| In the spring of 1932, the Phipps family moved from their home place just eight miles south of Charleston, Illinois to the present Chrisman location. They rented 200 acres of ground and farmed it with an International 1020, a 20 hp tractor that burned coal oil, and a team of horses. Corn, oats, and clover were produced, due to the fact that most of the crops went to the feeding of the farms cattle and hogs. At that time, corn was also only worth 10 cents per bushel. Since then, we've gotten completely out of cattle and swine production, increased our acreage, and jumped into the next generation of farming by adopting some precision farming techniques. The above picture is of Henry J. Phipps and John Phipps Sr. The two brothers are sitting atop a John Deere B and a Farmall F20. At the time this picture was taken, which was 1937, they farm 450 acres using these two tractors and 6 horses. Below are some stories told by Henry J. Phipps and John Phipps Sr. about their younger years. John Phipps Sr.: "We never knew Grandpa Phipps because he died young, maybe because of war injuries. He was at Appomattox and saw the signing at Lee's surrender. After the ceremony was over, under a huge tree, the soldiers started cutting souvenirs out of the tree. Gramp cut off a limb and, either made or had made, some wooden rings from it. I have one of the rings, Dad gave it to me and told me the story not long before he died." John Phipps Sr.: "In 1925 we were out in the orchard between the house and barn, when someone said, "There comes Dad's Chevy!" We were going over where the water was running out of the pipe into the cattle tank. I was drinking the cold water from the pipe; I looked up and said, "What's a Chevy?" It was our first car, before that we had a two wheeled cart, two buggies, a storm buggy, a spring wagon, and a huge carriage."
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