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by Denny Banister, assistant director of public affairs for the Missouri Farm Bureau
One of our northwest Missouri members, who farms so close to the Iowa border that we almost lost him to the Iowa Farm Bureau, called recently to share his joy – because of the recent storms and accompanying rise in the Missouri River, he and his wife lost most of their corn crop and suffered damage to some of their greenhouses.
No, of course they were not happy to lose their crop and they do not relish cleaning up the mess and repairing their greenhouses – but other events in their lives occurring at the same time of the storms and flood were so joyous, their spirits were not dampened.
Why are they so cheerful and happy? While the storms blew and the river rose, they became grandparents to three beautiful newborn babies. Within three days of each other, one of their daughters delivered Elizabeth Carol, and the other daughter delivered twins John Gabriel and Abigail Louise.
The proud grandfather said the loss of their crop and damage from the storms and flood are "little things compared to the big things" going on in their lives. Mother’s Day 2007 was flooded with joy for this extended farm family.
In my 30 years of working for farmers, I have never ceased to be amazed at the resilience of their breed. I have seen Missouri’s most fertile soil, the river bottoms along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, flooded and covered with sand, yet the farmers clean up and plant again.
I have seen droughts wither crops on a massive scale for multiple succeeding years, only to hear the farmers optimistically talk about next year’s crop. I have seen hailstorms destroy in minutes what was about to be a bountiful harvest after a full season of growth, and yet the farmers refuse to be beaten down.
What is it about these people that makes them so strong and resilient? How can they be joyous when they’ve lost their crop yet again? How can they stand to face destroyed fields, fences, farrowing houses and farmhouses and, after wiping away the tears, get to work on replanting and rebuilding?
I think it is because of the joy they have with life, and the faith that life recreates itself. Every time they plant a seed, they are amazed at the germination that occurs and the beautiful plant that bears fruit. Every time their cows calve and their sows farrow, they witness the birth of new life.
These are people of faith – faith that life, no matter how fragile, is also resilient; faith that what nature destroys, God will recreate; faith that there is meaning in their work far surpassing the money their labors might generate.
Whether it is corn germinating or grandchildren arriving, they are joyous to witness the miracle of life.
(Denny Banister, of Jefferson City, is the assistant director of public affairs for the Missouri Farm Bureau.