Being a farm wife is a hectic job.  Being married to a farmer often means that I find myself eating meals in a tractor, because that is the only way Brady and I get to sit down together.  It also means that there is no "set schedule" and plans often get rearranged, because we are often at the mercy of Mother Nature.  Being a farm wife also means that I always kiss my husband when he gets home from work but am very careful not to touch him anywhere else because he is covered in a mixture of oil, diesel, dirt, and hog manure.  The farm is where we work, where we live, and where we will one day raise our children.  I love the farm and I love being a farm wife, but many women who are in the same position as me do not feel the same way. 

I am so thankful to be married to a man who has his priorities straight.  It is obvious to everyone who knows Brady that his relationship with Jesus is number 1, his relationship with me is number 2, and his career as a farmer is number 3.  Many farm wives find themselves married to a man who has his numbers 2 and 3 flip flopped and number 1 isn't even part of the equation.  Having Jesus as head of our household and marriage really helps to make sure everything else stays in its proper order.  I have heard first hand from multiple farm wives that they often feel like the farm is the other woman or the mistress in their marriage.  This becomes very obvious in those cases when date nights, kids baseball games, and church functions are often missed because the work on a farm is never done. 

The farm has been around in Brady's life for a lot longer than I have, and there is a lot of pressure to work hard and manage it well.  But it is the best feeling knowing that he cares about me and my best interests before those of the farm.  Our marriage is more important than the farm, even during the busy seasons of planting and harvest. 

This past weekend Brady and I attended a marriage conference that our church held in Indianapolis.  We stayed in a hotel downtown and listened to Rob Rienow impart Godly wisdom to all the married couples.  It was a great weekend and I am so thankful that we attended.  I expressed my excitement about attending the conference on Facebook and someone commented, "How are you getting him (Brady) away from the field?"  I was so happy to reply that even though we were still right in the middle of planting, I have a husband who puts his wife ahead of the farm!

Am I saying things are always sunshine and rainbows? Heck no!  Being a farm wife means that sometimes I go to bed alone because Brady is going to be in the field all night.  It also means that I have to wash all Brady's work clothes with a splash of bleach to get the smell out and sometimes I accidently ruin my clothes in the process.  Being married to a farmer also means that I worry about Brady a lot because farming can be a very dangerous job.  Lots of times us spending time together often means we are in a truck, tractor, field, or hog barn.  All those things are totally worth it though, because it is so rare for someone to love their career as much as Brady loves farming.  He loves the farm so much, but he loves me even more! 

Everyone saw the Ram commercial during the Superbowl on Sunday.  The one with Paul Harvey telling viewers how farmers care for their animals, work hard from dawn until past dusk, have family as a top priority, pass their career on from generation to generation, and our stewards of the land.  The Lord needed a special kind of person who was strong in the back yet gentle in the spirit to do all these things, so on the 8th day "God made a farmer." 

With such a strong message. of course this commercial has also caused some controversy.  Just find the video on YouTube and read the comments below.  You are sure to find comments all over the board, things such as...

"And on the ninth day God saw that the "caretakers" he had created were
destroying the natural resources He had made for their own profit. They were
poisoning the ground and water with chemicals, fertilizers and animal waste,
promoting soil erosion and loss of topsoil by over-tilling the land, destroying
wetlands, cutting down trees and generally just screwing up everything they
touched. And always complaining while the largest welfare program in this
country (The Farm Program) supports them."

"I'm an Atheist and I loved this commercial."

"And on the ninth day, when the farmer became lazy, God made Mexicans to pick
the fields."

"SOME of us understand where our groceries come from.
And please thank all the farmers you meet today; you are an invaluable
asset."

"Beautifully made commercial. It's blatantly exploitative and misleading -
relying on an ignorant and easily led audience."

"No Farmers, No Food"

"We don't need farmers. All we got to do is go to the store and buy our food.
Pretty easy, huh?"

"And on the first day, man invented God"

"Farmers are stupid, its a stupid job."

"The whole point of this commircal was to sell the truth.  How our food is
made and where it comes from.  And most of all, how hard farmers work and struggle to
get the job done.  Farmers don't get enough credit and respect for their work."

"On the ninth day, The Devil created GMO's and MONSANTO!!!"

"Most food comes from large corporate farms."

"Being a farmer is one of the most demanding and stressful jobs you can possibly
imagine and when it comes down to it yes it does have one of the worst financial
returns of any other professions for the amount of investment and commitment. If
the government didn't give farmers financial aid, nobody would be a damn farmer.
The government gives those incentives to keep jobs in America and prices down so
when you go to the market you save an extra $.10 cents a potato."

Wow...lots of people, farmers and non...have stong opinions!  Here is where I throw in my two cents.  I loved the commercial, Ioved hearing Paul Harvey's voice speak once again and read his famous essay that was first given as a speech in 1978 at a Future Farmers of America Convention.  The tribute to farmers has since been passed around by farm families as an anthem to the work in their lives, and it was so wonderful that the whole nation got to hear all those wonderful words and see all those gorgeous pictures.  Putting the spotlight on agriculture and God during the nations biggest televised event was a bold thing to do...and it was awesome!  

Things have changed in farming since 1978, just as most things in our day to day lives have changed since 1978.  But the core values are still there and many negative comments that people are posting in response to the commercial are simply untrue.  Farmers care for the land, we take many steps to preserve the land that is our life blood for many generations to come.  Farmers are the last people who want to see our fertile soils get eroded and they do many things to prevent that.  On our farm we do extensive no-till and cover crop practices to ensure land preservation. 

Most food does not come from large corporate farms...the vast majority of farms in America (90%) are owned and operated by individuals or families.  The next largest category of ownership is partnerships (6%).  The “corporate” farms account for only 3% of U.S. farms and 90% of those corporations are in fact family owned.  Many farm families have formed modest-sized corporations to take advantage of legal and accounting benefits of that type of business enterprise.  We do not currently operate as a corporation, but we may change that in the future.  Corporation or not, our farm is a true family operation, Brady is the 6th generation who will take it over as head farm manager one day.    

Contrary to popular belief, Satan did not create Monsanto and GMO's...as the world's population continues to increase, so does the demand food.  Farmers and agricultural workers have taken this challange head on.  This increased demand has been met (and exceeded) with the aid of large-scale equipment and machinery, improved crop varieties (including GMOs), commercial fertilizers, and pesticides. 

Farmers really are amazing people.  To be a successful farmer you have to wear so many hats.  You have to be an agronomist, grain marketer, mechanic, livestock caretaker, tax man, heavy equipment operator, manual laborer, and more.

Please watch and share this video of the commercial.  Every time someone watches and shares the video, Ram makes a donation to FFA and to assist in local hunger relief and educational programs!  

If you know a farmer, shake his or her hand today.  And if you are married to a farmer like I am...you can do even more than that ;)

Brady and I are involved in the Tipton County Young Farmers Group.  As the next generation of agricultural leaders in our area, we strive to serve our community, and to promote policies that are good for society, farm operators, and land owners.

One way we are serving our community this year is "Hoppers for the Hungry".  10% of Hoosiers go to bed hungry every night.  Farmers in Indiana are truly blessed and who better to solve hunger in our state than farmers? 

The program allows farmers to donate all or a portion of a hopper of grain to a local food bank.  Anyone can participate; just tell the elevator that you want the value of those bushels to go towards Hoppers for the Hungry.  The donation is transferred into the charity’s name and is sold at the end of the day for the cash price.  100% of the donation goes directly to the food bank.  Farm operations who participate will get the tax benefit, but more importantly they will make a difference in the lives of some hungry Hoosiers.

Cargill and Co-Alliance in Tipton will be participating in the program; all donations will be going to the Encore Food Bank.

Tell all  your farmer friends!

This is why I haven't posted in such a long time...

I have been swamped with work lately, because mother nature decided to throw a curveball at midwestern farmers and turn off the faucet for months.  The cornbelt has turned into a desert spotted with sad fields of  rolled up corn.  The top picture shows corn picked from one of my customers fields.  These ears are from Posey County, Indiana.  This picture tells a thousand words of how bad things really are in the fields.  The filled out ears came off of some of his flat black dirt, these ears look pretty well, even though the tipping back indicates poor pollination.  If a field was full of ears that looked like this then he would probably yield 120 bushels to the acre.  But the problem is...the ears on the right.  All the corn planted on sandy hillsides in Posey County is burned up and the ears look like this.  A field full of ears like this will virtually yield nothing.  Even the ears that have 10 - 20 kernels won't amount to anything because those ears will fall right through the corn head on the combine.

The second picure shows a field right off of 41 about ten miles north of Vincennes.  This is pretty much how all the fields in southwestern Indiana look...not good.

The government has finally woken up and declared the drought a natural diaster in 26 states and more than 1000 counties.  You can read more about that by clicking here.  Commodity prices still haven't skyrocketed, but that can be expected during and after harvest.

The United States hasn't seen a drought this bad, or this widespread since 1988.  Farmers who have protected their operations this year with crop insurance will be happy they did so. 

I am off the the Tipton County Fair to work at the Pedal Pull!

Until next time!

Sweet corn season has arrived!  We have tons, so come out and get the best sweet corn you have ever tasted!  We sell it right out of Nana and Grandpa Bill's front yard.  Their address is 4126 N 700 W in Sharpsville.  It is super easy to get to, just a mile west of 31. 

Come out any time and someone from the family will be there to help you, if you would like to order ahead of time just call or text Brady (765) 438 - 6101 or me (847) 917 - 0777! 

As usual you can expect great corn and great service.  New this year - we will be handing out the corn in reusable grocery bags that you can use all year long!  Also, if you buy corn and gobble it up so fast that you need to come back for more, just bring your bag with you and you will get a DISCOUNT!

Thanks!

Everyone should watch this video!  Especially is you are a stressed out farmer in need of a laugh!

Much love from Hoosierville!