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It’s currently corn harvest season over here, and I’m contemplating the typical American farmer diet. It seems like the diet of most silage truck drivers is six hours of sleep, the finest offerings from the local gas station deep fryer, a couple Mountain Dews and a pack of lung darts to stave off the boredom.
I have spent many days lately typing journals and sorting through memories while I’m rocking in the proverbial grandma chair. I continue to learn new things about life.
The other day I was perusing the aisle of our local farm store, dodging the horse and chicken people, and I meandered through the dog food aisle. The aisle was a cacophony of dog food screaming about being the best while besmirching their competition.
In 2020, Belgian Kurt Van de Wouwer put his racing pigeon, New Kim, up for auction for the equivalent of $225. The Van de Wouwers had been breeding and racing pigeons for many years and New Kim, a 2-year-old female, had won numerous competitions.
I’m grateful for my life in agriculture and can’t imagine a career not connected to this industry. But I’ve come to realize the journey for others into today’s agriculture industry is much more diverse than the fairytale story that I’ve experienced.
One of my all-time favorite scriptures is: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV)
Spoiler alert: It did not. I sincerely thought I had a leg up on the non-farming set of expectant mothers with my experience caring for lactating animals that had the same gestational length as me. I really, truly did.
Sometimes I’m tempted by the smell of grease that McDonald’s blows outside its walls. It triggers something inside me as we pass by. It’ll be quick, cheap and familiar, I think. Or, it’s the millions they spent on advertising coming to roost. Regardless, my wife shakes her head.
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