A Farmer's Story
You are Part of the Land You Work
For Goodness Sake(writing below is by unknown author)
As a child growing up on a ranch or farm you learn to go to bed early so you’ll be able to saddle up in the moonlight for an early-morning cow gathering. You learn never to turn your back on a cow. Never step in front of a two-year-old colt. Know the best route to the watering hole. Know what plants horses shouldn’t eat. If you get bucked off, get right back on. Let company ride the nice horses.
You learn how to pick out a socket wrench, an open-ended wrench, an adjustable wrench, a washer, and “this size bolt” from a five-gallon bucket of rusty tools at any time. Be ready to fix the fence. Don’t have a smart mouth.
You were born knowing how to drive a truck and tractor. You learn to pull a 24-foot goose-neck stock trailer, and learn to back it up. Don’t get anything stuck in the mud. You know how deep it is, before you cross it. Never play around farm machinery, like feed-grinders and tractors, and other pieces of equipment that have power take-off and/or blades.
You know the different sounds the hay equipment makes: which ones are normal, which ones mean you’re tearing something up. You don’t take an hour lunch break when you’re cutting hay, ever. If there’s rain in the forecast, don’t take a break at all.
You treat your cows like they’re your babies and your horses even better. Never get between a mama cow and her baby calf, and never get behind a bull. Never leave the gate open. Know how to read a pregnant cow. Know how to work a 3am calf-pulling. Know where the flashlights and batteries are for the same event. Never forget to check first calf heifers, and be able to count cattle even when they’re bunched up in a herd. Know how to read cow buyers at an auction.
You learn that daddy can fix anything, and mama is productive. You learn to help in the family garden; milk the cows; feed the animals and get all assigned chores done before going out to explore and play. You learn how to give and take and respect.
You learn to be grateful for a new day; the next sunshine; the progression of the crop in the field. You find a sense of complete beauty in your surroundings and find peace in the silence of a still morning.
You prepare for harvest; physically, mentally and with high hopes for the rewards of dedication. You are part of the land you work.
VENUE Magazine offers a sincere appreciation of our ranch and farm families. We say thank you for the strong roots you plant for our communities, our families, our children– our grandchildren – our great-grandchildren.
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