The Power of Positive Pressure

I continue to be amazed by the positive power of a little peer pressure. It seems like peer pressure is generally thought of as negative, but it can also do good! 

Over the last few days, my oldest son and a few friends decided that they really wanted a classmate to play football this year. The classmate had not played the previous year, nor played on their basketball team the past two years. Despite that, he attended several basketball games to cheer his friends on!

 

So, this group of boys went into action. On Saturday they talked to their friend and spent time with him at a local festival. They also talked to his mom and urged her to sign him up. Then, they kept on talking and talking and talking to him and with each other late into the night.  They. The one friend and the group of boys, talked Sunday while hanging at the lake. They even got a few others involved in the plan to get their friend to play. They knew that football practice is a lot of work and that their friend was worried about it, but they kept the talk light and focused on the fun parts! They even suggested that he just come and hang out to see what it was all about! 

And guess what..... Today, Monday, the first day of practice, he was there! He showed up, practiced, and plans to come back tomorrow! 

This is what sports, community and friendship is all about! I couldn't be prouder of all involved... My son, his friends who worked together and heir friend who showed up to play! It's going to be a great year! 

Take a Moment, It Matters

No pictures in this post, just thoughts.

As I sit in another day of rain ( weeks with only a day if sun here or there) wondering if our crop will ever get planted, thinking about what the impact will be if it doesn't, knowing that my husband is stressed to the max, knowing that I don't have the right words to say, knowing that hundreds of farmers have water over roads, fields flooded, some don't even have one seed in the ground, and some in places other than ND continue to struggle with drought and lack offood for livestock. I think about how some chuckle at neighbors for trying to work in the very muddy field when they get stuck. I spend time thinking about how many cattle are getting sick due to lack of dry places. I pondering the economic impact locally/ nationally/ internationally of the potential lack of commodity produced..... I ask, how do we make sure we make it through. How do I make sure that the stress doesn't break my husband, my neighbor, my farm? How do I reach out?  What are my resources, what kind of coping solutions can I use/offer/share? The answers are few and far between and none seem to be all to satisfying. 

Farmers and Ranchers are people of pride. They want to be strong. They know farming is a gamble with a risk of extreme extremes. BUT, they need support too. They need to know that their neighbor, who may have just taken their best employee or rented land out from under them, is struggling too. They need to check in with others and have others check in on them. They need to know that we all make mistakes, can't always control the circumstances, but can control how we react to them. 

It wasn't too long ago that I started to dig in to the impact of stress in the farming and ranching communities. The results were eye-opening...Anxiety, in- ability to think clearly, physical impairments, depression, suicide. 

So, I ask that we all take a minute to connect with each other. Ask someone in good times and tough times how they are doing. When you know things are tough, take an extra minute to let them know you are thinking about them.  Our world has become distant, more impersonal as the days go by, but as humans, people with a heart, we need personal interaction. We need others. Pride is something to be respected, but there is nothing that builds pride more than being a good neighbor, friend, acquaintance. Take time to connect. It may just save a life!

The Hidden Cost/ Investment of Gardening

Gardening is a passion of mine. I love to be outdoors, soaking up a bit of sun, producing food in my backyard, getting my kids to work together, and sharing what grows with others, but it all comes with a cost. 

The other day I started to think about trade offs, costs, investments, and expenses. Then I went outside and began cleaning out the garden preparing it for tillage and planting. My 3 year old and 5 year old were helping me while the other kids worked on other things in the yard. They all took time to goof around and play too. We were having a wonderful afternoon. So I then thought about the things I gained and lost as a result of having a decent sized garden. 

Here are some things I thought of:

Gains/ Investments:

* time outdoors

* interaction with my kids 

* fresh produce

* understanding of growing process

* less trips to store for veggies

* kids eat snacks out of garden in summer

* looks pretty

Costs/ Losses:

* plants/ seeds

* fertilizer

* planting stakes/ rope/ tomato supports

* less time to get indoor tasks done

* time ( planting, weeding, collecting, canning)

* processing supplies for canning

All in all it is about the bigger picture... Do we focus on the costs or the investments? Yes, sometimes, I feel as if my beans/ melons/ herbs are the most expensive in the county, disappointment when I only get 2 pumpkins, sad that I didn't make the time to do something with the hundreds of tomatoes that rotted/ froze on the plant, and frustrated that my broccoli went to seed before it even grew a head. But, the ability to eat right out of it, trying to grow different things,  looking for recipes that I may be able to use to convince my family to try something new, the ability to share the goods from the garden with friends, family and our local school, and see my kids "play" in it far outweighs the costs. 

So, think about what you may gain from planting a full garden or even growing a pot of beans or tomatoes on the back steps. 

You'd be amazed what a bit of gardening can do for the soul!

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.... Farmer Style

When I was growing up Earth Day was about walking the area around the school picking up trash. We also "studied" the 3 R's... Reuse,Reduce, and Recycle! Today, as a farmer, I reflect on Earth Day. There is not much that has changed, just perhaps implemented a bit differently. Farmers are some of the original Earth friendly people! Here is just a peek at some of Earth friendly things we do at Heger Farms.

As I reflect on our farm and what we do each day the 3 R's stand out and stand strong.

Reuse: There are many items that we we use... tires, wood, bolts, tubing, brackets, seed bags, chemical tubs, machinery, towel, T-shirts, etc. We have a fine collection of items that get transformed in to new objects, art, tools, pipe plugs, rags, new pieces of machinery, etc. each and every day. Even items that have been laying around for awhile, find new ways to be used. We feel that almost eveything has a second life in one way or another. Yes, even livestock poop is reused.. it's great fertilizer!


Reduce: Our farm is a minimum till farm. We work very hard and with intent to minimize the amount of soil disruption each planting and harvest season. This means that in the spring we do not turn the soil over to make it "pretty" and black. We have chosen machinery that allows us to plant our crop into the soil with only a small path of disruption. This means that the nutrients and top soil do not get blown or washed away. In addition, through research and technlogy, we have been able to plant a pinto bean variety that stands tall, called upright pinto beans that can be solid seeded, or seeded without spaces between rows. Solid seeding helps control weeds and untintentional crops ( from pervious years seeds in the ground) This also means we can eliminate tilling the soil 2 times before planting, cultivating between rows 2 times, taking time and fuel to cut them and and then combine rows.
Leaving stubble ( see above pic) also helps develop nutrient and maintain value in the soil so that farmers do not have to apply them to grow a healthy crop.
We also are able to reduce the amounts of fertilizer, chemical and seed usage on our farm. With cutting edge precision agricultural technology we know what fields, or parts of fields, produce the best. We also know the nutient makeup of the soil in various parts of each field. This information allows us to adjust the fertilizer, seeds, and chemicals so that we do not use more seed than what the land can produce, and product for that specific plant in a specific part of a field.

Recycle: On our farm there are several products that we could recycle... the most common is oil. We collect the used oil from our vehicles and machinery. About once a year a company comes and picks it up. They then pay us for the oil... this becomes the money that we invest back into the farm, our kids, and some of their 4-H projects!

Oh These Small Towns

Growing up in the city of Minneapolis, I had no clue what small rural towns were all about. In 2000 I moved from Fargo/ Moorhead( where I went to college) to Underwood, ND, a town of about 850 people.
Initially I was overwhelmed by the fact that people knew my name. Then it seemed like everyone knew what I was doing or had done. After that, I realized that more and more people were related to my husband, everyone was family, and I could never just "be alone". I felt as if I couldn't even use the bathroom without someone finding out how many squares of toilet paper I used.
After some time, other people moved into town and they became the ones that people examined. I became a thing of the past and it was no big deal if I wore my flannel pants to the grocery store.
Through the process of becoming familiar and comfortable in my new hometown, I became to realize that yes, people are noisier than those in my neighborhood in Minneapolis, but that they mean well. They want to make sure that they get to know you so that they feel secure. They are also watching out for you and others. I figured out that they really didn't care if my lights never came on at night or that I left my TV on all night or that my garbage can stayed at the end of my driveway for several days instead of returning back next to the house immediately after the trash was picked up. They cared that there was a change or that something was different. They wanted to make sure everything was OK.
After living in a small town now for 13 years, I will say that I still feel this is true. The people care. They care about their property, their families, their communities, and their neighbors. I can honestly say that if there is one thing that small towns do well, it is pull together in tough times! Whether it be illness, injury, accident, tragedy or loss of a loved one, people, even those we don't feel close to, come together to lend a hand, offer support, and help out.
So, the next time I sigh and think about the 45 minute drive I have to get to Walmart or that I can't find a birthday gift for that last minute party one of my kids was invited to, I will remember what small towns are all about... support, socialization, and security!

Easter Sweets

Now that it has been almost a week since Easter was celebrated, I look back at the pictures and delight in the joy of the day!
A photo essay full of expressions, some- well a lot of frosting, eggs, and time with family!