Rader's Dairy

When I was a child my Dad had the best job a person could have. He worked at an Ice Cream company, Meadow Gold. There was always an abundance of ice cream around the house. My favorite was "Nutty Buddy" ice cream cones. I remember one Halloween we gave away popcicles to trick-a-treaters who stopped by. That was a real treat back in the early 50's.

Late in 1953 things drastically changed for my Dad and my family. While on the way to work one morning he was hit head on by another vehicle. Dad was seriously injured and spent months in the hospital. After his release from the hospital he was not physically able to meet the demands of his job at the Ice Cream company. Since we lived on a small farm (45 acres) he decided to try his hand at farming. The picture above is a picture of the beginning of Rader's Dairy. I was about 5 years old at the time.

Rader's Dairy would survive for the next 30 years. We would eventually move to Concord Rd in Brentwood and then on to Flat Creek Rd. in southern Williamson Co. At one time we had as many as 250 cattle and we farmed about 600 acres. The business was disolved in 1983 after Dad had a heart attack and major stroke.

Growing up I could find very little positive to say about farm life. It was hot, dirty, hard work. However, looking back on my childhood I realize how blessed, how fortunate I am to have had that experience. Every child should have the experience of hard work and the opportunity to work closely with a Father who genuinely loved his job and his family.

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