Biography

Patricia Alshouse Eddy was born to a Fayette County dairy farm family in 1951. She was the third of eight children. In 1966, her father began work with the Farmers’ Home Association and the family moved to Allerton in southern Iowa. Soon after, her mother died and Pat Eddy assumed responsibility for the child care of her younger siblings. She graduated from high school in Greenfield, Iowa in 1969, attended American Business Institute in Des Moines for one semester before leaving to marry Denny Eddy in 1970. Pat and Denny Eddy had three sons, born in 1970, 1973, and 1975 respectively. They bought 160 acres of wooded farmland near his parents George and Rosa Eddy. The two families farmed almost 600 acres and raised 1500 hogs a year, winning several awards. In 1976, they borrowed money from the FHA office to continue operations. During the 1980s, they were unable to make payments on this loan and faced financial duress that involved parents on both sides. During the 1980s, Pat Eddy became active with PrairieFire Rural Action, later directing a project for the Farmers and Ranchers Congress. The Eddys left farming later in the 1980s; Pat Eddy now works in a glass production factory in Greenfield, Iowa and her husband delivers propane.

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