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Pitching In (10/5/23)

Black and white photo of a woman riding a John Deere tractor.  To the left of the tractor is a dog.
Black and white photo of a woman riding a John Deere tractor. To the left of the tractor is a dog.

This photograph shows how everyone pulls their own weight on the farm. In 1947, Rita Lyle Barnett's father (Raymond Lyle) was trying to get harvest in and there were no hired men available, so Rita convinced her father to allow her to help. He was very much against women participating in field work, but Rita prevailed and was allowed to drive the tractor. She helped with fieldwork throughout the 1940s. The Lyle farm was located at Elk Point.