We are saddened to report the passing of our member, Dennis R. Bauman. Dennis joined us this past year as a legacy Rotary member, following in the footsteps of previous generations of Rotarians in his family. The Bauman family has been generational farmers in our community.
Dennis, along with his son Nicholas Bauman, operated their 25-acre Back Hills Farm at 951 Whitehaven Road, where they raised sheep, goats, and chickens. Dennis farmed for more than 40 years. He earned a degree in agronomy from Alfred State College and a degree in agricultural economics from the University of Georgia. He and his son studied permaculture in Belize, and Dennis assisted in grazing and crop management of both beef cattle herds and sheep flocks in Argentina.
Their business uses sheep to manage vegetation on solar fields, several of which are located on Grand Island, with others throughout the state of New York. Dennis had also been a director supporting farmers in Erie County and New York State with the Erie County NY Farm Bureau.
Dennis is survived by his sons Christian (Mai), David (Rachel), and Nicholas Bauman; his grandson, Benjamin; his mother, Margaret; and was predeceased by his father, Norman Bauman.