Vintage tractor on it’s third generation of use, deemed the “wrapper tractor” because that’s it’s only job, wrapping baleage.

 “When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.”

– Daniel Webster.

Planting and haying season is upon us all across the country. Although in different phases and seasons of it, much of it is a work of art and expertise. Most farmers would scoff at being called artists, but I would argue they are among the best of them. They work with the ultimate organic, ever changing canvas, that only years of wisdom can contend with. The only choice you get in material to work with, is that which mother nature has provided, to include the amount of rain and sunshine which are the most vital elements.

Last year was my families first year in Maine after leaving military life and it happened to be a drought year. Nothing reveals the hostility of nature quite like watching things fail to thrive and eventually die from lack of such a basic necessity. This year, we are in a drench and it seems as though the rain just won’t stop. The grass is lush and tall, but good luck harvesting it. The ponds are full, the wells are full, and the garden is happily growing. Over the terms of the last 2 summer seasons here in Maine we have seen a vast range of conditions, but one thing has stayed the same, you have to work hard to make sure the animals are fed, hay is made, veggies are grown, and you are enjoying your time here on earth in the ways that you can.

Rows of hay waiting for the baler.

Through ebbs and flows life has a way of revealing itself, if you only pay attention. Through experiences, through memories, through reading, through conversation with others, no matter what is currently on your mind the depths of wisdom break through. {This is where I give credit to God, though others may not.} In those depths for a farmer is craftsmanship developed over decades, sometimes centuries, of family pursuit of the best way to go from point a to point b in success. Whether that be in a nice dry bale of first crop hay, a perfectly fermented bale of baleage, a fat finished cow ready for the butcher, or a big but not too big meat bird, there are so many processes and factors in each endeavor that are so different yet so alike.

Year after year we take the wisdom from our experiences and we move forward with them. The best of farmers also continue educating themselves on advances in their craft, and learning from other peoples experiences, so as to maximize their productivity. There is a certain portion of this way of life that just requires a steadfastness and a willingness to just do the job the way you know how, and have faith in the process that it will turn out the way you have seen it in the past. There is a lot on YouTube these days that makes everything look so very simple but when it comes down to putting things to action, anyone who has started out in something new can tell you just the same, you just gotta do it and you’ll learn more from that than any video could teach.

Moving hay to be wrapped.

The artisanry of a farmer includes teaching, passing along the wisdom only time doing something can produce is a difficult thing, but when done intentionally it is absolutely invaluable. This concept is sometimes practiced mindlessly, generationally you just do alongside your great-grandfather, grandfather, father or great-grandmother, grandmother, or mother. You do and you listen and you watch and you observe and you realize the inheritance is a richness that money could never buy. A steadfastness in work ethic, connection to the land, rearing a brood of children, from scratch cooking, reading your Bible; beautiful salt of the earth things that are lost on society. So here we are again at, support your local farmers, or better yet become one.

Parked next to great grandpas tractor, waiting for chance to ditch his little one for a ride on the big one.

Be Blessed,

Lorin