For 111 years, the LaFavre/Buttz Family has farmed in Lucas County, building a legacy with hard work and family values. "Century Farm" signs are proudly posted on farms throughout the state of Iowa. These are awarded to those who have families that have farmed their land for over 100 years. Of the 85 Century Farm families in Lucas County, the LaFavre/Buttz family is one. Five generations of the LaFavre/Buttz family have operated their farm on S56 about four miles south of Russell.
In 1902, when Grant W. LaFavre purchased and founded the family farm, advanced agriculturists were talking about "scientific farming." The improvements in which the farmers of 1902 took pride were indeed astounding when viewed in the light of their grandfathers' experiences. Farmers had ceased to broadcast seed from a heavy shoulder bag. No longer did they harvest with sickles and scythes. Horse-drawn grain drills and two-row corn planters, sickle-bar mowing machines, twine binders and steam threshing machines were beginning to appear in the fields. Hay loaders were replacing pitchforks. It was the beginning of a 50-year period when agriculture in America was becoming revolutionized.
Grant's only son, Kenneth remembered that his "growing up" years may have been easier, but they were not easy. Farming was still pretty labor intensive. His father didn't grow a lot of crops because he was still plowing by hand behind horses. He raised cows and pigs and sheep. The weather was challenging. In addition to being Depression years, the 30's was the decade of dryness, with two years, 1934 and 1936, of extreme drought. Corn yields that had previously average near 25 bushels per acre fell to 10, 5 or even 2 or less in some areas.
Kenneth told stories to his children and grandchildren about the many huge maple trees that gave the "Maple Grove" name to the homestead and lined the lane leading to the house. The drought was so bad, in order to provide for the cows, Kenneth's father, Grant, cut down one of the huge trees each day to feed the leaves to his eight to ten cattle. The wood was cut up to supplement the coal that the family used to heat the house.
Kenneth took over the farmstead in 1957. He and his wife, Opal, raised their two girls, Evelyn and Alice, on the farm. By the time Evelyn married Guy Buttz, the original house had been updated considerably with a new addition that substantially increased the size with a new kitchen and living room. In alignment with the times, Evelyn had a large garden that provided fruits and vegetables for canning to tide the family over the winter.
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| The LaFavre/Buttz Family holding their Century Farm Certificate at the Iowa State Fair in 2005. |
Pictured to the left are:
Back row - L to R - In parenthesis the generation number in the family: Josh Flanders (5) holding Cruize (6); Linda Johnson (4), Lori and Scott (5) Johnson with their son, Garrett (6) Front Row L to R: Heather (5) and Cody (6) Flanders, Guy and Evelyn LaFavre (3) Buttz, and Mark (5) and Wesley (5) Johnson. Not pictured in the Century Farm family photo are sixth generation Johnson great grandchildren: Ava, Abby, Lucy, Kent, Ty and MaCayla and Elizabeth Buttz.
Guy's experiences of those days were similar to the LaFavre family. "I remember riding the pony every morning about four miles to my Grandma's. We cut down trees as well so we could feed our cows. Farming was tough, hard work. I hoed beans and corn by hand." He added that his father, in order to make a living, was a coal miner in addition to being a farmer.
Guy said that his family's farm would also have been a Century Farm, had the county not come along and taken the land for a road and interrupted history. His family farm was passed down from his mother's side of the family - the Kerns. It was located about three quarters of a mile south of the Confidence cemetery.
Evelyn and Guy's son, Doyle, lived on the farm for a number of years, before their daughter, Linda, and her husband, Donald Johnson, took residence. Linda and Don were the last family members to actually farm the homestead. They raised crops, cows and hogs. It was Linda and Donald who planted new maple trees to replace those cut down to feed cows in the 1930's.
Their son, Mark, now lives on the Century Farm. He works in Chariton. The land is leased out by Evelyn and Guy. Since moving in, he has built a new house, it no longer being feasible to fix up the original home. The original barn, built with pegs rather than nails, is still standing. The family also still has two antique tractors, a 1984A and a 1968 40x20LP -that they use in the Russell parades.
While not a farmer per se, Mark and his wife, Jill, are into gardening, a carry down from both Kenneth and Evelyn. His mother, Linda, recalled, "My Grandpa Kenneth was a very good gardener. He always had a huge garden. Even after we moved in and he moved into Russell, he would come out every day and garden and involve my kids in gardening." Evelyn added, "My dad (Kenneth) would be very proud that his great grandson is living on the farm."
Across the road from the LaFavre/Buttz Century Farm is a farm owned by Linda and Don and farmed by their son, Scott, who is carrying on the farming legacy begun in 1902 by Grant W. LaFavre.
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