Our farm is where little boys climb the backyard tree and sing songs when they think no one is listening. And tell the puppy, “I love you,” at bedtime.

Our farm is where Great-Grandpa’s tools hang on the wall reminding us of his hard work, soft heart and kind eyes. Our farm is where Grandpa’s values guide new tools that are always changing and improving.

Our farm is where Great-Grandma’s recipe for cherry pie is served instead of birthday cake. It’s where Grandma shows up with cookies and cinnamon rolls for no reason at all.

Our farm is where baby calves kick up their heels and play tag in the sunshine. And where we jump out of bed in the middle of the night to chase off a pack of coyotes.

Our farm is where oceans of corn melt into the sunset on warm summer nights while dragonflies dance in the shadows and frogs sing in the creek. And where you can see every inch of the most beautiful sunrise God ever imagined. 

Our farm is where late nights turn into early mornings when it’s time to get the crop planted in the spring. Or get the crop out in the fall.

Our farm has seen droughts, floods, blizzards, tornadoes, and fires on the horizon. We know that everything we have built can be gone in a moment. We send help to those who suffer loss.

Ag Week is one week to talk about what happens every day on the farm. It’s not a job, it’s a way of life. It’s a career of cooperation with weather, markets, risk and unpredictability. It’s on our knees in prayer when our faith seems small in the middle of big worries. It’s leaning on neighbors and not keeping score of who helped who last. We don’t clock in because we never really clock out. 

We may not always have time to tell our stories, but we want you to know what happens here and we want you to know us. We may not all be able to shake your hand like growers at a farmers market, but we’re thinking of you with every seed we plant. We know that what we harvest will nurture you and meet your needs. 

And how we grow crops and livestock has to be healthy for our kids and our pets and the wildlife that run in and out of the vast fields that we have memorized like the backs of our hands. The soil and the water have to be preserved and improved for the next generation who live here and enjoy their bounty. 

Agriculture touches all of us, and on Ag Week we hope you’re thinking of us too. Even if we never meet you, what ends up on your table may have started on our farm – and that connection with you means the world to us.