Dust
July 27th, 2006 by Northern FarmerAnother hot one today and the dust is becoming a way of life. More and more corn is frying up, but at the same time it’s amazing how well some fields are holding up under the incredible strain. Sometimes it gets depressing looking around at the different fields and pastures, over winter and spring a person had such dreams and hopes for a good year and to see it go down the tubes one day at a time wears on a person. Week after week I write how we’re hoping beyond hope for that one saving rain, but it never seems to materialize. In the heat and dust a person sometimes gets snappier at others than they should, but everyone realizes the cause and lives with it.
There’s something in a persons thinking out here that just doesn’t fit in with the modern world’s views of life. We don’t look forward to that warm, sunny weekend so we can play. We’re not trying to forget that we are working for someone else and hoping to let loose on the weekend, artificially trying to tell ourselves that we have a couple of days to make believe that we are our own bosses in life. No, it’s different here when everything you do is thought of and worked on by no one else than ourselves. The real knife in the gut is when a person listens to so called Christian radio and they’re just as worldly as regular commercial radio in their views. Sometimes I just can’t believe how shallow folks are in their true worship, the world. But so much of the modern church is absolutely no different than the worldliest non believers that it should be little surprise when I hear these things.
But, I shouldn’t be surprised or get angry at it, a little sad maybe, but what can I say. So few care about where their most basic need, food, comes from. The old timers always told me that this country needs to experience hunger for a bit, I mean the real thing. I know that sound cruel, but I think it’s true none the less. The most important worldly need, food, isn’t given a second thought, self entertainment, lusts, materialism are all more important to the average person, including the modern church and many not so modern churches.
I just thank the Lord for letting us live like this and to give us the courage to stick with it through all the bad years, and there were a few. But when all is said and done, I’m satisfied, rain or no rain. We have our faith, our friends, which by the way both have really grown this past year. We’ll make it through this drought one way or another, we always do and come out stronger because of it. Last evening teaching the children in church I was telling them that no matter what happens to just say “God is Good!†We had some fun with that and I think it made an impression on them, and that’s what we have to do here on this farm too, just shout it out, “God is Good!†And when a person does there’s an incredible power moving and the problems do melt away, fast!
July 27th, 2006 at 7:12 pm
hey Tom, wish you could had got some of the rain we got today!
bet you did make a good impression ,
take care ,
and thanks
July 27th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
Tom,
We keep praying that you will get rain and we watch the radar to see if you are getting rain. I was hoping that you would get those storms moving down from North Dakota, but as you said they didn’t make it to you. The storms headed our way also dissipated.
I too get disturbed when people, and especially Christians, seem so disconnected from reality. We seem to forget that without the sustaining grace of the Lord we would all starve.
Jim
July 27th, 2006 at 9:10 pm
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the reminder to be thankful in all things — even when our dog just killed 2 more chickens, even with still no rain and most everything up here is frying as well. God IS good. I guess it’s all in looking past the present circumstances and trying to see things from God’s perspective.
July 27th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Hi Tom!
Well I’m back from a little tour of the Great Plains and I can tell you that this here drought runs right thru the heart of the bread basket. Oklahoma and northern Texas were especially bad. SW ND is a dust bowl as well.
I read somewhere that (not counting this year) for six of the last seven years, this Earth that some 6 plus billion humans call home has not produced enough cereal grains to feed its people. World grain reserves have declined to a scary 57 day supply. That’s 57 days before the start of mass starvation even in previously prosperous countries if this year’s harvest doesn’t replenish the grain bins. None of this counts the terrible drought stressed declines in American grain production expected for this year’s harvest. Add to this the nightmarish happenings in the MidEast where we are one rocket away from losing a large chunk of the world’s oil if an oil tanker is sunk in the Persian Gulf.
Our modern self-centered life of pleasure and lust and the lust for pleasure can be gone with the next news broadcast. It breaks my heart to hear people talk about plans to buy or sell this or that home, four years from now doing this or that. Unless this is part of God’s plan, all of this talk is just mist in the wind.
If anything is said about tomorrow being forever changed almost everyone reacts with “I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!”
As sad as it is to see our farms and gardens day after day struggling with the drought and the emotional depression that this brings, please know my friend that all of this is part of God’s plan for his children. Maybe God also agrees with those “Old Timers” that we as a people and a planet need to see some REAL starving times to turn back to God and the love he gave us all thru his Son.
My friend, please make it your mission to make sure that your own family, your church family and as many neighbors as will listen, will be able to have enough food to live thru this coming winter and also have a way to stay warm regardless of what happens to world oil. Tomorrow’s (next week’s, next month’s, next year’s) news may make this drought insignificant by comparison.
In the mean time, our gardens here in the hills are sooo incredibly blessed with God’s abundance thanks to His gift of water that we can use to irrigate these little ‘micro farming’ plots. Our little 12′x50′ oats field is days away from cutting, bundling and stacking into shocks. I hope to try thrashing all of our grains with the centuries old ‘flail’. Of course, stories and pictures will follow.
May the Lord of sunlight and rain give you each in their due season. May He smile on your efforts to feed people honest, healthy food. May He give an abundant spiritual harvest to your farming ministry as well.
Stay strong! You are needed now more than ever!
July 27th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
Tom:
I just posted on the effects of the drought here in Kansas. We have had rain. We aren’t as bad off, but those who are experiencin drought came in here and bought up a lot of hay, leaving us with very little. They drove the prices up sky high. We may have hay for the winter. Many farmers around here are holding on to their hay and unwilling to sell. We were paying 50.00 per ton for hay. Now we were asked to pay 100.00. This changed in one month. Out of staters are coming in and plunking down 130.00 per ton. Begging farmers. I am pretty sick about it all. We had to drive our milk prices up significantly to keep getting hay. I pray we will have enough for winter. We may have to sell down, if not. We are facing some rotten decisions here with our building and now the hay. May God have mercy on us for our uncaring heathen nation.
July 28th, 2006 at 3:05 am
Hey Tom,
I think what I like about this blog is your so upbeat. We are going through the same think here, but I guess I’ve taken the same attitude. The Lord blessed us the last two years with perfect weather for growing, I guess I can take one of these kind of years. Besides, what can we do about it anyway.
Anyway, I always look forward to this blog. A little farming talk, a little spiritual butt kickin’… what else could anyone want at 4 in the morning.
Have a good one,
Brad
July 28th, 2006 at 3:53 am
Jan,
I’m glad you folks are being blesses with rain! Never take it for granted, I learned that in the 88 drought and have never, never forgotten it. Thanks!
Jim,
You know what I mean about the rain clouds dissapearing, it happens more often than I care to think about. Now one of the affects of drought is starting to affect the household, cricketts. The buggers are multiplying in drought mode which means they’re thick. And they’re finding a way in, hmmm. You should hear them singing to me this morning down here. Thanks!
Lynn,
I know what you mean, heck, I could devote a daily blog just to all the things that went wrong everyday here. But no use doing that. These days are a small part when it comes to the big picture in our lives. Thanks!
Steven,
Yee Haw! Your back! I’ll bet you seen some dry areas eh. You know, you and me think so much alike it’s a good thing we have a few hundred miles between us or we’d be dangerous. Your comments are so true, true, true. Thanks for them!
Christina,
I quickly read your post and it’s so true. And I notice you folks are becoming the kind of people instead of sitting back and complaining, are busy looking over all the options and deciding how to keep on. A little on the job training that will never end in this life. But that’s one big thing that makes this lifestyle so interesting, you have to think. Thanks!
Brad,
Upbeat! Well, when I was writing this post I had just come in filthy from dust and dirt, down and out, a dozen things going wrong, heat stressed and downright miserable. I wasn’t going to blog, but for some reason I did. And as happened before, as I was writing I worked my way into a better mood, even typing “God is Good” does something that changes things for the better
Spiritual buttkicking, :), never heard that one before, yup I guess it does happen a wee bit here.
You have a good one down there too, thanks for the early morning visits!
Tom
July 28th, 2006 at 5:47 am
howdy Tom
there is only one thing I take for GRANTED!!!!
have a great weekend
July 28th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
Tom, praying here that God will send you that rain. Thanks for leaving a well for others that will go through this desert. In everything give thanks. I hear that coming from you. May the Lord bless you for faithfulness to praise Him in the bad times.
July 28th, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Jan,
Same to you:)
Marci,
I’m in the house this afternoon for a few minutes, it’s 100 degrees out there with not a breath of wind. I was raking straw for a neighbor till noon and was smelling a burning type smell and realized it was his corn field burning up in the heat. You could acually smell it! WOW!
But through it all we’ll give Him praise because we know this is minor as far as the big picture goes. Besides, the sweet corn this year in the corn and bean patch sure does taste good, so things are pretty good. Thanks!
Tom
July 28th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Sorry to read about your drought, we were burning up here too until 2 inches of rain came on Tuesday night, now you should see how our late (July 4) OP corn has taken off! We will still be short on hay this winter, 2nd crop burned up! The greater drought is in the lives of most mainstream Christians who embrace the world of money and materialism! Keep preaching the truth Tom!
July 28th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Brent,
I’m glad to hear it’s going good over your way, boy, what 2 inches would do here.
Great point about the greater drought in what’s called “mainstream Christianity”. I was just outside in the 100 degree heat thinking about that while moving a garden sprinkler in the sweet corn patch. And there’s so much to think about!
Thanks!
Tom
July 29th, 2006 at 6:37 am
Tom, even though I don’t “know” you in real life, I keep looking at the weather forecasts and hoping that you folks down there will get the rain you need SOON. It sure seems like we’ve had our share up here in New England this year.
I, too, read that statistic about there being only 57 days’ worth of grain, or something like that, and I am amazed that people are so nonchalant about how the farmers are faring. I guess they figure their food comes from the supermarket–and they never bother to think about where it comes from BEFORE it gets to the supermarket. There is such a disconnect today about where our food comes from.
I always love coming here to read your blog–no matter how tough times are, you still seem to be able to put out some encouragement for others.
May the Lord bless you and your family, and may He send the much-needed rains to you soon.
July 30th, 2006 at 3:58 pm
Becky,
We’re having another +100 degree day here, wow! The basement is the place to be.
Thanks for the good comments, they’re always uplifting!
Tom