2024 Ryegrass Crop

Last week we kicked off harvest season of our most reliable crop... Ryegrass. I have spoken about it before, but we love to grow ryegrass for our cattle. Our cows love it and perform well on it, we can get consistent quality from this crop in our area, It grows in a season when we can expect more consistent rainfall and less weed pressure. This years crop is even better than most, as quality and yield are both exceptional. Take a look at those pictures and imagine that you are a cow. Haha, you don't actually have to imagine yourself being a cow, but trust me cows would be drooling at these pictures. Cows will love it, and it makes a farmer pretty proud to harvest a crop like this. But that's not the half of it. Imagine being a dad and pulling up with the truck and trailer to haul a load of hay, and for the first time you can say to your 11-year-old son " You get the tractor and meet me at the end of the field." Without hesitation, he said, "Yes sir". He hopped out of the truck, got the tractor started, released the emergency brake, put it into the proper gear, and proceeded toward the end of the field. I looked at that moment as something to be proud of. Atticus has spent a lot of time with me in the field doing various farm tasks, but this was the first time he was able to genuinely help in a way that saved us time and made us more productive. It's been a joy to have him ride with me over the years, even though I had to explain a lot of things and be extra cautious. More recently he would drive with me onboard as the "instructor". He was learning, but still, things took a little longer. Now I have gotten my first glimpse into our next phase. It's still important that I talk through all of the safety scenarios and guide him correctly, but he is naturally cautious and responsible. I will remember our 2024 ryegrass crop not only as a great harvest, but also as the harvest in which Atticus took a meaningful role. You see, my biggest fear as a parent is that I will achieve some level of success and then use that success to give my children a more "comfortable" life. A comfortable life is fine, but true comfort is found in fulfillment. Any successful person has traits that make them a success, and those traits were not born out of comfort. Traits like work ethic, integrity, persistence, problem-solving, and critical thinking are forged when we are challenged. Traits like personal responsibility, craftsmanship, and striving for excellence are created when we are allowed to have a meaningful role in something bigger than ourselves. So, I want to consistently challenge my kids, and provide them with ways to take a meaningful role in what we are doing. I am not running a farmer training academy here. I want to create well-equipped humans with a toolbox full of those success traits. If they choose to use those traits to farm, that's great. Whatever they do, the traits they hone on days that leave them tired with dirt under their fingernails will serve them better than a more comfortable childhood.