Farmers are definitely society's unsung heroes. Unless you have lived this life, there is no way to know what their job involves. For Joe, it means getting up with the sun to feed cows. It's planting crops, killing weeds, fertilizing fields, fixing equipment, combining and sometimes, delivering cow babies. It is also making hay bales, euthanizing sick cows (which then need to be buried), moving the herd from one pasture to another, loading then hauling cattle to the vet, picking rocks so planting can be done and moving/mending fences. It's about working in the worst conditions Mother Nature can throw out. It could be ten degrees below zero and Joe still has to go. Recently, he was cutting hay in over 90 degree heat on a tractor that has no cab. He works when the wind blows 40+mph, chasing calves that need to be vaccinated or doing whatever else needs to be done. And if he gets sick, he still works. Then harvest comes which brings a whole new set of rules and responsibilities along with it. Farming doesn't take a holiday although his duties are tapered in the off season.
There are days when Joe leaves early in the morning. He will come home for lunch and dinner but his day doesn't end until the sun goes down. Sometimes, he comes home bruised and cut by calves that don't want their shots. This summer, he has come home tanned or burned, hot and tired. It takes him a while to cool off once he is home especially if he forgets his sunscreen. As hard as his days can be, there isn't anything I can do to help except be happy to see him when he finally comes home for the night. I may not always show it, but I am.
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