This is an excerpt from "A History of Shelby County Iowa 1915" Perry McDowell born May 17,1866 "Poets often tell the truth and the old song which contains the refrain "The farmer feeds them all" states a very fundamental economic truth. Without the farmer the rest of the country would starve within a week despite the large amount of food in cold storage. Every occupation might be done away with but farming and people could live. A total cessation of farming for a very short time would actually depopulate the whole world. A man can live without banks his whole life but deprive him of his bread and his career is soon ended. Farming is becoming an honored profession: Our district schools are teaching it as a science and our colleges are granting degrees for agricultural courses. The farmers of any community sustain the people dependent on every other profession. Without the farmer the banker would close his doors, the manufacturer would shut down his factory and the railroads would suspend operations. Among the honored men of Shelby County, Iowa, who help keep the banker, the manufacturer, and the railroads is Perry McDowell of Douglas Township." I think it is amazing that something written almost 100 years ago still rings true today. The family farmer is the foundation on which this country was built. We Keepers of the Land are honor bound to produce the best foods, preserve our history, and honor the men and women that came before us. Meg