Life On The Camas Prairie
To the average person Grangeville is just another small town in Idaho, but to Eric Forsmann it’s the place he calls home and where he has built his life. His favorite part of the Camas Prairie is how diverse it is. Which is understandable with such a diverse person as Forsmann. He is a farmer, collector, avid volunteer, local business owner and above all a family man.
Eric grew up farming alongside his father and grandfather and now shares that passion with his sons. He cannot remember a year that has gone by in his life where he was not out on a tractor. With the harvest season being relatively short on the prairie Eric takes full advantage of it and can be found on his combine from sun up to sun down trying to get all his crops cut off.
His love of farming triggered his extreme passion of collecting old antique tractors and restoring them to their former glory. If you have ever watched one of the parades during Border Days and stuck around to the end you would have seen a plethora of tractors making their way down main street, driven by Eric and his sons waving and smiling. When the tractors are not being driven in the parade you can find them parked at his office yard on the east end of main street. He leaves the gate open for everyone to stop by and take a look at them. Eric said “You don’t find old tractors these days that look this good and are in this good of condition, so I always want to share them with the community when I can”. In addition to his love of ‘big tractors’, his office is filled with a collection of hundreds of toy tractors and farming implements big and small. Eric said in his new office he plans to display his collection in a front showroom where the walls will be lined and at the center one of his fully restored tractors for his customers and the community to enjoy.
Eric and his wife Joyce are big supporters of our small town that love being involved in making a positive impact on the community. Forsmann is a part of many organizations including Border Days, Knights of Columbus, Farm Bureau, and FFA Alumni. Eric has been in charge of the food booths at the rodeo for the last 6 years with his work through the Knights of Columbus. During the three nights of rodeo, he can be found cleaning the booths, ordering all of the provisions and cooking the food all while keeping a watching eye on the volunteers. He is the President of the Idaho County Farm Bureau where he sets Farm Bureau policies and works to keep families in the farming industry. The FFA Alumni is a group of former FFA members who dedicate their time to help students achieve their goals in the program and at competitions.
Eric and his wife Joyce have been the owners of Stuivenga Vessey Well Drilling and Pumps since 2015. Eric started out as just one of the helpers on the drill rigs in 1997, where he shoveled mud, moved pipes and did whatever the lead driller told him to do. Eric said by working at the same company for the last 26 years, he has come to know almost every person in Idaho County. There isn’t a day that goes by in his life where he isn’t stopped on the street or in the store by someone who recognizes him.
One of Erics favorite parts of owning Stuivenga Vessey is how it has contributed to his already established legacy of helping the community. Through Stuivenga Vessey he sponsors all Bulldog sports activities, and contributes to the private schools on the prairie as well. Eric and Joyce try to attend all of the local County Fairs as well so they can support the kids by purchasing an animal or two. Eric said he feels that the more he helps, the better off our community will be. He wants the best for the kids here and wants to see them succeed in every way possible.
Giving back to the prairie is of the highest importance to Eric because this is the community where he has raised his family. As a father of nine and grandfather of five (so far) Eric has said “Family is the most important thing to me and it should be to everyone as well”. Through his charitable donations and volunteer work he hopes to create a positive lasting impression on this community so it is a great place to live for future generations of his family.
The staff at Camas Prairie Eye Clinic would like to thank Mr. Forsmann for everything he does for our community and continues to do!