This was my dad’s farm in 1971 (Robert Ellefson). My youngest brother, Donny, owns and operates the farm today. My great grandfather (Hans) and grandfather (Edward) bought the farm from the Shipman family in 1905. My three brothers and myself all grew up on this farm as did my dad and his two sisters. I think the only building still standing is the barn which was built in 1948.

Hi Ron! It's fascinating to hear about the history of your family's farm in 1971. It must hold so many memories for you and your relatives. If you don't mind sharing, we'd love to know more about the kind of farming your family has done on the property over the years. Also, we're curious to know if you've noticed any significant changes to the area since this aerial photo was taken.

Until about 20 years ago the farm had been a dairy farm throughout its history. Donny’s knees could no longer handle the strain of twice a day milking and he switched over to beef, cash crops and doing custom work for other farms. When I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s virtually every farm was a single family dairy farm. Now there are only a handful of dairy farms remaining in the area and they are huge corporate operations.