By: Sheila Crowley
Murray County News Staffwriter
David Herrig, rural Iona, has sat on the committee helping select farm families every year and honored at Farmfest for ‘Farm Family of the Year’. Due to health issues, he missed the June meeting when this is done. It didn’t take long for the committee to nominate the Herrig family to serve as Murray County’s ‘Farm Family of the Year’. When Dave learned of the nomination he was humbled but thought there were by far more deserving families. “We only farm eight acres.”
To be considered for this honor families are chosen based on their demonstrated commitment to enhancing and supporting agriculture.
Not many people are as committed to the ag sector as David. He has served on the Murray County Fair Board for the past twenty-five years and presently fills the vice president role. Dave helps extensively with the 4-H sheep program including aiding families with adopt-a-lamb and lottery lamb classes. Typically members will receive their lambs for these programs the end of April or the first week in May.
He is also a member of the Murray County Extension Committee along with the county 4-H livestock committee.
Dave, and his wife, Jan, live just north of Iona. Their farmstead has been a part of the Herrig family since the early 1900’s when his grandfather, Peter, bought it. While growing up, Dave’s dad, Ray, and his brother, Hubert, farmed the 240 acres of ground together. At that time Dave’s uncle lived in the house Dave and Jan currently occupies. The Ray Herrig family lived in a small house across the yard.
Dave and Jan began farming in 1974 and continued until 1981 when Dave began shearing sheep for a living. The family moved to Hadley at that time and in 1988 Dave and Jan purchased and returned to the building site where he had grown up. The home was re-sided and some other remodeling projects were completed. A few years ago they decided to upgrade the kitchen to include built-in cabinetry. Prior to that what cabinets, the family had been on wheels. In addition, their laundry was moved from the basement to the main floor right off the kitchen.
Surprisingly enough, sheep were not a mainstay on the Ray Herrig family farm. “My Dad bought me a bottle lamb at the age of seven,” commented Dave. This was the first livestock project he took to the Murray County Fair of which he took part of every year since he was of age to compete. “Often back then,” he said, “people only took one type of livestock. You picked the best one and that’s the one you took to the fair.”
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