I remember getting ready early in the morning to go to the field. Hooking up the equipment was always a process. It required getting the hole in the tractor hitch and the hole in the equipment hitch lined up perfectly. So many times, I thought I had it lined up only to discover after I …
Category: Lessons From The Farm
On the Farm It’s Always About the Harvest, Always!
Driving by beautiful dark green fields of rice, soybeans, and corn, it's hard to believe there could be trouble. A farmer must be ready & prepared for the unseen enemies & troubles… not caught flat-footed when the unexpected happens. The seed my dad planted was treated to protect it from fungus & pests during the …
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Fueled & Greased…Ready for The Day
I remember the early mornings on the farm. No matter how cold or miserable, when it was barely light enough, we got our equipment ready for the day. We refueled no matter how much was in the tank. Not to be overlooked was the dirty & messy job of greasing (lubricating) all the many places …
You Control It…Or It Controls You
To be a rice farmer you understand the Principle of Being Proactive. Years ago, Stephen Covey used this phrase to describe getting in front of a situation rather than reacting to the situation. Such it is with controlling the water in a rice field. A farmer controls the water in the rice field so the …
What’s In the Hopper
Harvest is the final exam on the farm. It is when the farmer gets the results for… the investment of money + over 10 months of hard work + knowledge & experience +/- the weather - pests/weeds/disease = the Harvest. With every crop my dad faced unknowns & conditions that would push his ability to …
The Farm: The Essential Role of the Seed
This part of the series “The Farm: The Essential Role of the Sun, Air, Water & Soil takes us to the purpose, the mysterious star of the show, The Seed. Looking back 60+ years, when I was growing up on my dad’s rice/soybean farm I got a glimpse of the joy my dad had being …
The Farm: The Essential Role of the Soil.
The soil, or dirt as we call it, is where the “raw” nutrients are found that become food for the plant. The soil also provides a structure to support the roots and the plant. But dirt (soil), is not just dirt. “Soil types are categorized by the size and percentage of particles they contain. The …
The Farm: The Essential Role of Water.
Plants are about 80-95% water and need water for multiple reasons.” Carleton College Water provides: “A common trigger for seed germination. Transport nutrients from the soil into and throughout the plant. Photosynthesis, how plants make their own food. Structure, plant cells expand, which contributes to the plant's form and function, including helping the plant stand …
Lesson From The Farm: The Essential Role of Air
One of the unique ways God designed His creation was through His unique relationships & balances. Plants must have carbon dioxide to live while animals must have oxygen to live. Only God would design a system that required co-dependence. Plants take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen and animals take in oxygen and give …
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The Farm: The Essential Role of the Sun.
On the surface the “Lessons from The Farm” reveal a simple application to life, we will always harvest what we plant. But underneath, it’s a very complex system of details, balances & synchronization. Over the next few TGN’s I will attempt to highlight each of the 5 Essentials of the Farm: The Sun, Air, Water, …
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