Anton Huseman's large family arrived in this country from Germany in 1866. Anton was nine years old. In Germany the Huseman family were farmers. In 1883, at the age of 26, Anton purchased some land in the Northwest corner of Indiana. He called it Homestead Farm. Anton and his wife Elizabeth raised 10 children on the farm. Their youngest son Joseph added Registered Angus cattle to the farming operation in 1910. Joseph purchased the farm land from his father in 1920. Joseph and his wife Florence raised 6 children and in 1954 they sold the farm to their oldest son William. William and his wife Bernice continued the development of the Angus herd and raised 4 children. In 1976 they sold the farm and cattle herd to their son Chuck. Chuck and his wife Marsha worked to further the growing reputation of the Homestead Farm Angus herd and raised 2 sons. Chuck and Marsha continue to live on the farm today and care for a small group of Angus cows. For a farm, and an Angus herd, to last for well over 100 years it takes a number of factors to all contribute. There must certainly be hard work involved. There has to be knowledge and expertise applied. Most importantly, there must be pride. Successfully raising livestock requires daily, sometimes mundane, tasks. Taking pride to do those tasks correctly, and to the best of one’s ability, is what separates successful herds from those that can’t survive.
The history of Homestead Farm
For information on the above book about growing up on Homestead Farm click the image above.
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Our farm, like so many others around this country, prospered through some pretty tough times. Those rough times seem to pale in comparison to the great times that are more easily remembered by younger generations. Through it all, the concept of a strong family bond never wavered. No load is ever too rough for someone to drag, if there is a loving family that is also pulling in the same direction.
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To read this article about our farm from the July 2016 issue of the Angus Journal, click the image above
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