Been Farming Long?

My parents have a picture hanging in their farmhouse that features two toddlers in bib overalls with hands stuffed into their pockets and ball caps on their heads, obviously having a serious conversation. The photo asks the question: “Been farming long?” Besides being cute poster children for agriculture, these two little boys are symbols of the hopes and dreams of every person who has ever wanted to farm.

I was touched by a response I received to my very first blog posted on Lancaster Farming’s website from a pastor who shared with me his lifelong desire to farm. He was called to minister to the spiritual needs of his fellow man rather than their nutritional needs, but the dream to someday farm never left him. He said he was inspired to reevaluate his life’s purpose and the possibility of farming in the future. I encouraged him to follow his heart wherever it might take him.

For me, farming has been part of my life from the moment I was born. I grew up on a commercial beef farm in Dauphin County. My first time away from the rural environment where I was raised was when I left home for college. I ventured to the big city of Pittsburgh and quickly learned that the urban lifestyle was not for me.

Surrounded by concrete and skyscrapers, I longed for a chance to reconnect with the earth. I finally found a public park where there were long sloping hills of green grass and a greenhouse with dark dirt and plants growing in sun drenched rooms. These were familiar sights and smells for my senses. They helped assuage my homesickness, but never cured it.

The realization that this farm girl was out of her element in the city grew stronger. It didn’t take much deliberation before I decided to transfer to Penn State to study agriculture. I returned to what has always been important in my life --- F-A-R-Ming. Except for two years of my life, I have always been focused on farming. It is my life’s story.

After graduating with a degree in agriculture from our Commonwealth’s land grant university, I became a soil conservationist with USDA’s Soil Conservation Service. I was stationed in Gettysburg, Adams County, and found an apartment in town which allowed pets. Although I spent my days helping farmers with erosion control practices and walking across their fields, it was an adjustment for me to once again live off the farm.

Fortunately, my apartment was across from the hospital which was surrounded by lots of green lawn. It was an ideal place to let my Irish Setter, Shamrock, run every day. This farm girl had never heard of leash laws for dogs that lived in town. My farm dogs had the freedom to travel on acres of fields on my parents’ farm without any constraints. I also didn’t understand the etiquette of picking up after my dog, since I considered his daily constitutions good fertilizer for the shrubs and plants that bordered the grounds. I figured it was an even exchange for the use of the exercise area we enjoyed every morning and evening.

In less than a year, I was transferred from Adams County to Berks County, still working for SCS as a soil conservationist. This time I found a farm to live on and a better home for my dog. Only after we moved away did I find out how much the staff and patients at the Gettysburg Hospital missed seeing my Irish Setter loping across their lawn in the morning mist and in the shadows of dusk. I am glad he gave them something beautiful to watch and for a short while may have helped them forget the sadness and pain that is too often found within hospital walls.

The time I spent living in town was an education beyond my college years. I learned that it wasn't easy disposing of wash water after mopping my floors. On the farm, there were always plenty of thirsty plants that welcomed the occasional sudsy soaking. But where was I to pitch the pail of opaque water when all around me was sidewalk and street? I finally gave up and flushed the bucket full of rinse water down the toilet, making more work for myself since I had to clean the bathroom all over again.

Many other urban experiences solidified my sentiments that town life was not for me. I went back to life on a farm, and have never lived anywhere else again. Been farming long? You bet, and I have loved every minute, even when times get tough.

What about you? Been farming long? Share your stories. You never know who you may inspire.

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