CHANUTE — Siblings Cathy Taylor and Alexander Mih kept their parents’ first loves of education and the fine arts as their objective in deciding to use their third passion — agriculture — as a means to help Neosho County Community College expand its fine arts program.
On Monday, almost 500 acres of prime farmland west of Humboldt held in Mrs. Mariam Mih’s trust will be sold at auction. Proceeds from the sale will be directed to NCCC.
The decision “honors both our parents,” said Taylor.
Though Taylor wants to save their vision for NCCC’s campus as “a secret,” she said it will have “lots of moving parts, including a need for matching funds.”
Taylor recalled her mother’s insistence that she and her brother’s education be well-rounded, including private music lessons.
“One year, mother insisted sales from the year’s corn crop would be used to buy a baby grand piano,” she said of the piano that sits in Taylor’s home today.
For almost 50 years, Mrs. Mih served Neosho County Community College as either an instructor, board trustee or foundation member. She died at age 96 in 2022.
Her husband of 37 years, Dr. Alexander W.S. Mih, was an anesthesiologist in addition to having a family practice with offices in Humboldt and Chanute. Dr. Mih died in 1992 at age 69.
One of Dr. Mih’s favorite activities was to shepherd his family to Kansas City to attend live theater productions and enjoy its myriad restaurants.
“And he loved the farm,” Taylor said. “He’d get on the tractor to spray weeds and cultivate once in a while. Not that he ever had much time for it.”
In addition to growing crops, the Mihs shared a passion for raising Polled Herefords. Together, they owned MM Ranch Polled Herefords in the vicinity of Erie, where Mrs. Mih was raised.
“My brother and I were very active in 4-H. We always showed our cows,” said Taylor.
INTEREST IN Monday’s auction is high, said Cameron Roth of Vaughn-Roth land brokers and in charge of Monday’s auction.
“I’ve had buyers from seven different states give me a call about this parcel,” he said Thursday afternoon.
Roth said both investors and agricultural producers have expressed interest in the river-bottom land. Of the 475 acres, 419 are rotated between soybeans and corn.
