THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 1, 1995 TAG: 9502280086
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JODY R. SNIDER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
It's been a good year for farmer Robert Taylor and son Robert Taylor III.
First, the Virginia Pork Producers Association gave the elder Taylor its Virginia Top Pork Producers Award for producers 40 and older.
Then, Feb. 9, the Isle of Wight/ Smithfield Chamber of Commerce named the pair Farm Family of the Year, the first year the chamber has given the award.
The week after that, the Smithfield Ruritans presented their own Farm Family of the Year award - to the two Taylors.
And last week Robert Taylor III learned he had the second highest peanut yield for 1994 in Isle of Wight County.
Not a bad beginning to a new year, both agreed.
The elder Taylor has been farming for almost 50 years, the younger Taylor for about 20 years. Together they grow 100 acres of wheat, 40 acres of barley, 40 acres of rye, 350 acres of soybeans, 250 acres of corn and 180 acres of cotton.
They also raise about 75 head of beef cattle, and they are building a hog farm for 1,700 hogs.
Ask the elder Taylor which part he prefers, and he says: ``All of it!''
``You have your ups and downs, but you have a lot of different things to keep you busy. I like the animals and working with the crops in the open.''
For son Robert, his challenge is managing the money and chasing the paperwork for growing a crop.
While the young Taylor makes most of the decisions for the 1,200-acre farm, he does very little without his father's advice, he said.
``I might make all the decisions, but most are with some advice. And I'm very fortunate that I have someone to go to for advice.''
The elder Taylor said he still remembers when he first began farming in 1952 and a tractor cost about $2,000. ``Today, you can't put rear tires on a tractor for $2,000. And a new tractor can cost as much as $100,000. Farmers have to be good managers of money.''
They also have to be good at something else, son Robert said.
``The most important part of farming is the timing. It's being on time in getting the land prepared, the crop planted and sprayed and then harvested.
``No matter how much farming changes, the most important part of growing a crop will always be doing things on time.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Robert Taylor and son Robert Taylor III were named Farm Family of
the year.
by CNB