Fog sets in during sunrise over the farm in Rockholds.
Four years ago, Taulman tended to about 400 beef cows on his more than 100 acres in Rockholds, then watched as his herd dwindled to about 50 cattle. The drop in cattle numbers means Taulman's farm realizes much less income than when he began farming this land in 1984, 20 years after his parents bought it. Taulman also struggles with his health. He suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, an auto-immune disease for which there is no cure. The arthritis increasingly compromises his ability to get around and tend to his farm.
He had hoped some among his six children and 11 grandchildren would take over the farm. That may not be happening.
His children are working full-time at other pursuits. They have families, but the grandchildren are too young to be seriously interested in continuing the family business on the land.
“I hate to see it,” Taulman says. “It's sad that that's what's gonna happen.” It hurts, because Taulman and his wife, Eudeana, built this family business Taulman's parents began.
One bright spot in the future might be a 10-year-old grandson who is taking an interest. Taulman can only keep his fingers crossed.
Taulman's medical issues have not been limited to the arthritis. “It's just seems like one thing after another,” Eudeana says. “It seems like we can't get him well.” He has struggled for about 20 years with high blood pressure. He also takes medication for his heart. Three years ago, he received a diagnosis of prostrate cancer and began chemo treatments. As of this past May, he learned his cancer was in remission; a bright spot in his journey.
Another bright spot is their 10-year-old grandson, Jericho Petrey, who lives close by, showing an interest in farming. Taulman agrees and says, “He talks about farming and stuff like that all the time.”
Jericho says what he has learned on the farm from his grandpa has given him skills for life. He hopes to one day use these skills on his own farm. He believes he is on a good path to his goal.
“I already got plenty of people who do it, and I can learn from them," he says.
Eudeana believes Jericho’s assistance helps her husband keep up hope of saving the family farm. “If he didn't have somebody interested, I think it would be harder on him, just to sit on the couch all the time,” she says.
Taulman likewise is becoming a stronger presence in Jericho’s life, filling in when his working parents are not available. Taulman takes the boy to school in the mornings. When Jericho comes home from school, he goes straight to the farm. Being more present in Jericho’s life has allowed Taulman to see his grandson’s development.
Jericho's presence on the farm is a measure of hope for Taulman and Eudena, but they can only wait to see Jericho's future, and that of their farm.
Taulman Jackson rests in the utility terrain vehicle after feeding the cattle on his farm in Rockholds. Farm work helps keep Taulman spry despite his arthritis. "As long as I can get out and fiddle or walk up a hill or something, I'll try to do a little something," he says.
Taulman and his grandson, Jericho Petrey, 10, escort a calf while feeding the cattle on the farm in Rockholds. Baby calves can be skiddish around people, and often are assisted back to their pens.
Jericho reaches for a loose square bale to feed the cattle on the farm in Rockholds. At 10 years old, Jericho often performs tasks on his own. Some tasks were hard until he was older and a little bigger. "I like it a lot more now that I can actually see over stuff," he says.
Jericho fills buckets with cattle feed at the farm in Rockholds.
Cattle crowd the trough during feeding time at the farm in Rockholds.
Jericho feels the wind driving a utility terrain vehicle to the farm in Rockholds.
Jericho and Taulman take a break with some sweet tea in Taulman's home after feeding the cattle on the farm in Rockholds.
Jericho and Taulman talk about their cattle on the farm, in Rockholds. “Me and the grandkid hand feed these. It gives him something to do," Taulman says. "He likes doing it.”