Clinton County is an agricultural area. It has prospered over the years to become one of the most profitable farming counties in southern Illinois.

Farming there is generally a family occupation involving two, and sometimes three, generations of workers. The livelihoods of many families of this county are dependent on the productivity of their farms. Sons and daughters inherit farms from their fathers, and they in turn pass the land on to their

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children. One such Clinton County family is the Fehrmanns.

Johann Herman Fehrmann, born in Hanover, Germany, in 1822, was one of many German immigrants who settled in southern Illinois. Marriage records indicate that by 1851 Johann was living in Clinton County when he was married in St. Boniface Church in Germantown, Illinois. On May 24, 1853, Johann Fehrmann purchased forty acres of land southwest of Bartelso, Illinois, from the federal government. Between 1853 and 1881 Johann worked hard to acquire another 188 acres of land. After his death in 1893, his property was left to his five children. His three daughters sold their shares to their brothers, John and Bernard. Years later, John sold his land to his brother, who by this time had already started a family. Bernard died in 1937, and his son, August, took over the household. August purchased additional acreage in 1946.

August worked the farm and raised twelve children. Soon after his death in 1969, his widow sold portions of the farmland, but amazingly, the original forty acres have remained in the family. August's son inherited the original land and is still working the farm today.

For 136 years, four generations of men worked the same land, keeping the farming tradition in the family. If the land remains in the family, it will soon be eligible to be listed as a Bicentennial Farm.

Another family that relied on agriculture to make their living was the Koch family. John Koch started the Koch Grain Company in Breese, Illinois, over a century ago. It was at one time the largest independent grain company in Clinton County. J. Otto and Walter J. Koch operated it. The Koch Grain Co. shipped an average of one hundred thousand bushels of wheat each year, as well as a significant amount of corn to many markets in the surrounding areas. The company served the popular North Breese Coal and Mining Company's "Celebrated Breese Coal." This company helped make Koch and his business a success.

In 1922 a group of Breese citizens held a meeting regarding the reorganization of the Koch Grain Company. As a result of this meeting, the Breese Grain Company was organized. With the opening of the new grain company came more and better equipment. The first objective was to install a new reinforced elevator. Through the years more additions were made, and it still supplies the citizens of Breese and surrounding communities.

Clinton County's earliest farmers used simple machines and equipment to work their land. Now most farmers use more advanced and efficient equipment and even computers to maximize productivity. Sowing, planting, and sheet binding were at one time done by hand. Animals and simple tools were also used in the fields. Farmers wielded a scythe to harvest wheat and oats, and oxen were used for threshing. Although much of the farm work today is done by machine, there is still plenty of work for the farmers themselves.

Agriculture has long been important to human existence. Due to agricultural success, Breese and other communities in Clinton County have grown significantly. Throughout the years many farms prospered and served the residents of Clinton County. The dedication and hard work of the first farmers set a precedent for the farmers today and the generations to come.—[From "Breese Grain Company," Breese Centennial: Breese Journal, 1956; "Commercial History of Clinton County," East St. Louis Gazette, July 1913; "Early History of Clinton County," Breese journal, Feb. 23, 1967; Frances Peters, "Centennial Farm History," Clinton County Historical Quarterly, October-December 1990.]

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