If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. So, why do we?
Facebook and Instagram make farming and ranching seem glamorous. It is so much easier to share the wins and the great parts of our lives on stories and posts. Or at least that's my nature. There is so much negativity - so much hard that I always look toward the silver lining. I always look toward the good. And the good, in my opinion, is so much easier to share.
But there are still days and weeks and months when one thing after another goes wrong. An old irrigation pipe rusts through, a fire threatens our neighbors and town, drought, a late frost damages our crops, fire cattle break through the fence, the water pump fails, the tractor won't start, the water heater breaks... The list of challenges from this week alone goes on and on.
No matter how much we prepare and work, something out of our control can and does change everything - and does in just a blink of an eye. That is farming and ranching. That is life. That is the nature of the beast.
If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. So, why do we?
We love the successes! We love when things do go right, and when they don't, we love to learn and grow from the challenge. Above all, we love the land, and we love growing and raising food. Sure, it is hard! As we add additional crops, employees, attractions, venues, festivals, and clean more and more of the farm, it is growing harder by the day. But what we are able to provide to the community and this beautiful land is so worth it!
We were put on this earth to bring happiness to your life, care for the land, care for animals, and grow food. This calling doesn't come lightly, and it is one we are fully dedicated to. It is a calling that we have dedicated our lives to fulfilling. Lives we cannot picture anywhere or anyway else.
The unforeseen weather, new regulations, loose bolts, old irrigation pipes, labor shortages, long days and weeks that don't have an end make the silver lining look so much better. So, to the things out of our control - to the challenges and the hard stuff - we are going to keep looking at the silver lining. We are going to keep looking at the beauty and the wins because life is so much better when we focus on the good.
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