In 1959, Sebastian Scirpo started a Connecticut livestock auction in a rented chicken coop and made $7 on his first commission; 67 years later, his daughters run the state’s last remaining sale barn

In 1959, Sebastian Scirpo started a Connecticut livestock auction in a rented chicken coop and made $7 on his first commission; 67 years later, his daughters run the state's last remaining sale barn

Since her father died in 2002, Lisa Scirpo has been working to persuade farmers and dealers that the Middlesex Livestock Auction will continue as the only sale barn in Connecticut. Without it, Scirpo said farmers who want to bring animals to auction would have to travel to Massachusetts or Pennsylvania. But now, farmers in those … Read more

In 1969, a Church’s Fried Chicken co-founder bought 3,000 acres of neglected Texas ranchland; decades of restoration brought long-absent springs and flowing water back

In 1969, a Church’s Fried Chicken co-founder bought 3,000 acres of neglected Texas ranchland; decades of restoration brought long-absent springs and flowing water back

Bamberger Ranch PreservePhoto credit: https://www.bambergerranch.org Back in 1969, R. C. Bamberger made a bold move that left many locals scratching their heads. The co-founder of Church’s Fried Chicken bought 3,000 acres of badly damaged land in the Texas Hill Country, stepping into a landscape ruined by generations of heavy cattle grazing. The topsoil was washed … Read more