stewardship was recognized and rewarded as they close their chapter in the farm's ongoing story. At some point, we will introduce you to the next family who will be farming the ground on our behalf.
In the mean time, if you search "Machinery Pete" (a nationally renowned expert on used farm machinery) on You Tube, he has posted two videos (so far) of the bidding of some of the larger pieces of equipment, accompanied by notes on the high, low, and average sale prices for the same models of equipment recently sold and you will see that we got fair prices on everything. At some point in February he will have three episodes online and on Dish TV featuring the sale.
We are so grateful for so many ways in which the sale unfolded -- for good advice from consultants who guided Mom and Dad through this process, for the exposure the sale was given, for an auctioneer whom we trusted, for the prices paid and items sold (I think only a solitary, worn tractor tire went unsold), for good weather (just days before it was about 25 degrees colder and driving conditions were poor), and so much more. There were many emotional and sometimes quite stressful moments but in the end, God took care of it all and the overall sales were what Mom and Dad needed, especially since this ending of their career felt rather abrupt and they felt they could not afford to retire for a few more years.
The day following the sale was actually unexpectedly harder, watching semi trucks and trailers showing up and carting things away, hearing tractors roar and go down the driveway one last time. Few transitions are easy, but we are thankful for God's provision and presence through it all. And thank you for sharing your love and support with us through it too.
Cydil, for David, Sarah, Jenny and Hannah.
