It’s Mother’s Day weekend --- a time to celebrate your maternal side.  As farmers, we need to say thank you to lots of mother figures:  Mother Nature, Mother Earth, and, closer to home, the person who delivered us into this world.  All of these mothers are keys to life itself.

The first time someone told me I was just like my mother, I was confused and a bit surprised.  As a youngster, I didn’t see my mother as a role model.  She was simply my “mom.”  As I have gotten older, I know that it just came naturally for her to put her strong character, opinions, and work ethic into her offspring.  I now consider that statement one of the nicest compliments I can receive.  I am fortunate to be able to once again celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday with the most loving teacher, care giver, and critic I know.  She has nurtured me as a child and cheered my success as an adult.

In just one month, historic barn enthusiasts from across the country will gather in Pennsylvania to celebrate these icons of farmstead buildings.  We are expecting people to travel to Berks County from states as far away as the Midwest, and perhaps further.  As the pioneers traveled westward, so did the skills for building barns.  But, the frequency of the styles of barns we take for granted in Pennsylvania diminishes dramatically once you cross our Commonwealth’s and our neighboring states’ boundaries.  Our state is fortunate to have a treasure chest of old barns, most of which are still in terrific condition despite their century or greater age status.

I was incredulous when I heard the rumor that one of our Berks County farmers was being sued by a volunteer firefighter for injuries he sustained when responding to a call at the farm.  How could this be happening, I wondered?  Don’t firefighters assume a certain amount of risk every time the siren sounds off?  They could be injured in the line of duty whenever they suit up.  The service they provide to the community is inherently dangerous.  Their job routinely puts them in the line of fire.

It seems to have taken extra long this year for Spring to arrive at our farm.  Perhaps it’s because we had the earliest Easter any of us will ever experience.  Regardless, I am happy to finally see the green pastures, hear the engines on tractors roaring in the fields, and watch as the buds burst into flower in gardens and on bare branches of winter-weary trees.  Many of our stately timbers still show the battle scars of December’s ice storm.  So many limbs lie scattered around their trunks, and some have entirely toppled to the ground.  Mike has scouted the fence lines and removed a majority of the fallen trees, but some will take more chain saw attention to lift them off the resilient hi-tensile wires on which they rest.  Firewood for the coming fall and winter seasons will be plentiful, if we get busy cutting, chopping and stacking the broken branches.

I met Charlie Miller on the job back in 1974.  I had just started working for the USDA’s Soil Conservation Service in Adams County.  As my SCS co-worker and I drove up along side a parked green pickup truck with the sign John F. Walters Inc. printed on the driver-side door, I could hear country western music playing loud enough to be heard over top noise of an idling Caterpillar dozer resting nearby.  The operator was sitting on the truck’s tail gate sipping a cup of steaming coffee and munching a cookie.  He smiled as we rolled to a stop and greeted us with a friendly “How do?”

One of the best things a parent can do is pass along the necessary skills in life to help their children achieve their goals.  It was a proud moment this week when Emilie received an envelope in the mail notifying her that she had once again received special honors for two of her Hereford cows.  Called the “Dam of Distinction” award, this recognition is for cows in the Hereford breed that have made their mark in the beef industry.  These individual cows have met the strictest requirements of the Hereford breed for early calving, reproductive efficiency, calving intervals of no greater than one year, and weaning weight ratios in the top end of the breeder’s herd.

The future of agriculture is in good hands.  I make this statement on the heels of judging a regional FFA contest this week.  The students who stood before me were poised, enthusiastic, and understood many of the tough issues facing farmers today.  It is not always an easy task for those of us involved in agriculture to talk about topics like rBST and milk labeling, cloning, animal welfare and disease, organic farming, the honey bee crisis, “green” architecture, biotechnology, and high tunnel alternatives for fruit and vegetable production.

The word about agriculture was spread across the nation this week as the National Agriculture Week was celebrated. While the official event concludes this Saturday, March 22^nd, those of us in the farm community need to keep talking about the importance of agriculture each of the 51 weeks remaining until we mark another Spring Equinox.

Get ready to celebrate!  National Agriculture Week begins March 16^th and concludes on March 22^nd.  On Thursday, as we welcome the first day of Spring, farmers and every person who eats at least one meal a day need to observe National Ag Day --- a day to reflect on the agricultural industry and its place of importance in our everyday lives.

March Madness!  While most folks associate that phrase with college basketball playoffs, my March Madness refers to the invasion of starlings at the farm.  These winged pests appeared out of no where last week as February leaped into March.  With their arrival, my husband Mike pulled out the shotgun and began the yearly ritual of waking me up at the crack of dawn with a blast of birdshot from the barn.