Pasture to Pen

REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- "And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, 'I need a caretaker.' So God made a farmer."

Throughout Paul Harvey's well-known "So God Made a Farmer" speech, he talks about the resiliency and grit of the farmer -- characteristics I've always connected to the farmer and rancher. Currently in much of cattle country, it is calving season. On our farm that means checks 24 hours per day regardless of the weather. When Mother Nature isn't cooperating, it can be even more trying.

We choose to calve when it can be very cold or blizzard-like conditions, although those kinds of conditions can occur from November to April in Iowa. This winter and spring have been very up and down when it comes to weather. We had snowstorms in December, 70 degrees Fahrenheit in January, thunderstorms in February, and another snowstorm last weekend. We just have to be prepared for anything.

But even the best preparation can't always help when dealing with bad weather or other catastrophes like tornadoes or wildfires. I have close friends in Kansas who in the past couple years have seen their entire ranches destroyed by wildfires, an unimaginable disaster.

Today, four different fires are still blazing in Nebraska. The weather conditions did not help slow them down over the weekend, but it does seem containment is closer. Since it is calving season, most Nebraska cows are not out on that rangeland yet and hopefully that will keep animal loss to a minimum; but those cattle still need summer grass. These people still need feed for the animals, new fences, rain, and mostly our prayers.

Yes, livestock folks are resilient and have grit, but we still need to be checked on. Farming is a high stress job. Weather, natural disaster, health concerns, and finances can cause the type of anxiety that even resilience and strength cannot prevent.

The part of Paul Harvey's well-known piece that really hits me the hardest is when he said, "God said, I need somebody to sit up all night with a newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say maybe next year." It may be calves here, or lambs, or piglets, or in fact, colts on other farms. When things don't go as planned, even when we've tried everything, we continue to say maybe next year.

Say a prayer for our farmers and ranchers. It's a tough profession and it's a noble one.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal

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