Local 6-generation family farm earns state-wide recognition

RIRIE, Idaho (KIFI) - Life on the family farm has nearly disappeared across some parts of America, but Idaho's Moss Willow Spring Ranch has survived the 19th century with six generations of the Moss family working the land. Owner Jeff Moss remembers working the land since he was two-years-old.

"My very first memory of you was working on the farm with my dad and my siblings," Jeff Moss said as he points towards a field. "I was getting tired and my dad came next to me and pointed to a little, little hill about, you know, ants were carrying things that were twice as big as them. and my dad said, 'if that little ant can carry something twice as big as that as them you can a strong, little boy like you can certainly carry a little stick off the fields'."

The Moss family farm was presented with the century farm award by the Idaho Historical Society earlier this year. Their farm has come a long way from the 80-acre homestead, grandfather John Moss worked in 1907.

"My grandfather helped to homestead this area with his brothers back in the early 1900s, and they broke all of this area out of sagebrush, incredibly backbreaking work using just horses manual labor. I just can't imagine the amount of work that they had to put into the process of homesteading the land and clearing the land so that they could finally farm," Moss said.

The homestead grew and eventually funded each of John's children's college education which was rare in Ririe back then.

John's son Reed Moss used to joke he became a lawyer to help fund his love of the farm, something Reed was eager to share with his boys.

"When I was about 12 years old, my brother was 14 years old. He(Jeff's father) came down in our bedroom, down in Idaho Falls, and said, 'hey, I want you guys to run the farm from now on.' And at the time, we had 640 acres. 'I want you guys to run the farm by yourselves, just on your own.' And that was a little daunting to us, but still exciting because I absolutely loved farming," Jeff Moss said.

Now six generations of the Moss family have owned the farm, and while smaller farms continue to disappear, Jeff says he can leave the farm but it will never leave him.

"It was a great way to grow up. I wish more kids could experience that kind of life. I really do," Jeff Moss said.