Last Monday night my dad, along with two other men from back home, were in Tallahassee for a state meeting. My cousin and I were able to go down and join them for supper Monday night. I did this last year as well and while the meeting is long, it is interesting to hear what house bills, legislative updates, etc are on their way.
The meeting was a Farm Bureau meeting and their slogan has something to do with "Family Farm" ...the actual logo is escaping my tired mind at the moment. Regardless of what the slogan is, I am truly thankful for growing up on a family farm. Being raised on a farm is one of the greatest opportunities in life, however my opinion is a little slanted. Do you ever really think of where your food came from? Where your clothes came from? Where that piece of paper you were just writing on with a pencil came from? Where marshmallows and jello come from (in case you didn't know geltin comes from the hoof of a cow)? Where your soybean based makeup came from? Where the wheat came from that makes that cold beer taste so good? Next time you see a farmer you need to thank them.
Right now every farmer is busting their behind to get their crops in the ground and as soon as they finish planting they hit their knees and pray to God that their crop makes it. Why? Farmer are nothing more than gamblers. Everyday they take a gamble. Whether or not a hurricane is going to come early in the season or late once the cotton bolls are open. The chance that a rain storm may come along and ruin everything they just did. Did that new born calf make it through the night or did a coyote kill it? Is a new kind of weed taking over and choking the crop out? Did a yard/trash fire get out and get into their wheat field. Making sure that the person that flipped their car into their field is ok because no section of crop is more important than someones life. Hoping all the livestock stay in the fence through the entire dark, storming, rain drenching and a phone call won't come at 2am saying "your cows are out." From the unknown of what the crop prices are going to do after you plant them.
Our family farm goes back many generations. It is in our blood. While we all didn't stay around to do it, it does not mean that we still don't miss it, love it, desire it, and still want to live it. Being raised on a farm has taught me many things that has, and will continue to, carry me through life. Hard work- just because you get off at a certain time does not always mean it's time to go home. You go home when the job is done, not when the clock says to. There were many nights mom and I took supper to the fields and we all ate on the back of a truck because dad and Heath didn't have time to stop and come home. As a family, it was very important to all sit down together. There are many nights that they don't come home until late. Especially during harvest season. It could be 10 or 11pm, unless the dew fell early. Then come break of morning, they are gone again. Self reliance-you can only depend on what you do. If you do a half ass job from the beginning, then you have set yourself up for a half ass crop or a complete failure. Dedication-you have to tend to it everyday. There are no vacations. We went to Disney when I was three and that was only for my uncle's wedding. A few years later we went to Kansas City, MO, but that was for a Soybean Conference. Our summer vacations consisted of going back and forth between our farm in Florida and the one in Alabama. Faith-you are at the total mercy of God's guiding hands. If you have no faith in Him, then you need to be prepared for what he throws your way. One of the many things I love about my dad and his Faith in God and his Dedication to his farm can be found in his Bible. Whatever the scripture is for that Sunday's worship he marks it with not only the date, but the forecast...cloudy, sunny, hurricane Ivan, 40% chance of rain. Love-you have to love to farm to do it. It is a relationship too. You have to love it just the right amount. Never more than your family or God, but just knowing that what is exposed out in those fields is your lively hood for the next year will cause you to find the right amount of love. I have complete respect for my mother. Never really getting to see my dad during those late nights of work and her having to deal with us when we were little wasn't easy, I'm sure! Stewardship-farmers are the best stewards of the land. No one cares for it more than they do because no one depends on it more than they do.
Feeding and clothing America isn't an easy task, especially for the family farm. Always be thankful and grateful to that farmer you want to flip off because you got stuck behind them on the road. While you are heading off to go shopping, hang out at the beach, or off to do your favorite hobby because you are off that day, that farmer is trying his hardest to make sure all his crops are turning out ok so you can have fuel for your car, clothes on your back, money in your pocket (what do you think money is actually made out of?...that's right) and food in your stomach. They do not get any "off days" because their job is 24/7/365 and even though they may be finished with their crop doesn't mean they are done for the year. No sir, they are off to help other farmers out to make sure they get their crops in as well. Just be thankful and mindful because feeding and clothing a grateful nation is much better than feeding and clothing an ungrateful nation.
I am a farm kid and damn proud of it.
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