55 Years And Counting From The Tractor Seat

By bill whitman 

 Here it is, Spring. Spring brings with it something that we all need, hope. We hope that Spring brings weather that will allow us to put a crop in the ground, and we hope that our equipment holds up, and that rain gives our crops the vital nutrients our crops need to survive. Then we have renewed hope that our crops can be harvested and the yields are good and prices will pay the bills.

Hope drives almost everything in our lives. It is the thing that has been the foundation of the generations of farmers and ranchers that have gone before us. I remember stories about the drought years of the 1930s. Combined with the Depression, so many farmers and ranchers were brought to their knees. But American agriculture survived and even learned from the experiences and grew. We learned to put environmental practices that saved the soil and livestock practices regarding pasture management in place and we continue to learn. That’s what is one of agriculture’s most vital assets, our ability to learn.

It’s easy to get discouraged about everything that’s going on in the world. I often regret that I no longer live in a world that is defined within the perimeters of my relationships. Now, within one day, something that happens in the Middle East can have a direct effect on the price we get for our crops, the price we must pay for inputs, the price of groceries, gasoline, etc.

I thought a discussion about how “hope” is vital to motivating us in agriculture to try again. Most know that I watch several YouTube videos, primarily family farm videos. Over the years I have enjoyed the relationship(s) developed by watching and interacting with farms and ranches across the country. What I have learned is that “wisdom” can be found everywhere and anywhere. Life lessons almost always accompany experience.

Several years ago, I watched the Larson Family in Minnesota experience the young wife of Doug Larson’s son, Chet, fight a losing battle with cancer. The strength of Doug and Amy Larson was experienced by everyone that went through this alongside them. I reached out to Doug on Instagram and asked what we could do for them. His response was pure wisdom, “pray for God’s will and pray for a miracle.” He recognized who was in charge but also reached out for hope in a miracle. I have watched as the “miracle” has unfolded as the family worked their way through the experience to the other side.

Many are aware of Matt Griggs going through the windshield of his combine. Matt often expresses his faith in God and at the conclusion of planting and harvest speaks his appreciation for God seeing them through. Each year, especially the last three years when prices and inputs left no chance of seeing a profit, Matt and Kelly trust in God and hope that their hard work will be rewarded with another year.

The last example I have with “hope” is Norwood Centennial Farms, a small dairy in northern Michigan. I’ve written how a major agriculture manufacturer and their dealership have abused this family repeatedly through a legal process that should have been resolved long ago. What I haven’t mentioned is that the dealership was aware of the owner’s health challenges, and I believe they were delaying until his challenges won. This hard-working family “believed” and hoped that Doug would overcome his health challenges, and the family farm survive despite the financial hardships they faced. I’m happy to say that their belief and hope was rewarded and Doug is surviving against the odds with a renewed energy to continue the fight and right the wrong perpetrated against his family.

So, each year, use hope as your motivation and don’t be afraid to lean on hope in times where it appears that all is lost. What’s the Bible say, “faith is the hope of things unseen?” It’s worked for centuries and it will work for centuries to come.

Horse Sense: Every day we have the choice between smiling and frowning. Care to guess which one takes less effort?

IndianaAg@bluemarble.net