A Farmer's Creed

I found this among DR's papers the other day and thought it was worth sharing. We may not live a farmer's life but I grew up that way and agree with a lot about this creed. 

A Farmer's Creed

(Author Unknown)

I believe a man's greatest possession is his dignity and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming. 

I believe hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person's character. 

I believe that farming, despite its hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on this earth. 

I believe farming nurtures the close family ties that make life rich in ways money can't buy. 

I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned in no other way. 

I believe farming provides education for life and that no other occupation teaches so much about birth, growth and maturity in such a variety of ways. 

I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free; the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of wide open spaces, the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring. 

I believe true happiness comes from watching your crops ripen in the field, your children grow tall in the sun, your whole family feel the pride that springs from their shared experience. 

I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it, an honor that does not come to all men. 

I believe my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellowman, and by this standard I fear no judgement. 

I believe when a man grows old and sums up his days, he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life he's lived. 

I believe in farming because it makes all this possible. 

Oklahoma Wedding!

Whew!! 

Am I ever tired! The kids and I just returned from an Oklahoma wedding. Our cousin was married on Saturday about 8 hours away but we'd actually been gone since Tuesday night. My parents, a sister and two brothers came down earlier in the week to spend time with Mountain Man in southern Oklahoma. We drove down (5ish hours) Tuesday night to see all of them, Wednesday we spent the day with them and some other Oklahoma family there, Thursday we drove through pouring rain a few hours to the northeast corner of Oklahoma, Friday we had the rehearsal, Saturday was the wedding and Sunday we drove home. What a great week! Long and tiring but well worth it. 

Now, if I wanted to be mean to a bunch of my Indiana family I'd post photos of our trip chronologically. But I know there were some who didn't make it down for the wedding who would love to see some photos. I didn't get as many as I would have liked but I'll share what I have. 

Our cousin Al!! Isn't she just gorgeous! 

She tied one of our Grandpa's belt buckles to her bouquet. He had passed away this past May and yes I was tearing up taking this photo. 

Al married a wonderful Oklahoma rancher/farmer and in true western style the whole wedding party wore cowboy boots! 

Al asked if my kids would be in the wedding and I was happy to oblige. Though Friday night after the rehearsal I was nervous that my three exhausted kids would cause mayhem but they pulled through and did fabulous. 

Yahoo wasn't a flower girl but a sign girl! She carried a piece of barn siding right before Al that said "Here Comes Your Bride!" How cute!!! 

See those three little boys standing so perfectly still? Their mothers promised them ice cream and money if they behaved like absolute angels!!! 

I don't know about you but J, the groom, looks just a bit nervous to me! 

What a wonderful couple they are! Too bad we don't live closer though. 

I didn't SEE this part but I HEARD that when Al and J were kissing that my boys, the junior groomsmen, covered their mouths like it was gross and looked away. Anyone get a picture of that?? 

During the rehearsal I asked J if he had made the archway backdrop for the wedding, it was gorgeous! 

"You mean the Outhouse?" he asked, "We're getting married in Outhouse! But don't tell Al that, she doesn't think it's funny!" 

Oh, J will sure fit into this family! 

At one point before the wedding the photographers weren't in the dressing room and Al asked if I'd take some pictures of the girls. I was able to watch the bridesmaids pray over the bride. What a wonderful group of women these are! 

Party time!! 

I have practically no photos of the reception because Yahoo was asleep on my arm for most of it and the rest of the time I was cutting and serving cake! The kids and I had to leave way too early to get started on the 8 hour drive back. We had such a wonderful time with family I sure didn't want to leave. But isn't it nice to have a family that will drive so far to see one another? I still feel blessed! 

Pickin' a Melon is serious business.

I get tickled by my husband. He's so serious! 

On our trip to the mountains last week we had to drive through Eastern Colorado which is kind of boring. Eastern Colorado is a lot like Western Kansas....flat, with a few more trees. 

What they do have quite a bit of though are family farm markets along the way selling melons!! 

What makes stopping at this particular farmer's market so funny is that DR grew up in southern Indiana growing melons. He even remembers bringing up trailers full of melons to the Indiana State Fair and building those pyramids of melons? Any of you Hoosiers remember those?? 

So yeah, melons are a serious business for DR! 

When we stopped he was searching for the perfect melon. 

I was just standing back taking pictures :) 

We ended up leaving with one watermelon, one cantaloupe and one jar of honey (with beeswax!!! my choice) and half a dozen peaches which took DR about 20 minutes to decide upon. 

With my untrained eye picking the melons we would have been in and out in three minutes!! He looked, turned, thumped, compared, smelled and who knows what else to find just. the. right. melons. 

I'm sure glad he was so diligent because my oh my those were some pretty good melons!! According to me anyway. 

According to DR they weren't anything compared to what he used to grow!! LOL

Who knew Colorado was melon country? 

Tuberville, the Old Farmer and Feeding the Hungry

Just about a year ago I posted this picture of my great great uncle Emanual, an Indiana farmer. You can go here and read the original post (and the comment from Amber is funny too!) 

Actually I had totally forgotten that I had ever posted it until I received an interesting email last week. A woman by the name of Virginia Hastings contacted me asking permission to use this photograph in a web series she is working on. I was taken totally by surprise but after a bit of research about her project and permission from other relatives I happily consented. 

Ms. Hastings is working on a mini web series on the story of Tuberville (the Series). 

Tuberville the web series a fictional account of

the real life Tuberville organization in Vermont. Tuberville, both in the

series and in real life, supports farmers who grow potatoes to give to food

banks.  The series will consist of eight, six to ten minute episodes that will follow the fearless Tubervillians through a year on the farm. Although the only episode up on the website is the nine minute pilot, it does a very good job at grabbing the viewers interest and telling a compelling story in a short amount of time. Perhaps they do such a good job in a short amount of time because like many real life farmers the Tuberville characters aren't a gabby lot of individuals. 

Tuberville (the organization) was started on the old David B. Thompson Farm, in the fall of 2004, a small garden was tilled to provide foodstuffs for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. In 2005, Peter Perkins and his son Ralph, harvested a very modest crop of 1470 pounds of potatoes for the food shelf.

In 2006, the field was more than doubled in size and with the expansion came Tuberville. Since Tuberville has spread through Vermont and into Maine. 

Ralph Perkins was kind enough to email me back and had this to say about Tuberville:

"Tuberville ( www.tuberville.org ) wasn't really a project when we started.

It kind of happened on its own and sucked us in. In 2004, when my father was
talking about planting a few rows of potatoes, I didn't really think about
it as something I might be doing year after year. In 2005, my daughter Kate
turned 4 and we began talking about flowers and trees. For me, helping my
dad with his potatoes seemed like a great way to begin exploring nature in a
way I could explain to Kate. By the next summer, my wife Jeannie was asking
what the fertilizing schedule needed to be and I was beginning to understand
this was more than a part-time hobby.
In 2007 there was enough interest in what we were doing to ask the IRS for
non-profit status. Although this project was still taking its first steps,
we wanted to make sure that every dollar counted. By doing this, we were
able to expand our reach to other food shelves in the area. In addition to
growing food, Tuberville's mission is to increase awareness of issues that
surround hunger. Often hunger can seem invisible, though the effects of
hunger on those impacted by it can be tremendous. Tuberville's philosophy is
not one of preaching or propaganda. We believe that anyone who decides they
want to help others in their community through this kind of project will
come to their own conclusion about this issue.

Obviously, the idea of community and helping others is not new. Neither is
the saying that communities that work together, play together. We have a
number of ways to keep in touch with folks that are on the internet. People
can take control of a row of potatoes that we grow through our Sharecropper
3.0 program or they can just follow us through our fictional web video
series about a town called Tuberville at www.TubervilleTheSeries.com"

Check out their website, it won't take long at all. The Tuberville (org) is a very simple website to navigate with a very simple idea that they are trying to share; local farmers feeding the hungry in their own communities. I think it's a wonderful idea and a wonderful story that could and should be spread to every state in our country. I'm not a farmer and can't grow food to donate food banks but I support the idea of what Tuberville is all about. 

I think my Uncle Emanual and various other relatives long since gone would be smiling to know that this picture might be doing it's small part to encourage agriculture, farmers and local communities to work together helping those in need. I can't wait for the rest of the episodes to get up on the Tuberville Series site; I'm looking forward to the rest of the story! 

Kansas Corn is looking bad.

It's no secret that we are in a drought out here in Kansas. Last week when my mom was here, she and I drove around one evening taking photos and we came across this field of corn that is a pretty good indicator of the harvest to come. In a word: Poor. 

It's not nearly as tall as normal. Without walking into the field I'd guess it wasn't six feet tall. It's already turning brown and you can see that part of the field has already been chopped for silage. It has been chopped because no ears have formed or there just isn't enough water to finish the crop out. Although farmers out here irrigate they are only allocated a certain amount per season. Irrigation is to supplement rainfall but because there has been very little rain this year most farmers ran out of their irrigated water allocations by mid July. 

A early harvest is predicted for SW Kansas. I heard one farmer say they expected to harvest in late August/early September. Yep, that's early. The yields are expected to be 25-50% less than average and average yields are 250 bushels an acre. 

What's that country song? Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey?

Well, no rain...no corn...no whiskey. 

Sunday Devotions- Miracle Grow

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Matthew 13: 3-8

Last Sunday my minister preached on this passage from Matthew and I wanted to share some of his thoughts with you today.

When farmers prepare their fields or gardens they remove rocks and weeds and apply fertilizer and compost to make the soil as fertile as possible. Then after the seeds sprout farmers continue to care for the fields as much as possible to insure a bountiful harvest. You aren't going to see too many farmers plant a field then walk away from it for months expecting a bumper crop.

God's word can spring to life in a lot of different places just like the parable of the sower. God's word sprouted in rocky and thorny areas but wasn't able to last because it didn't have the right soil. But if God's word is sown in soil, our hearts, prepared at it's best then the crop will be a hundred times what is sown.

Photo Thursday - Spring in Kansas

Doesn't that wheat look gorgeous?

We don't have square fields out here, well not many. They are all in circles. Where the end of the irrigation rig reaches is the end of the green.

Before Kansas I'd never seen a circle field or so many irrigated fields.

Personally, I think it's a waste of water and to better utilize resources farmers should move towards drought resistant crops but I guess this type of irrigation is an improvement. I talked to one woman who, as a child, helped haul large pipes out to the fields to flood them....an incredibly inefficient use of water.

Blogging Friends; the unexpected benefits of a blog.

I started this little old blog a little over a year ago merely with the intention of sharing my life with my friends and family. It sort of all started with Facebook. I had been trying for DAYS to get some photos of my kids loaded up for grandparents to see and it just wasn't working.

I thought to myself, "This is crazy! There has to be an easier way. Hey, why don't I try starting one of those blog things?"

I'd read a few blogs like Pioneer Woman and Chickens in the Road and I knew a few friends who kept blogs about the happenings of their families. I could do one, sure! All I wanted was a place for my family to see what my kids and I had been up to.

And my blog has done it's job. My mom and grandma both read my blog practically everyday. Then I found my sisters and cousins keep up on my blog too. Without my blog it would be months or years between times I see or talk to some of my relatives and let them know what we were up to.

My blog has been a place for me to share some of my interests and creativity as well. I probably wouldn't take nearly the photographs that I do if I didn't have a blog to share them through.

One of the most surprising benefits of having a blog has been some of the 'blog friends' I've made. I have people following and commenting on my blog whom I've never even met and in turn I've started following and commenting on some of their blogs. In the process I've come to really enjoy hearing and caring about the lives of these women.

First, there's Lana who is Walking the off-beaten path. I've actually met Lana but I bet she doesn't remember it! Lana lives back in Indiana and she is an acquaintance of my sister's. For years my sister kept going on about what a fabulous mother Lana is and how we would have so much in common (we were both teachers in a former life) and we really should meet one another. Well, my sister introduced me to Lana in the middle of the county fair one summer. After a bit of chit chat I had to run off to chase a toddler and Lana had to return to the Farm Bureau booth she was manning. I never met her again but shortly after coming to Kansas my sister passed on her blog to me. And boy do I wish I'd gotten to know Lana in person. She's a spunky farmer's wife who's not only busy with the farm life of raising crops and cattle but is raising two girls and continually promoting agriculture in her area. I admit though my favorite part of Lana's blog is the pictures of her farm that she shares. They make me feel just a bit less homesick for the Hoosier State.

Abby is a blogger friend I met through her blog, They Lend Me Their Hearts. (She's the very front nun!) There are days I feel like Abby and I must be living very similar lives although she's in the frozen north...Minnesota. She's a stay at home mom but runs a day care/preschool from her home. Isn't she brave? Abby posts a lot of what really is important in her life and her thoughts in the moment. She has three young kids like I do and shares a lot of her kids' shenanigans. Her blog cracks me up because a lot of days we seem to be having the same mom issues. Temper tantrums, coffee addictions, getting the perfect Christmas Card photo, you know...those kinds of issues! One of my favorite group of posts from Abby was when she chronicled her part in her community theatre's Sound of Music performance. It's really great to see another stressed and frazzled stay at home mom take the time to do something for herself and nurture her own interests. Abby you make me want to be more like you!

My blogger friend I would most like to meet in person would have to be Amy. Amy's Assorted Adventures chronicles her honest to goodness adventures as she and her family are managing an orphanage in Zambia, Africa. She posts about her own kids, new babies who are brought to them, their animals, their adventures traveling for groceries 2 hours one way every week and their adventures traveling back to Texas once a year. Amy has literally lived around the world and she holds me riveted with every one of her posts. Most of her stories make me laugh but some have made me cry. The most disturbing part of her blog however is the list at the top of her homepage of things that have bitten her husband, Tom. Seriously, the first time I read that list I had to Google half those critters to see what they were! Now I pray for Tom everyday that he isn't bitten by anything else. Stay safe Tom! Amy has to be one of the loving patient women on the planet. She seems to handle every 'adventure' with a great deal of grace. Maybe if I read her blog long enough some of that poise may rub off on me.

When I started my blog I never expected to connect with such interesting and vibrant women. These ladies have inspired and taught me. They've made me smile and cry and laugh in ways I had never expected. What a great benefit of blogging! If I'm really lucky, one of these days I'll get the chance to give these ladies a big Thank You Hug! I'm so glad I've 'met' you, you wonderful women!

Photo Thursday - The Old Farmer

I have a lot of family members who are really in to studying and learning our family history. It isn't uncommon for piles of photographs and genealogy records to appear soon after desert at our family reunions. It's great; I love to just sit back and listen to all the stories the older generations have to share.

Recently my great uncle sent me this photo of our Uncle Emanual, my great great uncle.

He was born in 1906 and died in 1989. He was one of 10 children, never married and farmed his whole life. He lived with his sister in the house where they had been born and raised. I'm guessing this photo was probably taken during the 1970's, maybe late 60's.

Now I've seen tons of old photos of my family members over the years that probably span a hundred years. But there is something about this photo of Emanual that really grabs me.

Maybe it's his casual pose standing in his cornfield as though it's exactly where he belongs. Maybe it's his weathered face and hands and sweat stained hat that reflect the years of farm work he's accumulated during his lifetime. Maybe it interests me because it's taken in the fall, my favorite season.

I think this photo intrigues me because I can imagine that Emanual had a lot to say....a lot of stories, a lot of opinions, a lot of knowledge to add to life.

I don't think I ever met Emanual but this photo makes me wish I had. I imagine he probably had many fascinating stories to tell. He lived and worked through the Great Depression and two World Wars. I've been in the two story brick farm house where he was raised and I can't imagine 10 children EVER fitting into it.

Of course I'm intrigued by all old farmers....and their stories. I've met my fair share and I don't think I went away from any of them without a chuckle. Old farmers have personalities that I don't think can be matched by any other profession; funny, stubborn, hardworking, insightful.

Yeah, I wish I had known old Emanual. Do you have an old farmer in your life?

(If you are married to one, my God be with you!)

Kansas Rain

Annual Rainfall

Back home in Indiana; 40 inches per year

Here in Kansas; 20 inches per year.

In Indiana farmers measure rain in tenths of an inch.

In Kansas farmers measure rain in hundredths of an inch.

I grew up in northern Indiana in an area with dozens of lakes.

I remember falls, winters and springs in Indiana where it seemed there were months and months of mud.

We complained about the rain, hoping it would finally come to an end. Rain caused mud, mud created ruts and ruts were hard to walk and drive over.

 Oh Indiana rain, rain, rain.

Kansas is different. In this part of Kansas there are no lakes. We are classified as a desert grassland.

In Kansas I've never heard anyone complain about the rain. Everyone is completely thankful for the rain. "We need the moisture." everyone comments. I've come to yearn for rain, watching the skies for any sign of a coming storm.

In Kansas water is precious. The aquifers that run below this part of the country are disappearing. Farmers who irrigate crops (corn) and use too much water are fined. Some farmers are moving towards drought resistant crops like sesame seeds. But there are just as many who refuse to change their customs and attitudes toward water usage.

After only six months living out here I've found myself being much more conservative in my water use; laundry, dishes, showers, gardens. I never knew how spoiled I was growing up surrounded by water. I find myself guilty of all the water I've wasted over the years. Water is on my mind much more than ever before.

I took these photos a couple weeks ago and I remember at the time how happy I was to see rain.

What is the rainfall like in your neck of the woods?

Sunday Devotions for Kids - Prayer of the American Farmer

My husband has a plaque on our bedroom wall that belonged to his grandfather who was a farmer. This simple wooden plaque bears the Prayer of the American Farmer. Being that it is spring and there are many farmers in the fields planting as we speak, I thought it would be appropriate to share with you today.

Lord, with Your help we endure the changing seasons. We survive drought and flood, high winds and snowstorms. But today our risks and burdens grow, even as as world hunger increases more and more.

We don't ask You, Lord, to make our problems dispappear - You know the farmer never retreats from a challenge. And we don't seek help for ourselves alone - our labors and their fruits nourish people everywhere. We simply want to keep our precious land, work it, and preserve our self respect.

So we come to You, Lord - the source of our strength, our courage, and our hope - trusting in Your steadfast love for us and all You have created. Our prayer is this: that You would enable us to feed the families we love, the country we cherish, and the nations of the world in which we live. 

by B.J. Hoff