Preserving the Family Farm

WWhen one thinks of the family farm, what comes to mind? Is it rows and rows of corn? A large garden that feeds the entire family? Milking cows? Raising beef, pork, or poultry? A livelihood?

For Rhonda Telfer, it’s memories of climbing up in the hayloft looking for baby kittens, flying on the rope swing tied to the barn beam, and running in wide open spaces. It’s also what inspired her to write her own children’s book, Grandpa’s Treasure.

As a mom to four children, the little seed planted in her heart as a child continued to grow while raising her own children and then blossomed into a well-loved children’s book enjoyed by families around the world.

“I had a wonderful English teacher in high school,” Telfer said. “She was affirming in my writing. Even as a kid, I’d write poems. My mom always had books for us kids, and she’s a very creative person. So, (with) the combination of her creativity, reading good literature with well-crafted sentences, and having a great English teacher, I ended up majoring in English. It was a good fit.”

Grandpa’s Treasure is a story of two young city boys who head to Grandpa’s farm for the day. Much to their surprise, they discover Grandpa’s barn is actually a “castle” and find joy and contentment climbing in the hay loft, running in the fields, and riding in the combine. Ultimately, they discover Grandpa’s treasure as they learn to appreciate the hard work the American farmer does every day.

Telfer grew up on a fourth-generation family farm in western Bureau County with her parents and three brothers. When Telfer left the farm to make a life of her own in the suburbs, she remembered the trips out of the city and back to the family farm served as a wonderful reprieve for her and her children.

“I’ve always loved reading and wanted to be a writer,” Telfer said. “As a mother of four, I loved nothing more than reading high-quality books to my kids. I made sure there was a big collection of children’s books in our home because it’s a good foundational thing. I have always admired wellcrafted children’s books.”

As a stay-at-home-mom, she joined forces with a photographer who specialized in creating picture books with a strong social message. That’s when Telfer’s desire to preserve the rich rural history in Illinois came to life.

“Remember, I was a farm kid raising my kids in the suburbs who would go to Grandpa and Grandma’s farm,” Telfer said. “If you’ve lived in Chicago or the suburbs, you know the experience of driving out of the city, into the suburbs, and then there’s that moment when you see corn fields and a mall. Or an old barn and a neighborhood. There’s a pic- ture in the book with a barn with a For Sale sign. As an adult, you know that’s rural history being lost. As a kid, you just know you’re getting more and more into the open spaces. Grandpa’s Treasure came about from the experience of driving from the city suburbs to Grandpa’s farm.”

Top: Grandpa’s Treasure can be purchased on Amazon.

Bottom: This is the cover of Grandpa’s Magic. Like Grandpa’s Treasure, it portrays actual photographs of rich farmland in Illinois.

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