He sifts the soil through his fingers, savoring its richness, feeling its warmth. The soil is ready for a new season of rain and sunshine; it waits for the man to sow the grain in warm May breezes. He is a man of the earth, a lover of soil. This man is a farmer.
Always Family Season: Dedicated to Farmer Fathers
Beth Elhard • Jun 16, 2022
Beth Elhard reflects on what it means to be a father who’s also a farmer
“The ones who not only feed our bodies, but our souls.”
In farming families, family life and work life are interwoven. With father’s day approaching, I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a father who’s a farmer.
This one I dedicate to the farmer fathers on Father’s Day, the ones who not only feed our bodies, but our souls.
The changing seasons of a farmer…
Seeding time:
Calving season:
In the dim light of the barn, a smile crosses his weary face while his blood-stained hands tenderly hold a quivering newborn calf. Dawn is streaking across the sky as he closes the barn door and walks back to the house. Another day has begun.
Repair time:
His grease-stained fingers clasp a wrench as he repairs a tractor. He dons a mask and welds the broken pieces together. A mechanic and a welder, just part of his job.
Fencing time:
Sweat drips off his brow as his broad shoulders swing a heavy sledgehammer, pounding a post deep into the ground. He drops the sledge and picks up a water jug lying in the grass, drinking deep. Hot hard work in the heat of the day.
Haying season:
To the west his cattle graze quietly, and in the distance, he can see his home. His little child is asleep beside him in the buddy seat of the baler. The hay crop is abundant this year; the rain and the sun have done their job well. The cattle will be well fed in the long winter months ahead. The big round bales drop along the swaths. He looks over to the next field and watches as his wife makes another round with the other baler.
Harvest time:
He sits beside the combine, dusty and weary, eating his supper while a September breeze ruffles through the swath. He smiles as his kids race through the crop. Grain, hard and shiny wait in the hopper. The man looks at the sky and wonders about the weather. Rain has been forecast, but the sky is clear, promising a nice day. Harvest is a race against time for the producer of food.
Market time:
His jawline is tense, betraying his nervousness as he watches the group of animals in the sales ring. His animals, some that he has delivered; his animals for which he has worked long tiresome hours. He has ground their grain, fed them through rainstorms and blizzards, moved them from pasture to pasture, to bring them large and healthy to this sale today.
Wintertime:
A blizzard has struck. Snow and strong north winds have caused the temperature to plummet. The farmer is out on the tractor feeding and bedding the animals; the icy cold seeping through his parka as it slowly covers with snow. A chill sweeps through the room when he opens the door. Then, feet on the register and a cup of hot coffee in hand he starts to warm up.
All year round...
Playing hockey, curling, snowmobiling. Camping, golfing, or playing ball. At the local coffee shop sharing stories, involved in the community. Coaching, volunteering at Casinos and fundraisers. Community and leisure time.
A man who spends quality time during the changing seasons with his children. A man who helps make supper, changes the baby’s diaper, and explains to his son how the baler runs.
On a snowmobile pulling a toboggan with two rosy-cheeked children behind. A sand castle on a beach. Working with 4-H calves. A picnic at the campgrounds. A grandfather with a grandson riding beside him watching the bales roll out.
Always family season.
Always a farmer.
Happy Father’s Day!
- Beth
Elhard family photo courtesy of Beth Elhard
About Beth:
Beth Elhard is a writer, farmer’s wife, mother and grandmother of five grandsons, and was a school librarian for eighteen years. She is an avid reader, church and choir member, volunteer, sports fan, aqua sizer, exerciser (not so much) and believes in giving back to her community. She enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Born (1941) and raised in Castor, Alberta, she and her husband Richard lived on the farm for thirty years and have lived in Castor for twenty-six years. Beth says, “We have had the best of both worlds – rural and urban.”
Beth’s column, “Wildoats and Roses,” was published regularly in Grainews and The Castor Advance. She was the editor of Castor’s history book, Beaver Tales from Castor & District, in 2012.
