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Brighton Farmer's Story Featured In New Book

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Sep 18, 2009 6:25 am US/Mountain

Brighton Farmer's Story Featured In New Book

Triumphs Over Hardship A Theme For Bob Sakata's Life

Written by Brooke Wagner

Reporting
Brooke Wagner
BRIGHTON, Colo. (CBS4) ― "The last thing I wanted to be was a farmer!" Bob Sakata laughed, standing in front of some of his 3,000 acres of land.

As a boy, Sakata may have dreaded some of his chores, but as he grew up the Brighton farmer, now famous for his sweet corn, developed a true love for soil and the bounty it yields.

"My only dream is to grab hold of that dirt and smell it and say, 'Someday, I'd like to own some,'" Sakata remembered.

Bob Sakata is the son of a farmer who came from Japan to California, seeking a better life. Sakata was raised in a house with a dirt floor. He spent long days going to school and working with his family in the fields. Then World War II changed everything.

In 1942 the Sakata family was uprooted and forced into a cramped, crude internment camp in Utah along with thousands of other Japanese Americans.

Sakata was the first to earn work release from the camp, and he left during the day to work on a nearby farm so he could earn money for his family. He made such an impression on a local farmer that the man helped Sakata buy his own 44 acres in Brighton.

"One of the greatest blessings I had was the hardship I went through," said Sakata.

Daniel Blegen was so impressed by Sakata's triumphant story he wrote the new book Bob Sakata; American Farmer.

"He spent his childhood during the Depression, and as a kid, was already coming up with innovations to make his work and his dad's work easier on their farm in California," said Blegen. "Through the hardships he experienced in World War II, being interned for three quarters of a year, still managed to work hard, didn't let those hardships get him down. He still worked hard and succeeded on his own terms."

All of those difficult experiences gave Sakata a unique perspective on the economy and what it means to have faith in America. Most of all, he harbors no bitterness.

"In a democracy the wrong always turns to right, but it takes time. It doesn't happen overnight," Sakata said.

Most Coloradans have tasted Sakata's sweet corn at some point, since the farm supplies the state's major grocers. It is also shipped across the country. This year Sakata estimates 75 percent of his crops (he grows corn, onions, cabbage and other vegetables) were damaged by severe hailstorms.

The prolific farmer doesn't look back, because he's survived much worse. He hopes other Americans can adopt the same positive attitude.

"I had to work to put food on the table and that was the greatest reward, because you learn responsibility and appreciation from the returns you get from hard work," Sakata said. "I think that's what's missing; responsibility, hard work. But, I think it will come back. The people of the United States, I think we're strong people."

Sakata spends much of his free time serving on community boards and speaking to school children about working hard, being creative and staying motivated.

"Success is defined, in Bob Sakata's life, as a two-way street. You receive from the community and you give back," said Blegen.

Sakata sums up his philosophy for beating tough times and living a full life with this advice: "Don't just see -- observe. Don't just hear -- listen."

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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