Spring is a much anticipated season for all — longer days, warmer temperatures (for the most part), outdoor sports and activities, and spring break for the kids.
It’s the same for the farmers, but it means a bit more.
Spring is a time for planting and cultivating a new crop — a new crop that provides a livelihood for the farmer and his family. For a farmer, spring is perfectly depicted in the following Scripture verse: “Sow your seed in the morning, and at the evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.” (Ecclesiastes 11:6).
They work hard to prepare to sow their seeds, and as they wait for those seeds to grow they continue to work on other projects on the farm. Farmers’ jobs are never finished, whether tending to livestock or fixing fences and/or equipment; their hands are never idle.
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Farming is a gamble. A farmer knows that each year is different from the last, and still they choose to enter the game. It is a livelihood that requires faith and commitment, and it’s one that is not well understood by others. This year, the gamble is getting greater and greater with this unbelievable weather and unpredictable politics and markets.
But even with these uncertainties, farmers know there is always something to do in the springtime as they wait to plant their crops. They work to take care of the soil because they know it will give back to them. That’s why you hear the phrase “stewards of the land.” It’s just one of the many hats a farmer wears.
Farmers work hard to control what they can and have faith in what they cannot. They can’t control the weather or the markets through which they sell their grain and/or livestock. They can pray and hope for perfect weather patterns — rain when it’s needed and sunny days to provide a good warm temperature for their crops to grow and prosper.
Our farm is a grain and livestock farm. In the spring for planting the crop, the soil needs to reach 50 degrees to germinate and grow the seed. Once the crop is planted, it’s important to have consistent and adequate rain — one inch a week during the growing season would produce an abundant crop. However, some years too much rain causes flooding, which drowns the crop and the farmer has to replant his fields (2017 had a high number of replanted acres). On the other hand, sometimes there is not enough rain which causes a drought and the crops wither away due to lack of moisture.
As for the livestock, adequate rain is needed to supply forages for livestock on ground that is not suitable for growing crops. Farmers also cut, dry and bail hay in late spring through summer to store feed for their cattle throughout the winter.
Springtime is a time of hard work and faith, and with both the farmers are successful. Farming is such a rewarding way of life, and one they wish to pass on to the many generations to come. Our little girl watches over our fields and our cows — preparing to help her dad in the future.
So, please remember to be patient with farmers this time of year as they move their equipment, deal with the crazy spring weather and the challenging times the agriculture and farming community are currently facing. And remember to always thank a farmer.
Katie Glick grew up on her family farm in Martinsville and now lives with her husband and their daughter on their family farm near Columbus, Indiana, where they grow corn, soybeans, wheat and raise cattle, have a private seed company and grain milling business. Glick is a graduate of Purdue University and has worked in Indiana politics. She now works in the agriculture industry within our state. She shares her personal, work, travel and farm life stories on her blog, “Fancy in the Country.”
