State agriculture icon to retire from the field

Later this month, Meriden farmer Steve Taylor will hand in the keys to his state-issued pickup truck, a 2002 Chevy Silverado with 145,000 miles on it, and retire from his post as New Hampshire commissioner of agriculture.

In the truck, and the vehicles that came before it during his 25-year tenure, Taylor has driven into hundreds of barnyards and to thousands of meetings.

Swapping stories with farmers, and asking questions like the newsman he used to be, the 68-year-old Taylor has navigated the bumpy roads of New Hampshire farming, and Granite State government, with a distinctive Yankee charm.