Cranky Farmers

It is the month of June and we are still planting. The weather just has not cooperated well all spring. I do not know about your farmers but for mine, the tension gets tight and the moods are a little on the cranky side. We had a small window of opportunity to get back in the field earlier this week and jumped at the chance although conditions were less than desirable. I never remember planting fields with such dark wet spots throughout the side hills. Dad always says, “plant in the dust and the bins will bust,” so these wet conditions are all new to most farmers. But as we glance at the calendar or listen to the gloomy forecast, we decide to chance the wet conditions in this far from a normal year.

Overnight last Monday we received another two and a half inches of rain. We were wet to begin with so now a couple more days off from planting means a few more days of moody farmers around our house, exciting!

The other day I had to deliver lunches to the field. An easy job I often get asked to do. Mom was gone to a baseball tournament with my younger brother, so I made the lunches and was off to deliver them. The first stop on my route was my older brother in the field cultivator not far from home. Simple. I could handle it - or so I thought. Of course when I got to the field he was way in the back, so I decided to head across the ridge. As I started heading toward him I get a call from him saying I am going the wrong way. I stop and go to turn around, however, when I go in reverse my wheels start spinning. I look around and realize while I was talking to him on the phone I drove into a huge wet spot that I was even told specifically not to drive into. There I sat with the lunches in the front seat stuck in the so-called “dry fields”.

The tension was as tight as the chain Todd used to pull me out. He was a little cranky when he had to hook me up to his tractor to get me unstuck. I would also like to give a huge thanks to social media for making it so most of his friends could see how badly I got stuck and how muddy the pickup looked. Todd thought it was a lot of extra work just for a cold ham and cheese sandwich. I guess I need to make better lunches… or just learn to pack them in a cooler and give them to the guys before they leave each morning.

Hope you all are having better luck than we are finishing up the planting season. And remember to pack the cooler before they leave if you want to keep them smiling! ~ Kesley Holdgrafer