84-'lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 24, 1996
Farming And Auctioneering Bid Dual Roles
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.)
Growing up John Hess always
envisioned himself as a farmer—
like his dad, his grandfather, his
great grandfather, and countless
ancestors before him.
In addition to helping his dad on
their hog and grain farm, John
steered his studies to give him a
solid agricultural background. He
was a member of the county lives
tock judging team, both a state and
a county FFA officer, and the state
FFA public speaking champion.
Destiny seemed to shine on his
plans to farm. He fell in love and
married Jacy Clugston, who,
although not from farm back
ground, milked cows for a neigh
boring farmer for years, was a
county dairy princess, a national
4-H ambassador, and secretary for
the state FFA. She shared his
dream for Canning. And, when
John’s dad offered to help them
buy a farm within a five minute
drive of the home farm, they were
es tactic.
“My dad said that he’d either
help buy the farm or pay for my
college education. I chose the
farm,’’ John said.
The couple married and fixed up
the two-family farmhouse. They
chose to live in the smaller part and
rent out the larger side.
Farming, from die Hess per
spective, was always supple
mented with a sideline business.
John’s dad fixed tractors (Hi the
side. He encouraged his son to find
something to do to pay fra the land
taxes.
“In fact, my dad encouraged me
to use my public speaking skills by
becoming an auctioneer,” John
said.
It seemed a natural progression
to John to balance fanning and
auctioneering. After attending
auctioneering school, he was
required by law to work as an auc
tioneering apprendice for two
years before he could venture out
on his own.
He began waking fa Wolge
muth’s. In particular, his responsi
bilities centered on the Green Dra
gon auction held every Friday held
approximately from 9 a.m. to 9
p.m., depending on the amount to
be sold.
At first, the setup seemed ideal.
But auctioneering demanded more
and more time. John’s dad found
himself more and more responsi
ble for the 400 acres they fanned
together. Another unexpected
thing happened. In John’s words:
“I didn’t realize how much I’d
enjoy another occupation. I had
never considered another career
before. I didn’t intend to make auc
tioneering my career. I thought it
would just be a sideline that could
help me afford to farm.”
Not that John’s planning to give
up fanning completely. But the
roles have switched. Instead of
auctioneering supplementing
fanning income, farming is now a
sideline.
The couple intends to continue
to live on the farm. They love the
wide open space that surrounds the
farm. They enjoy the diversion of
growing six acres of tobacco, and
John likes to hop on a tractor to
help his dad with the field work
whenever he can.
"Fanning is a great way of life.
If we have children. I’d want to
raise them on the farm the way I
was raised,” John said.
“Farming is in my blood. I’d be
perfectly happy being in farming,
but the taxes, the expense from
government regulations are over
whelming,” he said.
"We were forced into the Clean
and Green Act I say. make farm
ing profitable fra farmers and
they’ll want to protect the land.”
John enjoys tire family together
ness that tobacco stripping prom
otes. He said, “My grandpa, father,
mom, sister, Jacy, and I were all
working together in the bam. It’s
sort of like a family-type busi
ness.”
"Auctioneering is challenging,
just like farming, every day is dif
ferent,” John said. Some days he
sells farm toys a equipment The
next he may sell building supplies
or hold a household sale.
Another similar aspect between
fanning and auctioneering is the
long hours. The couple have taken
only one mini-vacation since their
marriage because Fridays and
Saturdays are always big auction
days.
Altar John and Joey Hass purchased a farm on tha halvas with his dad, John started
auctioneering to pay for the exorbitant farm taxes. “You can’t be an auctioneer and not
be a pack rat,” said John, who has a perchant lor rustic things, toy tractors, and lee
cream paraphernalia. His wife Jacy prefers Victorian accent pieces. The Dalmatian
dog, nicknamed Tucker the Holstein Cow, reminds Jacy of the cows she had milked
for years.
An aspect that isn’t similar is the
people contact in auctioneering.
“Auctions are sociable affairs. It’s
a place where people meet and
talk. That’s what I love. I can’t do
that on a tractor plowing 100
acres,” John said.
Holding household auctions
offers a special excitement for him
because one never knows what
might be in the next lot to sell.
Estate sales often hold hidden
“Bu‘
treasures. John said that he cannot
emphasize enough the importance
of not throwing away items that
family members believe are of no
value. More than once, he has
pulled memorabilia from die trash
that later broughthundreds of dol
lars over the auction block.
“You can’t be an auctioneer and
not collect something,” John said.
He likes to collect rustic things,
tobacco spears, cigars, toys, ice
cream scoops, and ice cream
freezers.
The interest in ice cream para
phelia actually stems from his
teen-age years when he partici
pated in ice cream churn off con
tests and won the state competition
at the Farm Show.
If he accumulates too much stuff
himself, he simply loads it up and
(Turn to Pag* BS)
Days”
7a.m. to 6 p.m. all three days!