Harvest Thoughts

This year, due to health issues, I wasn’t able to be at the fair as much or as long as I wanted to. I was able to see what my grandchildren entered in 4-H and their awards. Looking at all the entries, both individual and club, I was very impressed with the quality and detail of the projects. It was obvious that a great deal of time and thought went into the entries.

As I made my way through the 4-H quonset, I was assailed by memories of when our children were in 4-H. I thought of all the work sessions they attended for some of their projects. And I remembered the frustration they experienced, the tears and smiles, the look on their faces as they checked to see what the judges thought of their work.

In my opinion, 4-H is a great organization for children of all ages. The sooner children can join a 4-H club, the better. They are able to learn and develop new skills and discover how interesting their world is. Along with this, they gain so much more. In giving demonstrations, they see what it takes to capture and keep the interest of an audience. They learn the art of communication and gain self-confidence and poise when speaking to a group of people.

Hearing the sound of combines in the fields cutting pulse crops, wheat, and barley, brushing away flies, wiping sweat out of my eyes, and taking advantage of a bit of shade I’ll speak of an important time of year in the agriculture industry -- harvest.

I can easily recall the sight, sounds, and smells as well as the emotions of harvest. As I watch combines traversing the fields, I’m reminded of the gamut of emotions that begin with the seeding of a new crop -- the hopes that there will be enough moisture at the right times, that temperatures will not be extreme, that hail storms will not destroy not only a year of work but also being able to supply what is necessary to make it through until the next crop.

Although we no longer farm, I still watch the weather forecast, hold my breath when I see dark clouds gathering at the end of a hot day, and say a prayer there won’t be a devastating hail storm with driving rain and high winds.

The same holds true when I think of all the gardens that have been planted and the time and care taken by those who love flowers. Even though we all know there is a chance that what is planted may not make it through to harvest, it can still bring a person to their knees to see it destroyed. Yet the love of planting and watching new growth gives a person the strength needed to do it all over again.

Fair time and harvest are both precursors of Fall. Each year both bring the culmination of hopes and dreams that began in the Spring. And new memories to be filed away with those of other years.