Code,518009
Speaker,Gerald and Marilyn Polcen
Date,7-Mar-11
Interviewer,Sarah Kasper
Abstract,Gerald and his wife Marilyn Polcen describe their experiences farming sweet corn in Sagamore Hills including the challenges of the deer population. They talk extensively about the dairy cows they used to have. They relate stories from raising their family of the farm as well as growing up in the Cuyahoga Valley.
Tags,"Cuyahoga Valley, sweet corn, deer, farming"
Special Notes,The audio quality is good but the voulme has to be turned up really loud. There are some great childhood stories told near the end of the interview as Marilyn Polcen describes growing up in the valley.
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0,"introduction, when and where born"
1,"information about the community, development of the area, animals and horses"
2,"family history, learning to farm, sweet corn, cows"
3,"horses and tractors, dairy cows"
4,average corn production
5,"growig corn in Ohio, Civil War barn on the property"
6,building his own house
7,"growing corn with ""old methods"" and handpicking"
8,first corn harvest and the birth of their first child
9,relationship with customers
10,"selling milk to Lawson's in Akron, deet problems"
11,"deer in the fields, hunting deer"
12,story about escaping from flood waters
13,escaping flodd
14,"problems with birds, racoons, deer sleeping in the fields"
15,"scaring deer away, methods of hunting deer"
16,used to give away the deer that were shot to the hungry
17,"new vs. old tractors, help from sons on the farm"
18,children and their careers
19,lessons of frugality and sacrifice
20,lessons from parents-cows come first and how to treat them
21,"leaving certain corn rows for the animals, showing the public growing corn"
22,"strong relationship with the public, deer problems"
23,"deer and fences, sleeping in the fields to scare deer away"
24,sleping in the fields with a dog to scare deet away
25,hunting racoons to make extra money
26,"selling racoon fur for money and the kinds of products that are made from the fur, hunting methods"
27,"turkeys, farming with father"
28,"how large the farm used to be, typical day during harvest time"
29,sorting corn and picking it
30,typical day in planting season
31,planting in May and harvesting in July
32,vactions and relaxation
33,"vacations in Wyoming, challenges of vacationing with cows"
34,family vacations and their importance
35,"how cows affected vacations, no regrets on selling the cows, sapphire mines out West"
36,"finding a ruby out West, goals of the farm, legacy of never having to borrow money"
37,"critical lack of farmers in the United States, hardships of farming but overall a good life"
38,"benefits of raising kids on a farm, satisfaction of farming"
39,satisfaction of farming
40,the self-reliance of farm work
41,supoport from realtives on farm
42,"nursery school children visting the farm, selling the cows"
43,"increasing regulations of raising cows, cute and easy going cows"
44,"joys of growing up on park land, relationship with park and the changes in that relationship"
45,relationship with the park
46,deer and living near the park
47,park accusition of land and the feelings toward that transaction
48,"renting park land, generators and gasoline"
49,"scaring deer with lights, Shell vs. Marathon gasoline"
50,joys of grwoing up in the valley
51,"playing in the woods, spying on neighbors' party"
52,"swimming in the Cuyahoga River, ice skating on the canal"
53,adventures on dirt roads
54,"driving over the riverbank, shooting tin cans"
55,"playing with dynamite blasting caps, railroad ties, and a sledgehammer"
56,"best farm land along the river, flooding"
57,increased severity of flooding in recent years
58,flooding caused by inability of water to drain naturally
59,conclusion
60,