During a winter freeze, we feed our cattle hay bales on row crop fields to improve areas that are prone to erosion.
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In agriculture, opportunity and responsibility are one in the same. The opportunity to work with the land comes with the responsibility to care for it, and the opportunity to produce healthy food for families today comes with the responsibility to ensure that the next generation has the ability to do the same.
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As far back as we know of, every generation of the Giffin family has had the privilege of growing up with hogs. With the youngest generation growing quickly, we knew it was time to bring hogs back to our farm.
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There is a growing movement within our industry that focuses on creating healthier soils by working with nature, rather than trying to control it. Farmers and ranchers all over the world are improving their soils by embracing soil health principles that mimic nature and promote soil biology.
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Nothing makes me happier than watching our son, Everett, proudly complete his favorite farm job: opening the gate!
As we approach, he begins to smile and stand a little taller. He walks up to the gate confident that he has what it takes. He gets his little hands just right and then leans into it. The real beauty of the moment lies in the fact that opening the gate is everyone else’s least favorite job, but to a little guy on a mission, the gate is the next great thing to be conquered.
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There have been times I would have called our summer cover crop experiment a failure also. There are places where nothing came up and places where it is thick and tall. I’ve noticed that the summer annuals came up best where the existing grass stand was poor. Of course, this makes sense and encourages me, because this is exactly the areas that will most benefit from the increased biomass and diversity.
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On every farm, there are days that cause heartache in the farmer’s chest. On every farm, there are miserably repetitive tasks that cause headache in the farmer’s mind. But everyday on the farm requires the farmer to get up and push on, because there will be a day when all the work and worry will be worth it.
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Finally… the equipment is put away, the stockers are lined out and growing on wheat, most of the spring calves are here, and I get to write the blog post that I’ve been looking forward to since August! We did have a few weeks of “downtime” in August, and we used one long weekend to cross a few things off our bucket list.
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While Derek carefully inspects the equipment, keeps an attentive eye on the crops, and completes his long maintenance to-do list, I’m preparing myself for the inevitable results of our work. Whatever they may be.
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I would never have expected such simple, content animals to so clearly demonstrate the valuable lessons of working smarter, giving first, and saving room for quietness in our lives. But I guess that’s the point... everyday I watch them, I remember that life doesn’t have to be so complicated. I am reminded to sit back and take a deep breath, and I know in my heart that life is good.
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During planting season the highs and lows are never that far apart, and they always have more to do with our attitudes than our actual circumstances. There’s no doubt that our energy will be depleted, our patience stretched thin, and our motivation tested... but at the same time our days will be filled with the warmth of longer sunshine, sweeter moments, a million growing miracles, and hope that outlasts our exhaustion.
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I guess I could put it simply by saying the farm is teaching us more about responsibility, trust, patience, and purpose. Life on the farm is different from many, but at the same time it's still life. We face many of the same struggles and worries and challenges that everyone else does... but in a unique way the farm forces us to stay grounded.
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