When Kent Meyers was sixteen years old, his father died of a stroke. There was corn to plant, cattle to feed, and a farm to maintain. Here, in a fresh and vibrant voice, Meyers recounts the wake of his father’s death and reflects on families, farms, and rural life in the Midwest.

Meyers tells the story of growing up on the farm, from the joys of playing in the hayloft as a boy to the steady pattern of chores. He describes the power of winter prairie winds, the excitement of building a fort in the woods, and the self-respect that comes from canning 120 quarts of tomatoes grown on your own land.

Meyers’s father is the central figure around whom these memories revolve. After his father’s death, Meyers fills his shoes out of necessity and respect. In doing so, he discovers that his father was a great teacher and that he himself is no longer a boy but a man. Perhaps the most moving passages of The Witness of Combines acknowledge the simultaneous sadness and pride of growing up in response to death. Meyers recalls planting and harvesting the last crop, selling the family farm, and other emotional moments in a testament to his father, the family bond, and the value of hard work.

Meyers’s perspective on life in the Midwest elegantly weaves daily farm life with his coming of age story, drawing readers from all walks of life into this brave and poignant work.

“Meyers tells stories with precision and joy. He understands how the rhythms of the land bind farmers, give them hope and purpose.” Linda Hasselstrom, author of Land Circle

side bar quote:

“The Witness of Combines is written with simple, poetic dignity and a savvy for the land that can only come from having been raised up in it with eyes wide open.” Sam Shepard,

author of Fool for Love

ISBN 0-8166-3104-2 Paper $16.95

248 pages 5 x 8 August

Translation inquiries: University of Minnesota Press

About the Author

Kent Meyers grew up on a small farm in southern Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota, Morris. He currently teaches writing at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. He is the author of a novel, The River Warren (1998).

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