These 3 pictures capture almost a hundred years in farming. The top picture is my mom & dad in their early years of farming. Note the steel tractor tires. When I first started going to the farm in the late 50’s we had rubber tires as seen in middle picture of my dad on his combine. Over the years the technique has changed.

Dad’s tractor in the 1930’s had no power steering, no comforts but was an improvement from working mules and horses in the field. “The average cost of farm tractors has grown from around $500–$1,200 in the 1930s” Google. In the 1960’s a heavy-duty farm tractor cost “roughly $5,000–$15,000”. This is the era I experienced. The seats now had cushions & suspension instead of the mounted steel seat. Also, there was power steering, electric start, hydraulics, and a lot more horsepower. Note the combine does not have an air-conditioned cab. I remember the summer dad bought an umbrella for the planter. We all “coveted’ that umbrella. The next year we all got umbrellas.

Today, “heavy-duty commercial row-crop and utility tractors can cost between $80,000 to over $350,000 depending on horsepower and technology.” Google The bottom picture is a multi-row planter. “The John Deere DB120 planter is a 120-foot toolbar and 48-row configuration.” In the 1960’s we planted 4 rows at a time.

“The average sale price of a bushel of rice at the farm level was roughly $0.90 to $1.10 in 1930 and about $2.50 to $2.75 in 1960. By 2025, overproduction and global surplus dropped spot prices to around $5.00 to $5.70 per bushel.” Google

There have been enormous changes in farming in one hundred years…or has there been? A farmer today can do more, with fewer people because of technology. Techniques & traditions have changed but one thing remains unchanged, God’s Law of the Farm. The Law of the Farm is, “You will ALWAYS harvest what you plant” Galatians 6:7

Farming & our world today are closely connected. We are doing more… it’s costing more… but what’s your harvest look like? Is it what you expected? What is the Harvest Value?

The inescapable fact is if you want ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,’ then you must plant the only seed that will produce that Harvest. That Seed is Jesus Christ

Once you plant the Seed Of Jesus (Romans 10:9) you begin the faming process of daily watering, cultivating (getting the weeds out) and watching over your crop. This is how Paul described the farming process, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

There is more than just chopping down the tall weeds in your life. It starts with plowing the ground and planting the Good Seed of Jesus. Are you ready?