[MUSIC PLAYING] Ezra Taft Benson
was the first child born to George T.
Benson and Sarah Dunkley Benson of Whitney, Idaho. Even as a toddler, Ezra Taft,
or T. as he was nicknamed, learned a love of
earth and farming. A respect for God's rhythms
and seasons and the work needed for a bountiful harvest
were instilled in him from his early childhood. From the time he could
walk, Ezra Taft Benson was his father's shadow. Together they rode
horses, worked the fields of their
farm, and tended animals. Learning the lessons
of productive work at an early age, Ezra
was only four years old when he drove a wagon
team for the first time. With his father at his
side, Ezra Taft Benson became expert in cultivating
potatoes and sugar beets, herding cattle, expanding their
home, and fixing machinery. Later, when George T.
was called as bishop, Ezra T. and his
brothers and sisters saw in their father's
example the principles of stewardship,
self-reliance, compassion for the poor and
needy, and sacrifice. The lessons learned
from a devoted father taught Ezra that
sacrifice and hard work not only led to an
abundant temporal harvest but a spiritual harvest as well.