Author: farmerswifesouthernlife

It’s the oldest FFA camp in the nation. It has seen over 400,000 campers pass through thus far in it’s tenure.  This past week while chaperoning my own students at our North Carolina FFA Center at White Lake, I realized that this summer marks the 20-year anniversary from my first visit.  It’s a place where you watch children “grow up” – whether that means the kids of the advisor’s that tag along, the maturity of your own students over the course of their high school journey, or the camp staff.  The nostalgia of this realization inspired me to share the top 12 reasons I will always love FFA camp.

1. Waterball:  A unique watersport created by FFA advisors many years ago that cannot be found anywhere else.  Many weekly banner winners have been determined over the years based on who could master this strange concoction of softball/kickball/swim race.  Those who have played will understand the importance of not fully swinging and that you can’t be “out” if you’re under water.

Photo Credit: Emily Jacobs

2. Patriotism: We start the morning early with the playing of Reveille and end with Taps at lights out.  We pause as the flag is raised each morning and recite the pledge of allegiance – the way it is written – with no pause between “…one nation under God…”.

3. The Trees:  Oh the trees!  NC FFA Camp…where it takes practically an act of congress to cut one down.  Large trees help define the foul line and even have their own special “rules of play” if a softball hits their branches.  The Live Oaks provide the BEST shade on a hot day and under their thick canopy is prime real estate for your camping chair.  Beautiful Bald Cypress trees line the shoreline with their rough “knees” dispersed like a mine field.  The Spanish Moss dangles from the limbs like tinsel on a Christmas tree reminding you that you’re not far from the coast in the South.  They really are picture perfect – just don’t pick up the moss or you’ll find out real quick all you want to know about the dreaded Red Bug.

Even the most grumpy of morning campers will set their alarm clocks to rise early to watch a beautiful sunrise.

4. Screen Doors: A few years ago when the camp went through major renovations to the dining and rec halls, items such as the old picnic tables were sold to help generate funds.  My immediate thought went to the screen door on the dining hall.  I can still hear in my mind the creak of the decades old spring hinges followed by the hard thud as the door shut behind each camper.  Today, similar doors fit all the male cabins to help keep the memory alive.  Screen doors and windows mean you fall asleep to the sound of crickets and not the hum of an AC unit…unless you’re “lucky” enough to have a camper (or advisor) who snores in your cabin!

5. Where kids can be kids without use of technology: It wasn’t until the summer of 1999 that the most faint cell service reached rural Bladen County.  Even then there was only a section of maybe 3 boards wide on the right pier that would hold one bar of analog signal if I stood on the tips of my toes.  To call home prior required a LONG wait in line at one the two pay phones on campus.  It encouraged you to live in the moment which in turn helped make memories that would last a lifetime.  Over a decade later I sometimes wish we still didn’t have signal at camp but surprisingly the jam packed schedule keeps most FFA members engaged and trying new things.  Just this past week I taught a group of members how to play shuffleboard for the first time.  Where did I learn?  At FFA Camp of course!  It was the “original” corn hole game!   I’ve seen frozen boxers ran up the flag pole, future marriages blossom while sitting on the piers, and counselors “lovingly” dunked in the lake.  Yes.  I will admit I’ve had to run my fair share of bases with girlfriends at midnight as discipline for shenanigans…but none of those memories were created from an app on my phone either! (Pokemon who???)

Leadership skills are cultivated through hands-on activities.  Pictured in the background is the original Recreational Hall during the summer that cell service arrived at camp!

6. Canoe Races: It is a rite of passage for NC FFA campers.  If you’ve never sat in a canoe, you can bet you’ll attempt to paddle in a straight line from pier to pier before you head home on Friday.  With a little skill and luck you’ll get a great lesson in teamwork as you time your ejection and re-entry in the four-man relay race.  Whatever you do…don’t get stuck in the trees and don’t sink the boat!  It is always a great source of entertainment!

7. Tug of War: The one event that doesn’t take much skill – just raw strength.  Watch out for the mountain boys.  They know how to dig out the best trenches with their cowboy boots to get the best traction.  It is pretty standard expectation that most will leave the event talking a little hoarse!

8. The Grits: They seem to only get better with time.  Back in the most early days of camp, schools were responsible for bringing all the necessary items to cook the meals for the week.  FFA members pitched in to pack up ham, flour, eggs, salt, and grits to whip up family style meals.  Then we headed into the catering eras of Dowless and Sandpiper…but one thing remains the same – fantastic grits every morning for breakfast amid sometimes questionable other items on the menu.  Unless you’re from Eastern NC, the lunch made of Brightleaf “red” hot dogs is usually a culture shock to many!  Oh…and don’t forget Melvin’s down the road if you get a real treat!

9. The Puddle: If you’ve ever been to camp when a thunderstorm passed over…you know exactly what puddle I’m talking about.  It’s a blessing and a curse all rolled into one.  You don’t want to get your feet wet but need to cross through the area?  You better take the long route.  Need to quickly wash off your feet “camp style”?  Feel free to wade on in and knock the sand off!

10. Catching the Elusive Fish:   In all my various visits to camp, including trips during all seasons of the year…I can count on one hand the times I’ve seen someone catch a legit fish in the lake.  One time during college while working at the camp I decided to give it a try myself.  I was casting the bait right over the huge bass lurking just off the rock wall and finally gave up after an hour.  Haven’t tried since but it’s on my bucket list!  I now chuckle at others trying their hand.  Making memories!

11. The Swings:  As a student I can remember sitting in the old wooden swing next to my advisor, discussing my plans for life after high school.  Those conversations were crucial to my motivation to keep working towards my goals.  In the time since then, I have tried to pay it forward with my own students.  Camp creates a safe, relaxed atmosphere where quality relationships can be built.  It allows me to connect with my students in a way that is not possible in my classroom. The look on their face when you jump in to play beach volleyball, or help make up a dance for the talent show, or help remove a splinter from their foot, translates to a stronger bond showing that we care.  It brings people together young and old like no where else I have ever experienced outside of church.

And last but not least…

12.  Bouncy Chairs. These originals are hot commodities to grab to sit for a spell.  If you don’t understand it, read this link and then you need to visit to experience them yourself!

Remember folks…you might outgrow the jacket but you’ll never outgrow the experience!  Attending FFA camp always renews my hope and spirit that North Carolina Agriculture is in good hands for the future!

NOTE:   Visit the NC FFA Center’s page for more information on the history of this fantastic facility!  

As I looked out my window I could see the sun was just about to drop below the tree line.  It was sending perfect little beams of light that made everything look like it wore a halo.   We were home before dark and had already finished dinner and that NEVER happens.  Our Farmer was still busy on a tractor so I made a spontaneous decision the dishes could wait just a little longer and decided we were going on an adventure!  As a child growing up in the Appalachian mountains I’ve always been fascinated exploring the hills, valleys, and streams, and some of my fondest memories involve a walk in the woods.  I hope to pass that same love and appreciation down to my daughter and that can’t happen easily inside the walls of my home.

At the word “adventure” my daughter began to jump up and down in excitement and ask a dozen questions.  “Where are we going Mommy?  What are we going to do?    Can the puppies go with us?  What about Daddy?”  To be honest I had no idea.  I had just been drawn to the little path that leads down into our forest and figured we would make it up as we went.

Claire has seen too many episodes of Dora the Explorer.  She quickly went into a frenzy searching for a  backpack to put her treasures in.  She has a knack for collecting things in the wild with a special fondness for rocks and clearly expected to be successful in her hunt.  This gal takes “pet rock” to a whole new level!  We finally compromised on carrying an old flower pot to gather our findings and off we went.

I ignored the alerts for texts, emails, and social media notifications minus snapping a few quick photos to share with Dad when we got home (well…and now you).  Instead I soaked in the amazing beauty of all of God’s creations and let my daughter have my undivided attention.  It was a little slice of Heaven on Earth.  I got to see the world through her eyes which is far more beautiful than my own.  We stopped along the way to see some red clover flowers our Farmer had planted as a cover crop to feed deer a few years back.  Laying up against a nearby tree we discovered a half buried old Pepsi-Cola bottle.  This was the hidden treasure she was anticipating and we consumed several minutes removing this artifact from the soil to carry with us. Children are so inquisitive.  She questioned out loud how it got there and who drank from it.  Good Question!  Maybe her great-grandfather as he butchered a hog to feed the family?  Maybe an old helper on the farm parched from stacking bales of hay in the Summer heat?  I LOVE all things “old” with a history and a little mystery so upon research have since found out its from the 1960’s.

We continued on down the trail where we discovered a set of deer tracks and traced it until it disappeared into the thicket.   Next she spotted some “beautiful flowers” up ahead.  They ended up being boysenberry bushes which lead our conversation to explaining how every flower would be a yummy berry come June.  Another few steps up the trail and Claire found this frog…how she saw it still amazes me.  She didn’t want to touch him but was happy to get down on his level and ask him if he was lost from his Mommy and Daddy!

Claire was becoming concerned that our pets were going to get lost in the woods and had begun campaigning to turn around.  In desperation to hold on to this adventure just a few moments longer I told her there was a surprise up ahead.  “Surprise” yielded the same response as “adventure” earlier.  The problem was I had no idea what the surprise actually would be and she’s got the memory of an elephant.  I was going to have to wing this and just hope we stumbled across something cool that would satisfy her!

As we rounded a curve I could see just up ahead laid my saving grace.  I prompted Claire to be extra quiet and to not move as we watched a flock of wild turkeys quickly disappear into the trees at the scent of us.   Turkeys have some of the keenest senses in the woods and unlike their domestic counterparts can fly quite efficiently.  The look on her face was priceless!  Did you know that the wild turkey is the ONLY livestock animal we have domesticated that is originally from North America?  There is an interesting American myth that even Ben Franklin made a hard case for why the turkey should have beat out the Bald Eagle as our national symbol  (the Smithsonian magazine has a great article explaining this further).  The commercial turkey though bred to be larger than their wild counterparts has become quite important to our economy.  North Carolina ranks second in the nation in turkey production and poultry is the number one facet of the agricultural industry in NC.

We were beginning to lose daylight quickly so my next objective was to get ourselves home before the swamp mosquitoes carried us away!   She picked up her glass bottle and pot and we headed for home.  As we retraced our steps I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the evening.  It gave me a great opportunity to say a prayer of thanksgiving and reflect on our trek.  I walked in awe of the moments I would have missed had I let Claire sit in front of the TV while I cleaned up dinner!

Here is what I have concluded:  I am recharged when surrounded in nature.  The birds singing and crickets chirping soothe my soul and clear my mind of stress.  The mountains of paperwork and laundry awaiting my attention fade into the background for just a few minutes.   The absence of other people is cause to be tuned in to the melody of the birds and frogs.  I really find myself thinking just like Job in chapter 12: 7-10:

7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; ⁸ or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. ⁹ Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? ¹⁰ In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

We finished up our hike with one last stop at an ant mound.  How diligently they were all working!  Even with these tiny creatures there was clearly a purpose driving them in their efforts.  How amazing it would be if all of mankind had that same eagerness in their efforts to serve Him!

As for the glass bottle, it became the most beautiful vase in our eyes.  As the sun made its last attempt at holding onto the day we picked Daylilies and Clematis to add to the bottle.  The petals have since wilted on our kitchen table but the memory of this evening will be filed in my heart for a lifetime…but nothing in comparison to what Isaiah 40:8 reads:

“The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of God remains forever.”

What better time than tomorrow to take your own hike!  No need for iTunes, the natural sounds are the perfect backdrop.  Check out local parks or take an early morning walk in your neighborhood and listen to the sweet music of the birds.  I pray you focus on the masterpiece God has created and encourage those you love to do the same…and until next time remember that Jesus loves you!

I was given this silver jewelry box after my maternal grandmother passed away.  It was a bittersweet time.  We knew she was relieved of her burdens and was celebrating in Heaven…but we cried because we had to live here without her sweet presence and wisdom.  In the box I noticed a small piece of newspaper at the bottom likely placed there many moons ago.  It was an unintended message from her to me as a reminder of how I should live my life.  I’d like to share with you a few things she taught me:

• I learned that hard work pays off as she instructed me how to properly snap beans and shuck corn.  My very first exposure to agriculture!  Family young and old gathered on the large back porch to see that the bounty was prepped and ready to be either canned, dried, or frozen to preserve for upcoming months.  The magical Earthy smell and chill of her potato cellar complete with rugged stone walls and rustic shelves was always a favorite hiding spot.  Hundreds of canning jars would line the walls full of the garden’s harvest, representing a huge investment of time and sweat equity.
• I learned how patience is a virtue and quality should always be sought over quantity.  During my stays at her house I would be in awe of her talent as she spent hours crocheting and sewing the most beautiful clothing to care for her family and home.  You can’t buy those items at Wal-Mart I assure you.

This cape my grandmother crocheted and wore.  It is one of my most cherished items.  

• I learned that singing was a great way to worship.  On Sunday mornings I always enjoyed sharing a pew with her because I knew I would get a piece of butterscotch candy (I think this is a classic “Grandma” thing).  Her alto voice with the folksy Appalachian edge singing “Just As I Am” was one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard.  She’d hum hymns as she washed dishes, made her famous angel biscuits, or worked in the garden.  It was a constant reminder of praising God through all the tasks of the day.

My paternal grandmother was a saint in her own ways.  We teach our children more through our actions than our words.  She was tiny in stature but strong in faith.  She had the sweetest smile and laugh and could make the best beef stew around.  She taught me quite a few life lessons too…

Meeting my daughter for the first time.  

• I learned the power of prayer.  My grandma was the fiercest prayer warrior I have ever met.   At my my challenging moments in life it was my instinct to dial up Grandma and ask her to pray for me.  I had seen and heard her in action and knew that her loyalty to God first and family second would be the best protection I could seek.  As a child I vividly remember our bedtime ritual on occasions when we got to have a sleepover.  She would pray the most humble and authentic prayer to God out loud that would lull me to sleep.  She prayed as if she was truly having a conversation with her best friend.  To hear her lift my name up in prayer in my presence without any hesitation has stuck with me all my life.  She was unwavering in her faith and conditioned me to go to prayer without any hesitation, knowing that God is the ultimate healer and protector, and the best listener you can ever imagine.
• I learned to not be afraid to share God’s love with others.  She didn’t work outside the home and wasn’t much of a traveler but within the realm of her interactions she would never hesitate to give God all the glory for her blessings and provisions…I’ve seen her share her love of God with K-Mart cashiers, doctors, the mail man, and strangers walking down her road.   At times I have even been guilty of thinking, “Oh Grandma, not now…”, but shame on me.  In a world where people sometimes are afraid to share their faith for being judged by others she had no reservations.  How much I now pray for that same boldness in my own life!

As Mother’s Day approaches and I reflect on the impacts these two women made in my life I know that others can relate with their own experiences.  Proverbs 31 is a popular chapter in describing a virtuous woman by Biblical standards.  As I read the verses I reflect on how perfectly my grandmothers were role models for myself and other women in their lives.  As a woman of God I am also reminded of how I should be striving to serve others before myself…even in a society that many live out a “me first” attitude.

Proverbs 31: 10-31

¹⁰ Who can find a capable wife?
She is far more precious than rubies.
¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will not lack anything good.
¹² She rewards him with good, not evil,
all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
and works with willing hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from far away.
¹⁵ She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and portions^[k] for her female servants.
¹⁶ She evaluates a field and buys it;
she plants a vineyard with her earnings.
¹⁷ She draws on her strength
and reveals that her arms are strong.
¹⁸ She sees that her profits are good,
and her lamp never goes out at night.
¹⁹ She extends her hands to the spinning staff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
²⁰ Her hands reach out to the poor,
and she extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all in her household are doubly clothed.
²² She makes her own bed coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is known at the city gates,
where he sits among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes and sells linen garments;
she delivers belts to the merchants.
²⁵ Strength and honor are her clothing,
and she can laugh at the time to come.
²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom
and loving instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the activities of her household
and is never idle.
²⁸ Her sons rise up and call her blessed.
Her husband also praises her:
²⁹ “Many women are capable,
but you surpass them all!”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,
but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
³¹ Give her the reward of her labor,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Wow.  That passage never gets old (even though I am…ah the gray hairs arriving daily!).  Every time I read it again I seem to be drawn to different words depending on my current season in life, and obstacles I may be enduring.  What season are you in?  Are you struggling to balance being a working mom with the responsibilities of home?  Are you exhausted with feelings of not meeting the high expectations of others around you?  Do you get frustrated with disciplining your children and feel like you’re not making progress?  Have you recently been brought to tears at the stress of financial woes?  Does the weight of the world’s view of beauty make you feel inadequate?

YOU’RE NOT ALONE.

At times we can have doubts and fears but God gives us all the instruction we need to keep moving forward and experience strength and joy.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13

Ladies (ALL ladies, even if you have not bore a child you still hold a great deal of influence on people all around you!)  let’s enjoy our one day and then get back to work…we’ve got lots to do in the world in sharing God’s love with others and clearly idle hands yield no progress!

P.S.  If you’re never heard of Proverbs 31 ministry and enjoyed this blog, look them up online and on social media.  They can be a great source of encouragement and insight on the daily challenges of being a woman of God!

If I had a dollar for every time my husband has checked the stats on the weather in the last year, we could put a good dent in paying for my daughter’s future college tuition. He checks it while riding in the car, while standing in line at the store, even breaking the rules of no cell phones while in the movie theater.  Most mornings I arise to find him already finished with his Bible reading and studying the weather reports in hopes of plotting a solid plan for the day:  Is it going to rain?  If so when?  How strong are the winds blowing and from what direction?  What is the expected temperature?  How does this affect my goals for the day?

When we first got married I was quite naïve about the realistic workings of true farm life. I used to try to “plan” out our weekends.  Those failed attempts quickly ended in lots of frustration until I finally had enough experience to believe that when my husband says “he doesn’t know” what he will be doing tomorrow…much less next week or next month, he’s being accurate.  The unpredictable weather dictates so much of our lives in terms of successfully raising crops and livestock and let’s face it…we live in North Carolina.  The beautiful Land of the Pines where there can be 3 inches of snow on Christmas and close to 70 degrees on New Years Day.  True story.

Weather is our greatest unknown in the circle of life on a farm. We have the ability to test and amend our soils to have the right amounts of nutrients.  We can use selective breeding to improve the genetics of the seed stock.  We can lock in prices for commodities and purchase items such as fuel in advance if we know we can get a “good” price.  But…do we know for certain the exact number of hurricanes, the intensity, and the dates of landfall we may have this coming season?  No.  Farmers cannot sign a contract that would guarantee the perfect weather forecast.  So no wonder at 6:45am when I’m knee-deep in my closet trying to determine what I need to wear for the day I have my husband, the King Farm meteorologist, to ask. It’s a nice “luxury” I guess for a farmer’s wife.  I’ve lost count of the times he has grabbed a rain jacket to toss in my car as I pull out of the garage.  He’s usually right (don’t tell him I said this) when he say’s “don’t forget you have it…you’re going to need it when you leave work today.”

So let me share with you some of the more specific reasons we frequent the weather channel in our home:

Not Enough Rain: This is the easiest to explain.  There must be ideal moisture in the soil for seeds to germinate.  For some crop applications rain is necessary to wash in fertilizer good into the soil to make it more readily available to the plant.  If the plant is parched during the heat of the Summer it will not have enough moisture for seed progression and the final crop will be less volume.

Too Much Rain: Just as seeds need water to germinate too much water will cause them to rot before ever piercing the surface.  This causes farmers no choice but to spend precious time and money to replant parts of fields.  Crops can sit and rot in the fields after reaching the end of the life cycle (think dried out dead looking stalks of corn in September).  If rain continuously sits on a crop when it is finished growing it creates a haven for mold growth and sometimes the seeds can actually regerminate while still attached to the plant.  In the Fall of 2015 this was a common problem for cotton and soybeans.  Once this happens whole truck loads of grain can be turned away because it is not usable.

Actual sample of our damaged soybeans from November 2015 from too much rain.

Rain at the “right” or “wrong” times:   Ever tried to mow thick grass in early morning after a heavy dew or right after it rains?  It makes an awful mess of the lawn mower and the yard.  It dulls the blades and is actually bad for the plant.  Combines can compare in the same way with row crops. There is a relatively small window of opportunity to get in the field and harvest the crops when the moisture content of the plant is acceptable to be sold.

Last week my husband applied a chemical to eradicate weeds. The label said it needed an hour of contact time on the leaves of the plant for it to do it’s job correctly and provide protection – and should be applied to dry leaves.  Any guesses what happened thirty minutes later?  Yep.  A small little rain cloud made up right above them and he had to tack on another few hours to the workday.

Huge pieces of farm equipment like trucks, combines, and tractors can get stuck and bogged down if the soil is too wet also. Nothing like having the harvest ready but sitting on the sidelines waiting for it to dry out.

The hubby has stuck quite a few pieces of equipment over the years.

Too Windy: Farmers at times must go through the fields to apply fertilizers and chemicals that protect the crops from disease, weeds, and insects.  Certain weeds like the dreaded Pigweed can ruin a crop of soybeans in a matter of weeks if not controlled on time (see photo below).  If the wind is too strong it can negatively affect the drift application and make your attempt ineffective.  Sometimes the wind can be your best friend however because of its ability to assist with drying down wet crops.

A field of soybeans overran by the weed commonly referred to as Pigweed.  The weed grows so quickly it reseeds rapidly and sucks nutrients and water away from soybeans while also shading out the beans slowing down photosynthesis.

Too Hot:  A few Summers ago the middle of July came a blistering heat wave.  It was miserable temps close to 100 just at the time that the corn was at the stage of pollination.  The heat wave was so intense that it scorched the fragile plant parts necessary to pollinate.  Low pollination results in ears of corn that won’t fill out plump and will cut the farmer’s harvest drastically.  We also can’t forget it increases transpiration (the plant sweating to stay cool) and causing the whole plant to be weak if no rain to replenish is in sight.

An example of an ear of corn with poor pollination.

Too Cold: In terms of row crop production, I can best explain from using our latest weather concern.  This morning my husband discussed his concern for the freezing temperatures expected for tonight.  The photo below is wheat.  It was planted in November and once up and sprouted it went into a sort of dormancy stage for a few months and many would just believe it was grass growing in the fields.  Recent Spring weather then warmed up the soil enough to give it a jump start again to put on lush green growth.  In the meanwhile it has been cared for and nurtured by the farmer with details to the plants needed nutrition and protecting from plant diseases and life-sucking insects.  The only part of this entire plant that the farmer get paid for is the seed head when it is has finished developing, dried out, and removed (harvested) from the plant.  Only then will we get to sell it to a grainery that will in turn act as a broker to sell it to a variety of different companies that need wheat as an ingredient in their products.  You may have ate cereal this morning that originated in our fields!  Here is where the problem lies.  That seed head is super sensitive and will respond similar to if you stayed outside all night without a coat on.  It has nothing to protect it from the cold, and the freeze will kill the developing seed head and stop any further development. The leaves can be damaged to the point they shut down photosynthesis.  Tomorrow morning we could wake up to limp and lifeless stalks that will take on the look in this photo of frost damage on our canola crop last year.  Many of them will never bounce back and will permanently be damaged.  That damage is a huge sucker punch to the farmer’s bank accounts  come harvest time in May and June.  Six months of hard manual labor plus hours upon hours of studying the markets and making contacts to get the best price and fixing broken equipment used to care for the crop…all with nothing to show for it but a few more calluses on the rough hands.

It is important to mention other forms of precipitation and cold weather can cause heart palpations specifically for livestock producers also.  Snow doesn’t bother larger livestock much but freezing rain is different.  It can cause animals to chill quite quickly because the water can more easily penetrate the outer layer reaching the skin surface, and then freeze causing hypothermia.  The wind can cause their water sources to freeze up resulting in excessive dangerous time in the elements.  Too hot and they get anyting from sunburns to heat strokes.

NOTE: Harsh weather is one reason the majority of some livestock producers such as hogs and chickens have moved to raising indoors rather than free range systems.

These are situations and conditions that challenge us as producers in our plight to not only provide food for a very hungry world but also to make a profit.  Farmers hope they secure enough funds to pay the bills with a little left over to hopefully afford the dance the next season, and they do it because it is a passion of theirs that even in hours of discouragement, they cannot deny (any FFA folks catch that right here?).

1 Peter 5:7 in the Bible states “Cast all your cares on him, for he cares about you”. During all the challenges of life on a farm it comes down to this scripture.  The band Finding Favour has a song based on this verse that I blast on the radio when we need a pep talk.  On a dry year you may break even.  On a really wet year you could lose the farm.  There is never a shortage of items on the farm’s prayer list, that is for sure! Life sometimes is unpredictable and as much as we want to have control over everything in our lives we will miss the joy hidden even in the most challenging of times if we do not have a deep rooted understanding of faith in God who is ruler and creator of everything we see.

Storm clouds rolling in over one of our canola fields in 2015.

I love the scripture on the back of our farm shirts. 1 Corinthians 3:7 reads, “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”  This little patch of ground we’ve been given the chance to cultivate and use while here on Earth would be desolate and barren and all the nurturing in the world wouldn’t make it grow without His hand.   It’s really no different from our hearts. Each day I pray you let the Lord be the gardener of your soul.  Let Him nurture and love and protect you from the uncertainties of a world that is not our forever home.  If you cast your worries and concerns on Him, He cares for you and loves you so much more than you can ever fathom.  His love will grow in your heart and choke out the seeds of doubt and you will find joy in everything…because He is everything and through which all blessings flow!

The teacher in me must now give you homework. Over the next few weeks as you drive around keep a look out for a wheat crop.  Watch the quick changes you’re going to be able to witness taking place in the plant…and more importantly, think about if that is reflective of your heart relationship with Christ!

Oh…and if you include a prayer that we won’t see a heavy frost tonight, that would be much appreciated!