Today is National Ag Day, a day that recognizes the vital contributions of agriculture that add to the quality of life. Today and always, I feel that it is important to share the personal stories of farmers and their dedication to their land and livelihoods. It is very important to take the opportunity to celebrate their hard work, resilience and the innovation of those who contribute to our agricultural heritage. Farm heritage is like a tapestry woven from threads of the past. It encompasses the traditions, practices and stories that connect farmers to their land planting seeds, tending to livestock, and reaping the harvests. It’s a tribute to their resilience and dedication. Their perseverance and never give up attitudes show dedication to working long hours and when it’s time to tend to the crops or animals. There is not always a choice in the matter, when the sun shines or the rain stops, a farmer uses every minute staying awake so they can get the work done.
Farmers have a duty to the earth, and often see themselves as the custodians of the land, working hard with hope that the sweat and long hours will return high yields. Each morning brings a new day, and farmers do a different dance, one of rhythm—planting seeds in the spring, from battling summer’s heat, and harvesting autumn’s golden bounty. Their labor is a sacred choreography as they work hard to honor the legacy of ancestors and the farming family before them. It seems as though they honor those before them who once tilled the same fields, pleaded for rain and prayed for bountiful crops.
A farmer has a deep tendency to check the weather in the sense that the corn whispers secrets to the sun and as they watch as the wheat bows in reverence to the wind. They find themselves watching their livestock graze, taking each breath, praying for another year that will produce and flourish. Farmers work hard because they are partners in resilience and dealing with life like overcoming a damaged crop or stubborn soil. They rise before dawn, boots quickly laced, with their rough hands and mend fences, fix broken machinery, help wherever they can and stretch their days like the earth’s horizon so they can cradle enough work into a day, so they may be able to sleep, knowing they have done their best to provide for those they love. There is constant uncertainty, as markets sway, a close eye on the weather, they bounce from spring flooding to summer drought, yet they persist, balancing on the tight rope of uncertainty, holding their faith close to them, not knowing what the unseen future has in store for them. Farmers walk a solitary path, and when the first crop starts to produce or the livestock is prepared for market, a farmer takes a deep sigh of relief, knowing that the hustle and bustle from one season to the next, the harvest can be rich in delight, and they have produced from the very land generations before them did. It’s the taste of triumph, it’s those moments that make all the blood, sweat and tears worth the work. The missed opportunities, the sacrifices they have made to grow and produce for the world consumer needs, may they realize their value and importance and place in this world.
Farming is not only hard work, but it demands resilience, courage and consistency and a sense of humor to face the crazy weather, stubborn machinery and the highs and lows of the market. There is a lot of guess work involve and remembrance of asking oneself, “what would dad do, or grandpa or the one who farmed long before me.” Farmers do not just work hard for themselves, they work hard and put in all the sweat soaked hours because they are helping to transform the earth and produce off it and because maybe just one day, like they looked up to those before them, someone else will look up to them and proudly say, “it was all because of a farmer.”
I am proud to say that I am married to a protector of the earth, a farmer who works up from dawn to dusk and takes great pride in the work he does. He is the first one to lend a hand when someone is in need and never takes the easy way out, he does the work and puts in the time and like so many other farmers, deserves the respect for all he does to provide for others. Being a farmer can be a thankless job and though we should every day, my hope is that especially today, on National Ag Day, like me, you will thank a farmer.
Along the way, I will continue planting positive seeds, sharing through my personal blog and featuring all of my favorite people, places and things! I hope you will follow along! Stay connected at thoughtfulseedproject.com and of course, if you need help writing, reach out!
Thought of the Day: “The farmer has to be an optimist, or he wouldn’t still be a farmer.” Will Rogers