Lessons learned along life’s path
"There is a little man in that child who has already stood his ground with the stubborn calves in the barn and the pigs...
Fall’s backdrop makes all the farm chores worth doing
"Throwing down hay from the highest point of the south mow, I was drawn to the west corner by the tiniest of sounds. Nestled...
Family dairy farms struggle to hang on
All my life, I have been certain of one thing. Dairy farmers are not paid nearly enough. Now, this has been true even when...
Amish sisters are sweet and innocent
A knock came on my door as I worked in the kitchen one late afternoon this past week. I was startled because I had...
Enjoy the gifts of an early fall
"I spent the afternoon astraddle the ridge of the new barn-loft roof laying down a ridgecap, a course of overlapping shingles that covers the...
Where has all the innocence gone?
"If you're in the wrong place, the right things don't happen."-- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, 1942
There are some things we are given absolutely no choice...
Spanky has stepped into leadership role
"On the farm, I'd come to see that my animals managed to avoid, almost entirely by instinct, the dramas that humans create for themselves....
A lesson from a soft drink cup
"Wes Jackson is fond of saying that if your life's work can be accomplished in your lifetime, you're not thinking big enough. And no...
Dad’s legacy lives on in memories
“My father asserted there was no better place to bring up a family than in a rural environment. There’s something about getting up at...
We have so much for which to be grateful
"Dad hitched up the horses and told me the farm was my responsibility now. He was going in search of work, for a week,...
