Everyday Farming Miracles

Do you cut hay first or get the crop planted?

The hay and corn crops are both important to our

beef cows daily diet.

No matter what decision is made,

farming is filled with these moments of

second guessing about the timing of any task.

Farmers are gamblers--without the trip to the casino!

Hay cutting started before the corn  planting.

It is not unusual to have  two or three activities 

going on at the same time.

Farming is truly a juggling act with a little 

gambling on the side!

Miracles on the farm  often begin with the farmer's hard work

but 

it's the sun and the rain provided by God

that gives the crop.

We are blessed by these everyday farming miracles!

 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

Farming is dangerous business.

It seems especially dangerous when moving large,wide

equipment from field to field when it requires moving on

 narrow country roads or entering a highway that is full of 

vehicles that are not too happy to share the road with 

a slower moving tractor.

One of my jobs this last week was to follow the tractor

 and planter as we moved to the next field. I held my breath

 a few times on the dirt road when we met a car or truck

 but my fits of anxiety were worth it just getting to

 enjoy the canopy of trees that shaded

 this old country road. 

I'm thankful for these moments of inspiration

provided by the beauty around us,

for the farmer that loves to plant a crop for his cows to enjoy,

and

                                          for the curiosity of heifers when you open the gate
                                                                 to the field next door!

Urban Farm Girl

After a lifetime of city living in Bentonville, my mother has moved to the farm with us. 

We're providing her with a lot of new experiences in this transition from urban to rural living.

This afternoon, Mother  took her  first ride in the  big tractor  while Cody

 was preparing the field for planting the fall silage crop. 

                                                                                 
                                    Although she has heard us talk about what we do on the farm,
                          there's no substitute for experiencing it first hand from the cab of the tractor!
                                                                     

The smiles say it all...

life is good down on the dairy farm!   

Dairymom's Best Crop

Mornings that require long sleeves and light jackets followed by short sleeved t-shirts in the afternoon would describe the temperature perfectly in northwest Arkansas for the past week.  Although we would welcome rain, the weather has been perfect for planting for winter and spring grass crops.

Dairy farming is labor intensive every day but when you add planting and harvesting to the schedule it does get a little crazy! We are fortunate to have both our sons working on the farm with us.   Each day last week, time was spent getting ready to plant one field. A trip was made to Missouri to buy the seed, the equipment was serviced, the field was disked,and finally the planter was taken to the field. When Ryan and I returned from our trip to Little Rock on Friday, Cody needed one more hour to finish the planting of this field.  We arrived just in time to help fill the planter with seed for the final round to finish the planting. 

As I watched Cody driving across the field, I remembered what my mother-in-law often said when asked about her life on the farm.  She would say,"I've been here all my life and these boys (referring to her son and grandsons) are the best crop I ever raised." I'm thinking more like her everyday!