Law Family Wins Farming Heritage Award
Jennifer Metheney
Growing up on a farm is exhausting, with long
hours, messy work and constant worry about the
weather, livestock and having enough time to complete
all of the tasks needing attention every day. On the
other hand, growing up on a farm is very rewarding.
Watching calves born in the spring and fall come
into the world and thrive as they grow, knowing they
will help keep the farm going for one more year, is
satisfying to a farmer.
One Ritchie County family was honored for the
traditions and legacy they carry on with their family
cattle business.
David and Marlene Law were married Feb. 28,
1953, and started off their married life in Harrisville,
and were raising cattle and farming just a few miles
outside of town. David and his brother-in-law, Phillip
Brake, had purchased a farm owned by the Price
family. In the early years of the cattle operation, they
owned a mixture of cattle breeds and cross-breeds.
David eventually bought out Brake’s portion of the
farm. He started purchasing Polled Hereford cattle in
1954 and the David Law and Sons Polled Hereford
farm became a reality.
Marlene said David decided to build a home on the
farm, and after the house was completed the family,
including sons Butch and Gerry and David’s brother
Carl, who was injured serving in the Armed Forces
during World War II and lived with the family, moved
to the newly constructed house Christmas week 1958.
Butch was five and Gerry was two when they
moved to the farm. “This has always been home
to me,” Gerry stated. Butch, on the other hand,
remembers moving to the farm after living in town
with cousins close by and neighbor boys to run around
with during the summers. Both boys worked on the
farm, helping their dad at young ages and the family
cattle business kept growing as they purchased more
Polled Hereford cattle. At five, David had Butch
driving the tractor and he was baling hay using the
see Family, page 26
West Virginia Farm Bureau News 23