Living in the past, I know you shouldn’t do it; however, I would propose that this can sometimes be beneficial. Not in the sense that you can’t move past some event or time you have previously experienced, i.e. re-living your “high school football” days, but in a reverent observance of former days. This isn’t to state that you should start to form an idolization, but maintaining a healthy respect for the efforts levied in the past, to allow for enjoyment we have today, will help keep you grounded. It is even in the Future Farmers of Americas creed: “I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds – achievements won by the present and past generations of agriculturists; in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years.”
So why do I bring this up, what could have transpired on a day-to-day operation of a small farm to have someone lost on this train of thought. Well, part of our farm’s story is that we have been in continuous operation since my great grandfather purchased the land in 1926. This has had a huge impact on me as an individual, constantly seeing signs of work of previous generations and this makes our farm story very special in my eyes. I’m grateful to have had a childhood being raised on a farm, and all that implies, but specifically one with generational ties, it truly connects you to the past, nearly every day. Let me give you an example.
The past few weeks, I have been attempting to accomplish what seemed to be an insurmountable challenge, electrifying our fence lines to aid in keeping the cattle contained. With over 300 acres fenced in total, it can be difficult to keep the electric fence in a condition that is conducive to electric conductivity. Shrubs, grass, woody vegetation and downed wires make the electric ground out, and with using the insulator for the electric wire instead of fencing stables, it can make it easier for a curious cow to escape our boundaries. So, we’re left with two options, keep the electric hot, or stable the wire. The tradeoff is that if you don’t have an electric wire, the fence has to be tight, imagine a string on a guitar tight. The past few months, we have had several curious cows, namely cow #208, escaping our confines. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is more stressful than that call! In evaluation of the issues surrounding this devastating reality, several corner posts on our pasture lots needed to be reset because they weren’t maintaining proper tension for various reasons (more to come in following post as to some of the reasons why). Ultimately, we made the decision to re-instate electric wires that we had gone away from, starting in the winter sacrifice (giving up production in the following grazing season) pastures. Truly, this was the best option to keep our friendly cows from grazing forbidden pastures or in layman’s terms the neighbor’s lawns. This signaled the commencement of clearing lines and setting up the fence to have the charge needed to keep our cows exactly where we want them.
The photo above is a ceramic fence line insulator, used to tie off a line that is electric to a corner post, in this instance a tree. The purpose of the insulator is that it allows you to connect a non-electric section of wire to the corner post and maintain the rest of the fence lines electric by avoiding grounding. This particular insulator was not installed by me. It was installed by my grandfather. As I was working on the line, I came to this and realized it was still usable and in the exact spot that I needed. In a way, my grandfather was still helping me build the fence. It caused me to stop, and with a reverence “live in the past “of all the times I worked and learned from Grandpa John building fence, and how he showed me how to set an electric line. What a gift that I had so much time, and that now I have the ability to continue to be a part of his legacy. The cows are now secure in our winter pasture, and a part of the reason why is the insulator installed by Grandpa John.
As we continue on our farming journey and preserving the legacy of our previous generations that are no longer with us, we aim to accomplish two goals in doing so. First and foremost, we want to bring Glory to the almighty God in stewarding his creation. Secondly, we want to raise our children the way we were blessed to, and in doing so teaching them the history of our farm and making sure they “live in the past” with a reverence from the previous generations, in hopes that it will be meaningful and humbling in a part of their upbringing. May God bless your week friends, thank you for sharing this thought with me.
Sincerely,
John VanDerwerken