Farming Olympics

The sun is out and the wonderful spring weather is here! Farmers are back in the field and

the craziness of spring has started. The countless parts runs, moving equipment, giving rides, hauling anhydrous tanks, filling seed tenders, and many snack runs have begun. What also has begun is the competition of firsts with farmers. The farmers have started their engines and the race of 2023 crop season has begun as the flag dropped to begin the madness of another spring season.

Over the years I have come to learn that farmers are extremely competitive and that the

game of farming is just like an Olympic sport. Let me tell you that every farmer is after that gold medal bumper crop. Just like in the Olympics there are different events. In farming there are different events too! We have planting, spraying, putting on anhydrous, harvesting, and much more. Each event farmers are racing each other to get into the fields first and especially finish first as well. We have all heard a farmer say, “Did you see so and so is in the fields already” and once they hear that they immediately hussle home and get to work because they always think they are behind even if they are first. Just like in the Olympics too, sometimes you see injuries in farming. That happens when something breaks down and the recovery period is how long it takes to go to town, get the part and fix the problem as good as new. Sometimes these recovery periods call for some quick medicine and for me that is stopping to get ice cream on the way home of the parts run.

I have also come to learn while in college this crazy Olympic Games of farming continues, but it is a little different because we are all away from our home farms. Each college kid is like a country competing against others. However our countries are the regions from Iowa.

Our Eastern part is up against the rest and not to sound cocky, but I think we are the best! Each day everyone gives updates on how their region is doing. These updates consist of weather reports, who are all in the fields, how the ground is, and more.

Everyone is competing and racing, but the wonderful part about farmers is that at the end

of the day they all work together. We all are racing together to feed the world! Every farmer

deserves a gold medal for that! Have a great spring! ~ Kesley Holdgrafer