At Sunrise

"I have great faith in a seed.

Convince me that you have a seed there,
and I am prepared to expect wonders."

- Henry David Thoreau

In the sunlight of a new morning, there is a seed of hope. Even with so little moisture, some of the newly-planted wheat crop has peeked out from under dry layers of soil to offer a new beginning, a new hope.

It was planted in ground that looked more like a sandbox than a seed bed.

But the first wheat plants of the 2012 crop have germinated and the circle of life on the County Line continues. Other seeds wait under the surface for rain. For the first time in forever, the weatherman says there's a chance of rain at the end of the week. We will pray that he's right.

This week, we're taking time out from wheat planting to move cattle.

Yes, it was a dirty job. And instead of keeping the calves that were born last winter, we will sell them on Thursday. We just didn't raise enough hay to feed them all winter. We will feed their pregnant mamas, and the process will begin again come January.

But, even in the face of adversity, the morning light reveals new promise.

The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn't still be a farmer.

Will Rogers