Author of this post Jennifer Heim posted this blog on National Agriculture Day, March 19th. Heim and husband David operate his family’s dairy farm in northeast Kansas. See more posts at http://heimdairy.wordpress.com Today is National Agriculture Day. I often write about what we do as a part of agriculture, but today I want to talk about why we do it. Michele Payn-Knoper wrote a post about taking the time to explain the personal nature of farming.
I’ve said too many times that farming is hard, that it’s so hard that many people aren’t willing to do it. I’m certainly not saying farming is the only difficult job out there.
Engineering is hard, too, trust me. But as an engineer, I’ve never had to get up at 2 a.m. and go out in a cold rain to check on anything. As a farmer, I have.
So, if farming is so hard – why do we do it? It’s a difficult question to answer – and one I’ve asked myself a million times.
After all, when I met David, I wasn’t a farmer. It’s difficult to explain a decision like ours to someone who hasn’t farmed. There are certainly easier ways to make a more comfortable living.
I admit that at times I needed a little convincing, but the process that convinced me didn’t include lists of pros and cons and logical reasons.
The process of buying the farm was very stressful. If we had given up and moved closer to my job, our lives would most likely be easier. But it wouldn’t be right.
We talked about it, a lot. The thought of someone else milking our cows, of not seeing our calves grow up and have calves, of my husband putting on a tie every morning – it was heartbreaking.
The more we worked side by side, I just knew. I understood what David always seemed sure of.
I believe farming is something inside of us. Its a love for all things living and (for us at least) a faith that God will provide what we need. PD
Click here to see the full blog post Heim.
