Farming

I am a product of suburbia, and spent my first 10 years of ministry in the inner city. When I arrived here almost 14 years ago, I knew nothing about farming. I've asked lots of questions, and so I know a little bit more now. Many of our members are involved in farming. Most of them also have other sources of income (working wife, second job) but there are still a few who rely totally on farming for their income.

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Farmers tend to sell themselves short-- I occasionally find myself telling one that I am impressed by how much they need to know in how many different areas-- from birthing livestock to repairing heavy equipment. So much of farming is beyond their control-- they are at the mercy of the weather. In our part of the world, they don't irrigate the crops, they wait for rain. This spring has been tough.

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I was driving back from City yesterday on back country roads, and was amazed by what I saw. It has been a very wet spring, so many farmers still haven't been able to get all their beans planted. So I drove by unplanted fields. I drove by fields of corn that were almost knee high (wisdom says it needs to be knee high by the 4th of July). One farmer had anhydrous tanks by each of his corn fields. It should have been applied long ago, but the wet fields have made it impossible to get out there. I also saw a field where the winter wheat had already been harvested. Usually the wheat harvest takes place while I'm gone in July. It's ready early this year. I read an article yesterday that said that the wet weather has resulted in some disease or syndrome or something (I don't remember details) to damage much of the wheat in our area. I don't know if there has ever been a year when the wheat has been ready before all of the crops were planted. I'll have to ask tomorrow.

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The farmers are getting antsy, to say the least. I wouldn't want to be living with one right now as they watch the days go by and worry about when they'll be able to finish up their spring work. I had a long conversation with on of our retired farmers one day. He was telling me he was just a poor dumb farmer and could never be a minister like I was. I told him he was anything but dumb, and I could never be a farmer like he had been. I ended up talking about call and vocation with him, and telling him farming was as much of a call as ministry. Several weeks ago, the adult son of one of our farmers asked him what he'd do if he ever had a year where the weather was perfect. I still remember one of the farmers remarking in Sunday School that heaven must be boring, because since the weather would be perfect there wouldn't be anything to talk about.

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It's raining again today. I find myself comparing my stress to the stress that my farmers are experiencing right now. Once again I'm laundering Daughter's wet linens. I'm contemplating how we'll handle our travels with the ongoing bed wetting. It will be frustrating and inconvenient, but it won't affect our ability to eat or pay the bills this winter. It's important to keep things in perspective....