What's that MUSIC??


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10/05

Popular Writer & Columnist is “Gathering” Keynote Speaker      Now, It gives me GREAT pleasure to introduce our evening "keynote"speaker for Saturday, March 11, 2006. Lewis Baumgartner Banquet Speaker World’s Worst Farmer      Lewis Baumgartner was born and raised on a small farm hear Fulton, Missouri. After graduating from high school in 1965, he went to work erecting pole barns for a local building contractor. In the early 70s he had his own construction company while continuing to farm part-time. In the late 70s he sold the building business to pursue his dream...full-time farming. A victim of bad timing and caught in the farm crisis of the early 80s, things got mighty tough on the Baumgartner farm.      Long hours on the tractor and combine provided plenty of time to think. To get his mind off his financial situation and to amuse himself between breakdowns, Lewis began developing stories, jokes, and poems about his farm, his family, his hometown and life in general. Before long he was billing himself as the World's Worst Farmer and making several appearance close to home for senior citizens groups, service clubs, and community functions. "My audiences seemed to enjoy it, and I was having a ball," he says.      Word spread, and what started out as a fun hobby soon became a business. An article in the February, 1989 issue of Farm Journal garnered national attention. He has since been featured in two more national farm magazines - Successful Farming and Farm and Ranch Living. Lewis is now in demand as an entertainer at all types of farm meetings and conventions. "It's getting to the point where I'm doing better telling folks how bad I am than I ever did farming," Lewis says.      In addition to farming and speaking, Lewis writes a regular humor column for Missouri Ruralist magazine. He has recently compiled a collection of those columns into his first book, World's Worst Farmer...From Ragweed Ranch in Cocklebur County.      The Baumgartner farming operation consists of corn, soybeans, wheat and cattle. Until 1996 he had a small farrow-to-finish hog operation, but his main employee in that enterprise (his wife, Janice) sold all the hogs while Lewis was off on a week-long speaking tour. "We don't have a big operation" Lewis says, "and I would really like to expand a little, but land in my area is too expensive to purchase and it's pretty hard for a fellow with my reputation to rent anything."      Lewis and his wife Janice have been married since 1968. They have a son, Cliff, who is married and lives in northern Indiana. Cliff and his wife, Kelly, have three children, Heather Lynn, Forest Cole, and Autumn Rose. Lewis and Janice also have a daughter, Nancy, who is married and teaches high school math. Nancy and her husband, Keith, have two daughters, Sarah Mabel and Shelby LeAnn. Mr. and Mrs. World's Worst Farmer have lived on a farm near Millersburg, Missouri since 1979.      You will enjoy Lewis’ down home philosophy, personal experiences and humor! Go back to SPEAKERS STAY TUNED TO THIS WEB SITE FOR NEW INFORMATION.

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