Lessons from the Farmyard

The farm has been an ever evolving classroom for me. It's where I learned to drive. It's where I learned to work until the job was done. It was where I learned teamwork. It was where I learned the value of family. It taught lessons in legacy. It revealed God's masterpiece of His world over and over again.

It's helped me overcome fears. For example, I was pretty nervous the first time I got into the Army truck turned feed truck as the principal driver. But I did it anyway. And then I got pretty good at it.

But our farm was a classroom of another sort for some Farm Service Agency employees. The week before the sale, four new FSA employees traveled from  across the state and wandered among our machinery with two veteran employees. The new FSA employees were evaluating several pieces of equipment and were then to assign a value on them.

This process is something they have to do at work as they evaluate loans for their agricultural customers. What are their customers' current assets worth? How much debt can they service? 

They clicked snapshots and made notes and were then supposed to compile a value. And, based on their evaluation, they either passed or failed the test. Randy asked: Yes, some of them fail. (We don't know the end result from the FSA employees who traveled to our farm for their boots-on-the-ground test.)

Kim, a veteran employee from the Washington (KS) FSA office, said many of the ag lenders in the FSA offices have agricultural backgrounds. However, farming varies across the state. In addition, some of them may have come from family crop operations. Others may be more versed in livestock operations. Going to different farms across different parts of the state is designed to expose them to the wide variety of equipment and situations they may face as FSA employees.

We got a loan from FSA early in our marriage/farm partnership. It's when commercial loans were running at approximately 18 percent. FSA loans were at 4 or 5 percent. We appreciated that opportunity. It's kind of gratifying to know that farmers and ranchers who may need similar loans may get the funds they need through the FSA employees/agencies that came to our farm for hands-on training. 

Randy was hoping to hear how the student appraisers valued our machinery. However, the students were basically collecting data and then went back to their home counties to make their assessments. 

Bonus! They sent us these insulated mugs and a nice thank you note!

A Celebration

This collage shows a few of the photos that Susan compiled and printed off for table decorations.

It's impossible to encapsulate 51 years of farming in a few snapshots. But it was fun to wander the tables at our retirement party and see what photos our family had collected.

My foray into blogging back in January 2010 was an attempt to provide a snapshot of life on one Kansas farm. It was my quiet protest to counter the ads from restaurant chains, animal rescue groups and others who certainly have an opinion about how we carry out our livelihoods and are glad to express all we're "doing wrong." Most of them likely have never seen a farm beyond Green Acres. 

I've certainly taken thousands of photos since then, and I've shared a lot of them throughout the years on Kim's County Line. 

But the most important things I've "collected," I suppose, have been the relationships with family and the others who've been part of the team. 

Look for the helpers.

 You will always find people who are helping."

Fred Rogers

Freund's Crafts and Flowers in Stafford designed wildflower bouquets for the tables, fulfilling Jill's request. They were beautiful! The photo collage is one I did for Randy after we sold cattle last fall, and it shows all the locations where we had our cow-calf herd during our partnership.

Even though farming and ranching may seem a solitary job, there are many others who quietly help get the jobs done. Sometimes, they are the people on your payroll, though we haven't had that for a couple of years now. They may be neighbors who help out with cattle drives or finish a wheat field when your combine breaks down. There are veterinarians, co-op employees, seed dealers, parts departments, sale barn personnel, insurance carriers, farm service offices ... This list probably just scratches the surface. 

We wouldn't have been able to farm had some land owners not entrusted their property to us to be stewards. What a privilege! 

But the center of a family farm is in the definition: FAMILY.

Our kids honored us with a retirement reception following our farm sale August 13. 

We were privileged to have so many extended family members and friends there. 

I grew up on a family farm in Pratt County. At about age 6, I was driving the pickup in the field to help my dad pick up fence posts. In the early days of irrigation, my sister, Lisa, and I turned a lot of pivot wheels so the towers could be hauled from one center pivot to the next. And then we turned them all back again. When my mom drove the tractor, I helped out with duties in the house, cooking and cleaning. Later, I became one of the harvest truck drivers. I knew about trips to the parts counter before my maiden voyages for the Fritzemeier farms.

Darci, Dad, Mom, me and Randy, Lisa and Kent - my parents and siblings

So I had an idea of what my life would be like when Randy and I married. However, I will say that being a farm daughter is a lot different than being a farm partner. Maybe that has more to do with being an adult than anything. But, as a kid, I sure didn't spend any time worrying about weather or grain prices or input cost or any of the myriad of other things that suddenly come to the forefront when your name is one of those on the checks or on the loan agreement with the bank.

me, Randy & his sister, Kathy

We were all too busy living the experience while the party was going on to take photos. But what a wonderful afternoon it was, visiting with family and friends! Susan and Jill (with help from Kinley & Brooke) made all the cookies. They had ice cream and cookie "pairings" for guests' snacking pleasure. They - along with Brent and Eric - were the ones setting up and tearing down tables and making all the arrangements. 

And I left there feeling so thankful - thankful for Randy, most of all. Thankful for Jill and Brent and the wonderful families they've made for themselves. Appreciative of our extended families. Thankful for good friends and neighbors. 

It's been quite a ride. 

But I think Kinley has the right idea when she wishes us "the best loungy life ever!"

Can you believe Kinley sketched the tractor just looking at one of Grandpa's toy tractors?

Brooke also got in on the well wishes.

 Thanks to all who've sent a card or wished us well for this next chapter of life's journey.

Sale Day: Leaving a Lifetime of Farming

 

We hustled around on sale day, Saturday, August 13, for some family photos before the festivities began. Tye, who has taken over the farm ground we continue to own and who cares for our cow-calf herd in a partnership, was elected as photographer for 15 to 20 minutes worth of shots before the craziness of the day.

Originally, I had wanted some photos in the wheat field of our final harvest as active farm operators. I   had a professional photographer lined up. But it was just too hard to coordinate schedules and predict the weather. (I only knew that everyone was going to make it home a few hours before they arrived.) My second idea was having photos among the farm equipment before it started driving away or was hauled down the road.  But since school had started for the girls and for Susan the week before, it wasn't possible for them to all get here by the time golden hour rolled around the night before the sale. I knew that Randy would be addressing any issues with machinery on the day of the sale or answering last-minute phone calls about it before the bidding began. Other people were juggling plenty of other balls that day, too. Tye did a great job, and we'll save the pro shots for a time down the line. 

Jill snapped a few of Randy and me by various farm equipment. I definitely wanted one by the feed truck. I spent a lot of time in it during winters the last few years. Randy was always glad to tell any callers that his wife drove the old Army truck. One of my favorite times of the year was riding the buddy seat of the combine during harvest time. I'll miss that.

Anyway, I'll treasure these last glimpses of farm life as we've known it. We used the backdrops you'd expect - the 4-wheel-drive tractor and the combine. 

But I also wanted some photos gathered around the old 8N Ford Tractor. 

Jill also requested a photo by the relic.

I snapped a few of Grandpa with the girls.

The last time Kinley had been on that tractor was when she was a baby in her mom's arms 10 years ago.

April 2012

Randy grew up operating the Ford tractor. Our kids also got the "privilege" of putt-putt-putting down a road on the way to help build fence. While I never drove it, I certainly was part of the team that helped build miles of electric fence to contain our cattle in the fall. (Click HERE for a blog post about one fence building session.) But it, too, went on the auction block at the farm sale. 

Randy's Dad and Grandpa had purchased the Ford tractor in the 1960s. (And, yes, it started on sale day!)

Clarence (Randy's Grandpa, seated), his Dad Melvin and Randy holding Brent in 1988.

Maybe the winning bidder will restore it for parades. Or maybe they'll use it like we did, who knows?

It's amazing to think how far farm equipment has come in the time since our ancestors began farming in the late 1800s. My mom did an amazing job of photographing new machinery they've used during their 69 years of farming together.

(My dad as a toddler and his Dad)

 

She compiled them into history books she gave to grandchildren. (I may still have one in my dining room curio cabinet for "safe keeping.")

The evolution of technology has exploded since 1972, when Randy began farming as a high school sophomore.

This was a page from Randy's FFA project - 1972 - when as a high school sophomore, he began putting up hay on his great-uncle's ground for a percentage of the hay crop.

In the late 1990s, I compiled this collage to give to Melvin after his final harvest as an active farmer. It shows several pieces of farm equipment we used at that time.

Farm technology has evolved significantly since our marriage in 1981.

Melvin's final wheat harvest

And we certainly didn't have the ultimate examples of modern machinery, but it served our needs at a price we could afford.

Photo by Brent

The girls had to give the big tractor some equal posing time after their modeling on the 8N Ford tractor.

Randy had some restless nights in the week before sale day. He wasn't sure he'd gotten enough phone calls expressing interest in all the machinery. Would in-person bidders come? Would the people who told him on the phone that they'd be bidding online actually follow-through and do it? Would we get a reasonable value for the equipment? Would this part of our retirement plan pay out? I was not immune from the nighttime thoughts that made for some restless nights. 

But Randy was all smiles the day of the auction.

   (These moments were captured on my camera by Kinley, the budding 4-H photographer.)

Photo by Brent

Ultimately, we were thrilled with the large crowd who arrived on sale day.

Some arrived early enough for the small "stuff" on trailers.

Photo by Brent

There was an even larger crowd for the big equipment - both in-person and online.

 

Photo by Andrew Webb (my brother-in-law)

The day was awfully hot, but the auctioneer with Carr Auction kept the bidding moving along well.

Photo by Andrew Webb

Some of the items began leaving the field before the auction was even over. By Wednesday, August 17, we had only a few things left to be picked up by the new owners. The combine and the drill left that day. The last pickup left last Friday (August 19). We are down to a couple of tractors still awaiting pickup.

Ultimately, this list of farm equipment left our farm to do the job at another farm on down the road. 

We also closed on Randy's folks house on the Monday following the sale, and the young couple who purchased it has already started moving in and making it their own. (Click HERE for the blog post I wrote before that sale.)

It's been a year full of emotion - highs and lows, doubts and dreams. But we feel at peace with the decision. And we're ready for the next chapter. Bring on some K-State football and some trips to National Parks this fall. (We'll add plenty of trips to see the family for good measure.)

The girls were hoping that they could convince their parents they "needed" the 4-wheelers. They had ridden them for a fishing trip during a stay at The County Line last year. Alas, they'll have to settle for Grandpa's new (to us) Gator. The girls approve of Grandpa's new ride. (Uncle Brent may have given Kinley some unauthorized driving lessons on the Gator.)

Next time: Photos from the retirement party

Matchbook Cars vs. Big Boy Toys

We cleaned out the attic this week, and one of the treasures we found was a stash of Randy's old Matchbox cars. 

We hadn't unearthed the Matchbox cars in years, but there were lots of miles on those miniature cars and trucks, some of which dated back to Randy's childhood and still others that were added back in the 1980s and '90s by Brent. They were a fixture in Grandma Marie's toy box and didn't come home with us until we were cleaning out Melvin's and Marie's house. At that time, Brent was past the age for toy cars, so the cars were "garaged" in our attic.   

Even though we were carting a bunch of stuff from the attic to the trash dump, I couldn't let the Matchbox cars go - especially without showing them to the kids first. They'll be here this weekend for our farm retirement sale, scheduled for Saturday, August 13. (Click HERE for my blog on the sale. Here is a SALE BILL.) 

(Randy digging in the dirt - even as a kid. These are Tonka-sized toys in the photo, but I'm sure the Matchbox cars were run in the dirt, too. They are definitely not in mint condition.)

As I looked through the box of cars, I couldn't help but think about the little boys whose hands rolled those vehicles over highway play mats and Matchbox race tracks. 

I lined up a bunch of the toys for a photo, and I saw the similarities between my miniature line-up and the neat rows at the farmstead that Randy has worked hard to organize in the last month or so for the farm sale. 

Now, Randy has another "toy." As the joke goes: It's bigger than a bread box ... or a Matchbox. It's a new-to-us John Deere Gator.

The Gator does look a little small when compared to the feed truck, which was designed on the chassis of an old Army truck.

I just may have called the feed truck "a big boy toy" when it was added to the farm equipment back in 2012. (Ironically, I was the one that ended up driving it the majority of time during our final few years of farming. And Randy has relished telling potential buyers that his wife drove it for feeding.)

Still, I had to chuckle to myself that Army trucks made the cut all the way from Randy's childhood through his farming years - at least, in a manner of speaking. (His dad drove an Army truck in the Korean War, so there was that family connection, too.)

I didn't see the equivalent of a Gator in the Matchbox stash. But, a couple of weeks ago, we purchased the used Gator. We had been looking for about a year, but the pandemic disrupted the supply chain and availability on these kinds of vehicles, too, along with the scarcity of new and used passenger vehicles.

But, just like many things, connections are what makes the world go around. Jill and Eric told us that a Topeka friend was selling a Gator.

And, since our 4-wheelers are going on the auction block this Saturday, the time was right.

We decided that throwing our legs over the 4-wheelers might get more difficult in the coming years, so it was time to make a more accessible change.

We agreed on terms, and the Gator came home with us. We'll use it for fishing trips around here (if it ever rains)  and other "running around excursions" that stay relatively close to home. Randy's already checked a pasture with it and has made several trips up and down the roads to the farmstead.

Boys love their toys - whether Matchbox size or Gator size or an XL farm feed truck.

(Why did we clean out the attic on farm sale week? That's a good question. We used the only cooler day this week for the project. It happened to be Jill's and Eric's 13th wedding anniversary that day, so I texted the kids and said, "Happy 13th anniversary to Jill & Eric. And just happy day to Brent & Susan. Here's some stuff you won't have to haul out of the attic some day because we did it." By the way, I was dirty and sweaty, too, but I chose not to take a photo of that! We found that the attic was a little more drafty than we'd realized. The two major windstorms this winter and spring left quite a bit of dirt behind. Maybe this will give me a kick start to complete the decluttering process I began in earnest during the earlier days of Covid.)