“Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: “Love. They must do it for love.” Farmers farm for the love of farming. They love to watch and nurture the growth of plants. They love to live in the presence of animals. They love to work outdoors. They love the weather, maybe even when it is making them miserable. They love to live where they work and to work where they live. If the scale of their farming is small enough, they lie to work in the company of their children and with help or their children. They love the measure of independence that farm life can still provide. I have an idea that a lot of farmers have gone to a lot of trouble merely to be self-employed to live at least a part of their lives without a boss.” Wendel Berry.
Wheat harvest is over for the farmers along the Colorado Front Range and the Eastern Plains. With the nice rains we’ve been experiencing those same farmers are now smiling as the milo and corn crops grow.
6 Comments
John
Very nice image. I like that you have chosen a vertical where a horizontal would have been the expected format. The focus on the grain in the foreground, and letting the background go a bit soft, works really well.
Monte Stevens
Thank you, John. I was drawn to the vertical also.
Paul
Lovely shot, Monte. In reading the quote, I thought of how romanticized it sounded. I imagine that farming is no easy work and there’s probably plenty of worry to go around; however, sometimes I think, it’s got to be better than having a boss with crazy requirements and ideas. 😀
Monte Stevens
And those endless meetings. Yes, there are the worries that shorten a nights rest and long days of hard labor. Never a consistent paycheck. Thanks Paul.
Cedric Canard
I don’t think farming would be for me (I’m sure I’ve managed to kill a plastic plant or two) but then again I don’t think office work is for me either. Sigh!
Cool photo Monte. The texture of the wheat looks lovely.
Monte Stevens
I can relate to the plastic plants, killed a couple myself without much effort. Not sure if I could be a farmer, either. However, there is something about the lifestyle that tugs at something within me. I know some of it stems from the connection to nature they have rather then living life in a cubicle. And , it does require a strong back.