Taylor, now 93, has lived near Manhattan his entire life besides the three years he served in World War II until he was honorably discharged from the military in December of 1945.
Taylor drove a halftrack (a vehicle with wheels in front for steering and tracks in the back) and saw many battles first hand during World War II including D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. Taylor was deeply moved by his war experience, but does not talk about his combat experiences much.
Born in Manhattan in 1921 and raised near Wamego, Taylor described his childhood as typical of that of a Depression-era family. "My parents did a little farming but it was tough," Taylor says.
As hard as his rural life might have been, he enjoyed it enough to pursue a career of farming and raising cattle. "I love the cattle," Taylor says. "Always have and always will."
Taylor says one of the best parts about his chosen livelihood is that he is his own boss and noted the weather and government regulations have been the most difficult to work with.
After returning from the war, Taylor met Lorna, a farm girl from Wheaton, Kansas. They married in 1948 and are still together today. The Taylor’s have one son, two grandsons and five great-grandchildren.
Returning to the Farm
After returning home from the war in 1945, the G.I. Bill provided Taylor with a loan to start a farm of his own. But Taylor couldn’t find an inch of farm ground. He did the next best and got a job at the Kansas State University Agronomy Farm. It was there Taylor learned a lot about farming. "I read whatever I could get my hands on to learn," he says.
After discovering he could draw funds from the G.I. Bill for four more years if he was actively engaged in farming, he contacted the farmer he worked for in high school. "The gentlemen sold me half of his cowherd and some machinery on a note," Taylor said. "After four years, I was eager to find more land. I ended my ties with my boss and was out on my own."
In 1949, Taylor became a member of the Farmers Union Cooperative. "Our landlords were members, so [we] became members too," he says. Taylor recalls the local service station in Manhattan with the Farmers Union Co-op grain elevator beside it. "We picked up our feed there, got our flat tires fixed and delivered grain," he says. "It was similar to what we see today, just quite a bit smaller."
On the Land Today
A co-op member for 65 years, Taylor and Lorna recalled memories of attending the cooperative’s annual meetings in Manhattan.
To Taylor, the co-op has always been there. "It has been about convenience and good service," he says. "I grew up in the system so I guess you could say I don’t know any better."
As a long-time co-op member, Taylor was eager to attend the informational meetings prior to the merger of Farmers Cooperative Association and MKC. "At my old age I have seen many things change," Taylor said. "The merger and the co-op’s growth is a good change."
Farming alongside his grandson, Taylor says it takes a lot of time and resources to keep their operation running today. Taylor added he appreciates the expertise they receive from MKC.
When talking about the future, Taylor looks forward to getting ready to plant next year’s corn and soybean crops and watching his cattle finish out. "I have no plans to retire until I am called away," he says.
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