What Does Farming Mean To Us?

Today is National Agriculture Day. It’s being celebrated across the country, mainly by farmers who are eager to share their stories and things they’ve learned to come to appreciate.

As a farmer, I look to today as a form of Thanksgiving for all that Agriculture means to each and every person. It doesn’t matter if we are young or old, man or woman, It doesn’t matter if you are vegan or a meat eater.

Agriculture touches our lives in so many different ways! From the cotton grown to make our jeans, tshirts and sheets to the soybeans raised for tofu burgers… it’s all supplied from a farm.

The national average age of a farmer is over the age of 50. I know many that are much older and have spent their entire lives farming the land, building a life and risking it all to be able to supply goods for food, fiber and fuel. Today, I’m not going to describe the benefits that agriculture provides us. Today, I’m giving thanks to all those that have come before me. Those older generations of farmers that worked hard and still do.

Agriculture is and always will be the backbone of our culture. Agriculture is what built this country and I will forever be grateful for each and every lesson that has been passed down from generation to generation. Agriculture is rooted in the passion, drive and dedication of the many who live, work and die on the farm.

The beginning clip of the video below shows an elder man who says “Farmering is my way of life and I enjoy it. It’s a good life.” Today, instead of discussing advancements in scientific technical progression or all those material goods… Let’s celebrate the men and women who have given so much for the “good life”.

Thank you to:
Harry and Martha Liddington
Harold Cooper
Josephine Dyer Cooper
Earnest Barrows
Erford Barrows
Though you may all be in heaven now, we were blessed to have learned so much from you during our formative years!

Special Thanks to:
Jim and Kate Barrows
Harold Liddington
Jim Dickson
Art and Peggy Diekow
We may not always see eye to eye but we are thankful to have had your guidance and assistance over the years! We’ve both been blessed to have y’all in our lives. Farm family strong!

Who Inspires You?

I know my answer, right off the top of my head with every beat of my heart. I know I have talked about this before and shared with you but I have to do it again. It’s that important to me.

You would be amazed at how something as simple as a grainy, blurry old scanned photograph can bring up so many emotions and memories. Yesterday, my cousin Corina shared an old photo of my Grandmother Liddington. I think it was probably taken from around the time I was born because her hair is still dark, not grayed like the later years of my youth.

My very special Grandma Liddington. Love you and miss you every day!

There are no singular words to describe her. She was the community cook, rural doctor of sorts, farmer’s wife and so much more. She was a tough women who raised six kids and never, ever took any back lip from anyone but she would give you her last loaf of bread if you needed it. She was the type of person I have always been inspired to be.

I can’t even begin to tell you all the things she did for so many people. And OHHHH the food that lady could make on her wood fired cook stove!

She has been gone from us since the early 1990’s but her memories live and breath every day through those of us left behind. There aren’t many photos of her to share but the imprint she left on us was without a doubt a legacy for years to come. To best sum up her legacy, I will make a list of impressions and words to that I live by handed down through her actions.

Take no lip. You know what’s right, so do it.
Never cook a meal without extra, you never know who may need the extra plate.
Never waste food. It’s valuable and expensive.
Provide for yourself. Don’t rely on others but don’t hesitate to give.
Pass on what you know to your children and grandchildren.
Work hard, expect nothing.
Treat everyone as family. Trust no one, love everyone.
Stand your ground and let know one push you around.
You don’t need a whole lot of nothing to be special, lead with your heart. No one cares about your clothes, car or bank account. It’s the love in your heart that really counts.
No one is going to hold your hand forever and treat you like a child. You need to dry your tears, get off your butt and learn to be better.

Yup, that about sums up my Grandma. Treated everyone as equal. Money and status never mattered. There was always extra food and a place at the table in her house. If you need mending from a cut, scrape or sickness, you saw my Gran.

In closing, I hope that somehow my words get to Heaven because I know that’s where she’s at:
Gran, I still love you with all my heart! Thank you for taking a child with a broken wing under yours and teaching me so much. I never knew just how much you would impact my life as an adult. With every meal, every trip to the barn, every second spent weeding the garden, at nearly every point in my life…you are still here with me. You were a special lady, unique and one of a kind. No one will ever be able to take your place to so many people but thank you for everything, every moment that impacted so many more lives that just mine. I pray that someday when people look back on my life…they can easily say, “yup, that was Martha’s granddaughter!” I will forever keep this place in my heart and I hope that someday, we can sit under the lilac trees in Heaven together. My one request…please don’t make me pick a switch! I promise to live my life from this day and every day so you won’t have to.