Welcome to Season 3 – Episode 1 of the Sarver Living Podcast:
Guardians of the Land
This is my second podcast conversation with Jim, a continuation of the first and it goes even deeper into the life and legacy of a man who has quietly helped shape Sarver and Buffalo Township for generations.
Almost two decades ago, when my husband and I chose Sarver to be our home, we came with a simple vision…to farm. We started with grass-fed beef and over time transitioned into horses. What we didn’t know then was that one of the very first people we would meet would become such an important part of our story… Mr. Jim Riddle.
Jim was given his first calf at just four years old; a true rite of passage in cattle farming and he has been stewarding the land ever since. Farming isn’t just what he does. It is who he is.
Farmers like Jim are more than landowners; they are guardians. They understand seasons of growth and seasons of waiting. They preserve open space. They protect tradition. They carry forward the values that built this community long before development began to change the landscape.
As Buffalo Township and Sarver continue to grow, it becomes even more important to preserve the stories of the families who built this place. Their work ethic. Their faithfulness. Their quiet leadership. Their commitment to neighbors. These are the foundations of our town.
Jim and his wife, Helen, didn’t just raise cattle, they raised people. By fostering over 100 boys through the years, they invested in lives with the same patience and intention they gave to their fields. That kind of legacy becomes woven into the very fabric of a community.
It matters deeply to me that we document these legends while we still can. To sit at kitchen tables. To walk the pastures. To record the stories of the men and women who shaped Sarver so years from now, when it looks different, we remember who built it and what it stood for.
Jim is not just a farmer. He is a guardian of the land and of the values that define this place.
I hope you enjoy this continuation of his story.
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The mission of Sarver Living is to create community by practicing it. #practicecommunity
Here’s to living our best Sarver Living.
Sylvia Maxwell
