Century Farm: One Hundred Years On A Family Farm

A century is a long time -- one hundred years. That's how old the Peterson farm is. What was once boggy, stump-strewn land is now a thriving dairy farm, worked on and cultivated by five generations of the Peterson family in Wisconsin.

Over the century some things have changed, but many have stayed the same. There are lots more cows now and a big, new barn; there is far more powerful equipment to help with the year-round work. But crops are still planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. Children still ride their bikes on the barn walk, and kittens still play in the hayloft. The family lives in the original farmhouse and shares meals in the same kitchen. Though the work may seem never-ending, there's still boating and fishing on a nearby lake and golfing in the back pasture.

Writing in the voice of her husband, Gary, author Cris Peterson offers glimpses of life on the farm they have worked together for more than twenty-five years. Her eloquent text is accompanied by wonderful pictures from old family albums as well as dramatic full-color photographs from recent years. Photographer Alvis Upitis captures the simple beauty of a corn stalk bending in the sun and the power of a forage chopper pulled behind a tractor. This talented author-photographer team has created a unique portrait of life over the past hundred years on an American family farm -- as it prepares to begin a new century.