As the owner and founder of McClure Tables after more than a decade, I build a small team of craftsmen and two capable talented people who work in the office. So I decided to kind of Semi retire and what was my retirement dream job? I guess scooping out wood shavings and chicken shit from the brooder house. Then load into a manure spreader and apply on the pastures. I thought to myself this is a dream retirement job.
Innate nature may be a hidden asset
Todd knew nothing about farming but trusting his instincts he jumped right in. The farm needed a livestock guard dog but it grew up in the city, not around livestock. It was Anatolia Shephard and we put him with the sheep and I trusted his nature.
Years ago I picked up Archery and was natural was able to shoot a bow without sights and my friends asked me what pin are you using? I said pins I am just looking down the arrow. A niece traveled to Ireland a few years ago and picked up something on the McClure family history of the clan. Turns out we were great at archery.
Family Roots on Mother's side were farmers
In my family history on my mother's side, my grandfather was a farmer. Along with an entrepreneur with several failures but recently in some family treasures, I came across his farm records book in 1943. Here are a few images to share. We called that Grandfather Pampo he was 37 years old in 1939 so my mom would have been 6 years old when he had this farm. She was a twin and with her brother, they were the babies of the farm.
I never got to know Pampo that well he passed away when I was very young, but I am sure his spirit was passed on to me.
Todd McClure
I really don't know a lot about farming but I did grow up in Iowa around farms. At that time the majority of my classmates all had small family farms of a few hundred acres. The Agrarian lifestyle somehow broke as bigger became better and we all moved into the cities.
Today however many are discovering homesteading again and realize they can live off the land and the abundance that it provides. Is it an easy life no farming is hard work many long physical days of hard labor? It has trials tribulations successes and failures.
Ijust starting out and have so much to learn. Thankfully my innocence is an advantage as I am willing to try something because nothing is new to me.
Todd McClure