A well-known Pike County farmer and public figure has been notified that his recent book has passed the evaluation period for the New York Times Best Seller List.
Philip Bradshaw of Griggsville’s book Your Food, My Adventure has reached the publication’s list of 53 best-selling books for the upcoming year.
Bradshaw says the book is a collection of his stories and memories of a lifetime of farming, community service, national leadership work, and world travel: “The books talks about how when I started farming, we had 40-bushel corn and 30-bushel beans. We actually didn’t raise beans much then. Then, it goes on to talk about my adventures. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to 53 countries around the world and give speeches and be involved with meetings. I’ve met with 7 Presidents of the United States. I’ve been appointed to different committees and boards by 6 U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture. We talk at length about those adventures.”
Bradshaw continues farming in the Griggsville area with his son and grandsons and remains involved in many organizations. Bradshaw says he couldn’t have imagined where farming and just showing up to things, a motto he likes to use, could have taken him when he started farming in 1963: “I had not the foggiest idea about all of this. I recently spoke to a University of Illinois’ Leaders Group Foundation and I told them that all I did was show up and then do what I said I would do. If I said I would be at a meeting, I’d try to be there. Other than that, I don’t know if I did anything different than anybody else. But no, I never had any idea that I would have the chances to do these things.”
Bradshaw’s book was also featured this summer in the New York Times Magazine Book Review. He says he’s got enough material to produce a follow up volume of work.
In the near term, Bradshaw will be doing a signing and talking about the book at the Jacksonville Public Library on January 24th.
To order the book or to find out more information, visit yourfoodmyadventure.com.