Roller Coaster Year

As we look back on the year 2019 I think we all can conclude that it was quite an interesting year with emotions changing as fast as the weather forecast.. Farmers went from happy, to nervous and worried, back to happy and then to stressed. The best way to describe this year I think is a roller coaster. We went through a roller coaster of emotions along with a roller coaster of seasons. With every month a new twist and turn was added to our roller coaster until we finally gained enough momentum to make it all the way through harvest.

January and February started off with snow and tons of it; but I wasn’t complaining because I think I only went to school for one full week in January. Farmers spent their days outside in the cold breaking ice and their kids outside shoveling bunks. Like they always say, a late Easter means a late spring and that was certainly the case in 2019. Some farmers got lucky and got crops in the ground in April, but then it snowed. Calling a farmer stressed at that point was an understatement. May brought buckets of rain pushing planting back ever further.

Before farmers knew it, it was June and they were still planting. Muddy fields led to chains being hooked up to pull people out. This made tension even higher as the race to put crops in was on. Once crops were in the rest of the summer was spent making hay and having fun at the fairs. Come September it was time to chop. Yet just like the planting that should have been done in April, chopping was also delayed because of the weather. We spent what should have been harvest season in October watching raindrops and to top it all off it snowed on Halloween. Any dry day that came around you could see combines in the field. Thanksgiving was spent in the field and being thankful it wasn’t raining. Come late December, crops were almost completely out. It was truly a Christmas miracle.


This year really tested everyone’s patience in more than one way, but we made it through and made the best of what we were given. Honestly, I think it made us stronger. Farmers are ready for whatever 2020 may bring and hopefully this year will reward farmers for their hard work, perseverance, and patience. I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

- Kesley Holdgrafer

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

Harvest 2019

It is the start of December and most have switched over to Christmas mode, which is evident in the number of Christmas trees up and all the various twinkling house decorations. For most farmers in our neighborhood however there has been no switching out of harvest season. The combines are still rolling, daily dinners are still being made, and a full farmer is a happy farmer even if it is just a snack. The toolboxes have been restocked and stuffed to accommodate chains. This year a chain is the farmers new best friend. The fields are a little muddier than usual. More times than most care to admit, a chain is needed to help a spinning load of grain get to solid ground on the way to the gate. There are often big ruts in the field once it has been harvested and muddy tracks on the road showing which direction the equipment headed when it left the field.


Harvest 2019 is one we won't soon forget. The weather has made it a challenge all year long. Not only that but I think it is time to refill our toolboxes with those most important tools to get us through the rest of this extra long, stressful harvest season. I mentioned these earlier this fall but they are worth repeating. Patience. On some harvest days our patience can run pretty thin. Especially if that day consists of getting the chain out numerous times before noon because someone is stuck in the field again. Passion. This fall weather has made us question our passion for farming but it only takes a minute to realize there is nowhere else we’d rather be. Faith. Our faith reminds us that we will get through this, the end is in sight. 2019 is one to remember and one that truly tested our patience, passion, and faith. We might need to restock those inside of our toolbox for the years to come because we used so much of each of those tools this year.


My older brothers have been home for the past 10 days on their fall break from college. Brad has spent quite a few of those days in the combine. Todd has been a great help in the semi hauling grain. They’ve both been “broke to lead” with a chain. They have tested dad’s patience this fall more than a couple of teenage girls that just started dating. The teaching moments have been plenty and we have all learned a lot! Let’s hope that the next few weeks the weather will be in our favor, the chain stays in the toolbox, and harvest gets rolling along. I am certain that for farmers this year, seeing an end to harvest 2019 will shine brighter than any of the neighborhood Christmas lights! 

~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Thanksgiving

While the weather outside might remind some of us of Christmas because of all the snow, it is actually only November and November is known for Thanksgiving. When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of food. A day full of feasting over delicious food. My mouth begins to water just thinking about it. Even though the weather outside is holding farmers back once again and the rush to get harvest done is still going, there is no denying that Thanksgiving is coming.

This year's harvest is the first one that I have officially been 16 and when I am not in school I am on lunch duty. Lunch delivery is my specialty. Grandma is famous for making lunches, I simply deliver them to the field. One thing I have noticed about lunch duty is that even though farmers might be in a hurry to get crops out, farmers are in just as big of a hurry to find their lunch. As soon as the vehicle with lunch pulls into the field, all the tractors, combines, and semis rush to the vehicle to get their meal. Most would think that since it is late in the year, farmers would not be worried about lunch so much. However, whenever I pull in the gate with lunch I often question which wagon is more important. The lunch wagon or the grain wagon? The most important thing about harvest season is to keep the stressed farmers happy. When you have a hungry farmer, you will have a cranky farmer. I can assure you from my personal experience that nobody wants that! We are very thankful for the Thanksgiving feasts we have at the end of November and the feasts we receive all harvest long, made by grandma and delivered out to the field.


All in all, even with the rush to get crops out this year there will always be time for lunch. A full farmer is a happy farmer. I want to thank all the wonderful people behind the scenes that help keep these farmers going all fall as you are the real heroes. I hope everyone continues to have a safe and successful fall and a yummy Thanksgiving meal. 

~Kesley Holdgrafer

National Convention

Two weeks ago I was given an amazing opportunity through the Northeast FFA chapter to attend the 92nd National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis. For those who do not know, FFA is an extracurricular organization for students interested in agriculture and leadership. The official name of the group is the National FFA Organization. Some might know it just as FFA, which used to stand for Future Farmers of America. This was changed in 1988 because the FFA also welcomes members who aspire to careers as teachers, doctors, scientists, business owners, and more. Not only are we future farmers, we are future biologist, future chemist, future veterinarians, and future entrepreneurs.

The National FFA Convention and Expo is a four-day event held in Indianapolis every October. This is a premier gathering during which all FFA competitive events and programs are recognized nationally. This year almost 70,000 people attended the 92nd National FFA Convention and Expo. While there, FFA members could participate in leadership workshops, visit the career show, and listen to several amazing public speakers. From a student standpoint, I believe that National Convention is something all FFA members should attend. I had the chance to meet people from almost every state. I got to meet back up with old friends I meet at other conferences including the Washington Leadership Conference I attended this past summer. I also had the chance to talk with industry leaders and universities across the country about future careers and educational opportunities. I even ran into one of the representatives from the University of Tennessee that we worked with this past summer while at the ARSBC Conference.

All in all, FFA is an amazing organization that I am proud to be a part of. It is not everyday you go out to make hundreds of new lifelong friends from all over the United States!



~Kesley Holdgrafer

Harvest

It’s officially November. Which means the leaves have changed, the Halloween costumes are put away, the temperatures have dropped, and harvest 2019 is still a work in progress. Every farmer is busy in the field with hopes of at least getting the crops out by Christmas. This tends to lead to all hands on deck and means everyone has a specific role to play in order for things to sail smoothly. Whether you are the one in the field or at home on the farm you have a certain role to play.

This past week my younger brother Luke and I were at home while everyone else was in the field. We got informed that there were three loads of feeder cattle on their way to our house and we were in charge. In other words, as my older brothers like to call it, “We were the monkeys in charge of the bananas.” We had to sort the cattle into the right yards along with counting them as they came off the trailer. To some, this might sound like a simple task as counting is a skill learned in preschool. However, this basic skill escalates quickly into an Olympic sport because some groups of calves come off the trailer at rocket speed. Even though it was a little harder than anticipated it was not that bad and we got along just fine.

All in all, everyone has an important job come harvest season. Whether you are the one in the combine or even around the farm helping out, the people in the background are what keeps everything going smoothly. I hope you all have a good November and if you happen to get the monkey, keep an accurate count of the bananas!

~ Kesley Holdgrafer