Imagine for a moment putting up your house, land that has been in your family for generations, equipment, maybe some cattle and your good word for collateral. Buying seed, fuel, fertilizer, etc… so you plant a crop. Keep in mind your crop could be taken by wind, hail, insects, too much or too little rain at any time.
Doesn’t that just sound like a hoot? I just described the good people that surround me here in the heart of Kansas, the American farmer.
The American farmer is an amazing person. They work the land from sun up to sun down to feed their family and the world. The cost of just their machinery alone reaches easily into the millions, allowing farmers to efficiently tend acres of ground. The risk involved is high and frankly I think some years Vegas offers better odds. These people don’t farm because there is great money in it. They farm because they love it. It’s simply in their blood.
Behind every farmer is a family. When the farmer takes a wife, you can bet she’ll be a phenomenal woman. She will cook meals to take to the field, raise a garden, drive anything with wheels, and chase cattle from their porch all before high noon. She’s the type of woman who can look at a rain cloud when it’s flooding and whisper a word of thanks to the Lord for the beauty of a rainbow.
Their kids are special too. They understand that it takes everyone helping to get a job done and have worked beside their parents since they were knee high to a grasshopper. They have backed equipment further than most kids their age have driven forward, can weld anything that’s metal and eat more at dinner time than the men they work beside.
These people know the value of a dollar, how to be a good neighbor and the importance of community. I respect these people greatly, and realize without them, I would go hungry. My prayer for them is always the same…rain (but not during harvest), abundant crops, and prices that rival that of oil.
Here’s to a safe and abundant wheat harvest.
Simply,
Sis
A very special thanks to my neighbor… said running buddy, said farmer’s wife and official wheat harvest photographer.
Tags: combines, family farm, farmers, farming in kansas, the farmer takes a wife, tractors and trucks, wheat harvest
Thank you for this! I am away at school (In Manhattan) and missed all of harvest because of my job.The pictures of the combines in the fields were just what I needed!
JK–you’re welcome. So sorry you missed harvest. I just love the rush and the feeling of community. You just come back and get your fix here, buddy, any time you need one. Have a great year at school. Blessings. Sandhill Sis
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