A girl and a tractor ride

While we are passionate about our alfalfa and teff projects, we also grow field corn in rotation. It is important to keep the soil healthy and to keep ourselves as diversified as possible. Eggs and baskets …

Our daughter, age 5, is a farm girl through-and-through. One of her favorite pastimes is riding in the tractor with Jim. She sits in the “date seat” waving like she is a parade queen, a grin as big as Texas on her face. I love seeing she and Jim sitting in the cab of the tractor together. Our little chatterbox often sits, mostly quietly, and they just farm together in those moments.

In my off-farm life, I work as a public policy analyst covering the goings on in our state legislature, watching bills that are beneficial or detrimental to the agricultural community, and writing about them. The 2021 Legislative Session has been challenging. Today, watching my daughter and husband plant corn, I was reminded of how truly fortunate we are to do what we do.

We put a little seed in the ground; then apply some water and fertilizer; and hope for some sunshine. With any luck, some grace, and many hours of work, in 90 days or so, that seed will have sprouted into mature field corn. How amazing is that? Now, that’s an oversimplified version of commercial corn cultivation but on a sunny, cool day in early April, it’s enough to remind me to be grateful for small miracles.

Like a little girl who loves nothing more than riding in the tractor with her dad.