Mike Lessiter of Lessiter Media Inc. is often reading several nonfiction books at any given time. His most recent was “The Worst Hard Time” by Timothy Egan. As president of a 38-year-old agricultural media company in Brookfield, Lessiter found personal meaning in the book.
“The Worst Hard Time” examines the people of the High Plains who endured the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
It was a unique intersection of interests for Lessiter. He recently completed a yearlong tour that chronicled the histories of family-run farm equipment companies, many of which routinely cited the “Dirty 30s.” Plus, his dad, Frank, devoted most of his life’s work to helping farmers apply conservation practices in high-production agriculture.
“I’m drawn to personal stories of perseverance,” Lessiter said. “The hardship and misery these people faced is almost beyond comprehension. Yet after death, despair and ruin, most of Egan’s subjects waved the white flag and started over somewhere else.”
