While messing with my phone in the waiting room I somehow deleted the original version of this post from last week and I can’t get it back.😜 So I guess I will take the opportunity to edit it a little. I woke up this morning wondering if me trying to start a blog about farm life and my life as a mom was even a good idea. I’m not a big social media person and there are a lot of farmers wives who are very talented writers blogging about there experience and it’s intimidating. After a trip to New England last summer I realized by billboards I had seen that there is a lot of misinformation out there about agriculture and thought maybe If I give it a shot I could shed a positive light on farming. I have second guessed myself daily about writing about our life and this morning said God I don’t know about this? It might not be for me( Not that writing this blog is in anyway changing my life right now). To me putting my thoughts and life out there for anyone to read is a big deal for me. After taking my daughter to school and running some errands I was looking at the news and came across an article about a politician belittling farmers. My feelings about the importance of educating the public on agriculture were confirmed. Farmers are not simple minded old men who only wear overalls and plaid shirts sitting on stools milking a cow by hand, they are very smart men and women. They are a vet, scientist, mechanic, accountant, contractor and many more things all rolled into one person. Yes there are times a trained vet, or contractor, or mechanic are needed but in the day to day they take on many roles to care for the farm themselves to be successful and functioning. We are a family farm, my husband farms with his 2 brothers and there dad.We do have some hired help to help with some milkings but most of the work is not done by hired help but by these 4 men. On top of running the farm they are all loving husbands, fathers, sons, uncles and one very proud grandpa. It takes a lot of work, patience, extending grace, and faith to keep things going. Like any business you have to put in a lot of time, care, and energy to see it do well. You will never find two farms that are run the same just as no two banks or stores are run exactly the same, they find what works best for there situation and learn from mistakes how to make something better. Farming is no different, sure there are the basics but also a lot of continuing to educate yourself and find what works best for your unique situation. They are always finding new and improved ways to make animals more comfortable, equipment to run smoother and technology is huge in agriculture. everything from improved GPS in tractors to cooling systems for cows so they don't get to hot in the summer and brushes for them to rub against just because they like it, and the list doesn't end there. Working full time takes on a whole new meaning when you are a farmer. You don’t put in an 8 hour day or 40 hour week. During harvest you may work a 22 hour day sleep 2 hours and wake up and do it again. It’s not as simple as digging a hole and planting a seed. For planting soil is tested and the right seeds are chosen there is not just one type of corn. There is so much more that goes on behind the scenes than people are aware of. This picture is of my husband and sweet kids and these are the faces of an American family farm.
I love this!
ReplyDelete