There is nothing more basic to a rice farmer than his shovel. It goes where he goes. If it’s not over his shoulder as he walks across the field, it’s in his pickup. He uses it to open the levies to flood the field, to repair broken levies, to drain the field, and to kill …
Category: Lessons From The Farm
Simpleness of Focus
For a farmer it always begins here…the field and his shovel. For the farmer there will be no clock to punch in & out to get paid…no vacation break or boss to complain about. The farmer must relentlessly put first-things-first by not allowing any distractions. For the farmer knows if he misses the narrow window …
Which Are You…Cockleburs or Soybeans?
One of the things a person learns from the farm is that the ground does not care what it grows. Even though the farmer intends to grow soybeans, grass, weeds, and those pesky cocklebur seeds find a way to the ground. In the summer that became my job…Cocklebur Killer! We walked the bean rows before …
“Maybe He Won’t Know…”
Growing up on Andy’s Farm in the late 1950’s and early 60’s was very different than farming today. The primary weed & grass control method of that time was cultivation. This method was to drive a tractor pulling a cultivator between the rows digging up the grass & weeds. Cultivating soybeans is like threading a …
Farrar, The Farmer’s Helpmate
In Genesis 2:18, “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” God did a fine work in both of them. They lovingly made each other strong…they filled each other’s blank places. Just like God intended. Farrar & Andy were married 65 …
A Farmer’s Hands…
One of the unique traits of a farmer is their hands. They were usually scared, sometimes missing a finger or two, callused and strong. This was my dad’s hands + they were large. So large that one day after I popped off and told my dad he was too old to catch me, he only …
Sledgehammer & Acetylene Cutting Torch!
What’s your default response to a problem? Growing up on the farm I had two primary tools to fix things, a sledgehammer to beat something into place or a cutting touch to cut my problem away. That would be my default way of life. I had a limited view of the problem. I chose what …
Pecked To Death…
Did you know chickens can literally peck other chickens to death? Chickens are attracted to the blood of a wound. Also, when chickens are stressed, they become aggressive. Wow, sound familiar? This "pecking" also shows up in people. One of the warning signs is "grumbling". One of the most tragic losses of Blessings is recorded …
Lessons From The Farm: The Soil
Soil (dirt) is incredible. Its function in life is to grow something. Several years ago, I was to speak at a conference about organizational culture, the personality, or the heart, of an organization. Each of the participants received a small bag of dirt labeled, "Soil from my grandfather's farm, which has raised rice & soybeans …
Just Days Away From The Best Harvest Ever…
I remember how excited my dad was one year. “It’s the best crop I have ever had”, he said at the supper table that night. “We will be able to pay off everything and get ahead.” Two or three weeks later I noticed him drinking Mylanta like it was water…his ulcers were in full flame. …
Today's Good News 