Farming 12 Days of Christmas

Throughout December and sometimes even as early as November you hear Christmas songs being played. They play them all over the stores, on the radio, and at school concerts and church programs. This year we even get to listen to them on the radio while still in the combine! Harvest season has definitely been one for the books including both rain delays and snow delays that have extended our days tremendously. Since it is hard to get into the Christmas spirit with crops still in the field, I decided to change one of the most popular Christmas songs. We all have heard the 12 days of Christmas, but let’s recap 2019 with the 12 days of Harvest: 12 rows a shelling, 11 hours since the last rainfall, 10 percent LP in the tank, 9 trucks ahead of us in line at the grain terminal, 8 dollar beans, 7 missed calls from Dad, 6 inch ruts in the mud, 5 partsss runssss, 4 hours of sleep, 3 inches of snow in the forecast, 2 bent corn snoots, and 1 tired farmer that needs a shower and a shave!

As you can tell by the song this year’s harvest has been pretty hectic. From moving vehicles, to going on a parts run, and even waiting out the rain with a stressed out Dad, there is no other place I would rather be, even if it is Christmas time. The 2019 harvest season really shows us that the people working behind the scenes helping the combine stay running are the real harvest heroes. I would like to thank them on behalf of all farmers to everyone that plays a key role in the behind the scenes work. You truly are the reason why the farmer in the combine seat can get anything done. I hope the rest of your harvest season finishes safely and before the next snowfall! Merry Christmas! 

- Kesley Holdgrafer

Christmas Season

Christmas season is here and it’s time to get shopping for those perfect presents. Most people are already done Christmas shopping after finding great Black Friday deals and by now have them all wrapped under their beautifully decorated trees. Others, however, have still been working in the field this past week in hopes of getting the crops out. This leaves little time to go out and shop for gifts and less time to have them wrapped perfectly underneath the tree for Christmas. Most farmers will end up waiting until the very last minute. If others are like my dad, they will be happy if all the crops are finally out and they get to sit inside and relax. So what is the perfect gift to get a farm kid? Easy! The answer is a tractor.

When I was younger nothing compared to waking up Christmas morning, even as early as 5 am. With two older brothers I was already equipped with a ton of farm machinery to carpet farm with, but nothing compares to the feeling of getting a shiny new one, wrapped and ready to log long hours on the living room floor. We would spend the rest of the day carpet farming on our knees as our whole house was sectioned off into fields and pastures. Some tractors however were just for looking at, not playing with. My older brother’s windows still contain all the cool new equipment that was not to be touched. My younger brother and I couldn’t reach their tall windows, so they were safe in that special “machine shed.” Not only that, but we even have a tractor that was given to me when I was born from a family friend and it still sits up high on our kitchen shelf. Even today it smells like pink fingernail polish and it will always be my favorite toy tractor. My brothers won’t play with the pink tractor, but I sure think it’s cool!

All in all, being a farm kid on Christmas morning is truly the best. From hooking up new equipment to celebrating the season with family and friends. Nothing beats Christmas on the farm. And just like their parents, a farm kid can never have enough tractors. Have a Merry Christmas! 

~ Kesley Holdgrafer