We have been rolling along over here in St. Paul. We started harvest early this year, we didn’t get much to any rain since early April so that really sped up the maturing of our crops.
We are on a pretty good stride of the middle of harvest right now. Most days are the same, combine, fill trucks with seed, feed the people, try to stay cool, haul the trucks to the cleaner, rinse and repeat.
The beginning of harvest was a little insane I’ll be honest. We started combining crimson clover at the same time that we started cutting our tall fescue which happened to be at the same time as the good old St. Paul rodeo.
So our days started at 2am with cutting grass, moving on to 11am combining, 7:30pm rodeo volunteering or watching and finishing off that long day around 11pm.
With of course the inevitable crying family member because there weren’t enough games played (Auggie), not enough carnival rides ridden (Millie), too much food eaten (Hoot), ready to be home (Matt) or just plain damn tired (me!). Don’t get me wrong though, we do a good job of having a lot of fun too!
Not sure when we slept that first week but I know I am not the only one to be happy to be in the middle stride of harvest!!
We will finish tall fescue this week and then get the combines all cleaned out for perennial ryegrass. A week or so of that will finish our grass seed harvest for this year. Next up green beans, wheat, radish & filberts!
A month ago I took a quick trip (36 hrs) down to Tuscon, Arizona to participate in a panel to discuss farm wife life and all that comes with it. I was on a panel with Holly Spangler (Editor, Prairie Farmer & Executive Editor, Farm Progress), Sherry Saylor (Farm Bureau legend, school counselor and quite possibly the funniest person I’ve ever met), Laura Daniels (Hitch Pin Consulting & DairyGirl Network), and our moderator Kirbe Schnoor (FarmHer & RanchHer TV Host).
The panel went great, we covered a lot of heavy topics like work life balance, succession planning, farm life stress and how to manage it, and all that comes along with “just being a farm wife.” I say the “just a farm wife” jokingly but while I was on the way to the airport and chatting with my Uber driver, he asked what I was speaking about and I told him, “I was speaking on a panel to farm wives about challenges, succession, that kind of stuff.” and he responded, “Farm wives….aren’t all wives of farmers just farmers themselves?! I have never known anyone to live on a farm and not have a role beyond ‘just a wife!'”
He didn’t say it mean but he was for sure calling me out just a little, which is funny considering my adult life has mostly been talking about how we all have important roles, and how women have been “the farmer” for a long time but just never checked the box in the USDA survey to say they were. But anyhow it sparked a great conversation about women in farming, how things have changed from the days gone by and how women have always and still do play a very important role.
Laura, myself, Kirbe, Sherry & Holly
The panel was only an hour and I still sit here today weeks later thinking of things I should have added or could have said. There just wasn’t the time to cover all the conversations and discussion that a panel of farm wives could bring about. But I did walk away with some key concepts that really resonated with me.
One was from Laura Daniels of Hitch Pin Consulting. She brought up a great point that maybe it’s unfruitful and even overwhelming to strive for a true work life balance that is unattainable and usually is attached with guilt. She re-framed the term, “Strive to be present in what you’re doing. Wherever your feet might be, be truly there.” I love this point and as someone who is guilt ridden as the next mom it gave me a new way to look at how I’m spending my time.
While the discussion was moving along I thought in my head that this panel alone represents so many organizations, so much time out of the home. And then the conversation shifted to the fact that all of us with kids, different roles on the farm, some with jobs off the farm etc. Kirbe Schnoor (host of the show Farmher and moderator of our panel) brought up another piece of the puzzle, adding that while these ladies are hitting a season of life that allows for involvement off the farm or farm adjacent, it’s also ok to just be home with the kids and taking care of a household. It’s ok to be in the season of life to say no. Which hit very much home for me and allowed me to expand on the fact that 6 years ago I stepped back from everything, I paused pieces of my life that took me away from my kids, for five years I said no to it all. And then this past year I have slowly started volunteering again in a few different capacities.
From that point on in the conversations seasons were a big theme. Of the four of us sitting there we all had kids at different ages. We all entered the agricultural world at different times in our lives, and we all have a different future ahead of us. But looking at your “season of life” was something that we all worked hard to be honest with ourselves about, and I think that helps us all be more successful for where we are today. Life isn’t easy, but it’s easier when you allow yourself to be honest about what your capabilities are in that time period.
Along with seasons was another great point that no matter what point you’re at in your life, you always need a tribe of friends to help you through. Find people in your life who understand your mom life, understand your working life and fall on them when you need it. That community has saved me time and time again and I can’t say it enough that we all need help sometimes.
The panel was truly a joy to participate in. There were a lot of laughs and emotions, but I hope that other women walked away knowing that they aren’t alone in this life of “just being a farm wife” and there are so many of us out there that understand that it’s just not that simple ever. I’m thankful to Bayer for recognizing the need for networking and having time to connect with other women. I’m also very excited for the number of women that I met that I’m sure I’ll run into down the road at other ag and farming events, always great to have friends all over the country! And lastly I learned a very good lesson, if you end up getting the chance to go to sunny Arizona in January, stay for more than 36 hours!
The kids continued their tradition of baling up mini two-tie bales to sell this fall. We would love to get these to a porch near you!!!
The kids baled and stacked these little cuties. We will have them for sale through us but also through some stores and farm markets. There is a list below of where they will be sold so far. I’ll update other places you can find them through the fall for purchase.
This project started with the kids hand baling grass seed straw that was left on the corners of the fields by our house. Then last year we had a neighbor who helped us actually bale the straw and this year they have their own two string baler to get the job done.
As always I love seeing our kids get an idea and have the ability to follow it through and do a little farming themselves. I was just recently explaining to someone that farm kids just don’t know any different. In their mind this is just what you do, look for opportunity, work hard and you hope it pays off. Love starting that at an early age.
Who knows where this project of their’s will lead in the future. But for now this 10, 8 and 6 year old are having a lot of fun making all these mini bales!
If you’re interested feel free to get a hold of me through the website on the “contact me” form, or email me at brenda@kirschfamilyfarms.com.
NuttyGrass 