Adventures in Farming

I mentioned in our bible class on Wednesday night that I appreciated when God held my feet to the fire, for this is when I knew for sure that he was working in my life and making me a better person. I knew I shouldn't have said it out loud because now I am in the midst of the fire. I do appreciate God working in my life, I wish sometimes, however, that growth was not so painful.

I knew when Rodney and I decided to become farmers, that our lives wouldn't be a walk in the park. I anticipated challenges, craving the excitement and progress that they would bring. The trials of farming have brought forth an abundance of spiritual maturity and knowledge and for this I am thankful. 

Right now, we are faced with several obstacles that seem insurmountable. I guess that they each individually aren't that great an ordeal, but they have all happened at once making them seem very great indeed. We bought a bull a few months ago for a hefty price who is now in the corral with an injury to his most important part. I never thought I would be so concerned about the anatomy of a bull, but I've actually been praying for the health of a bulls pee pee. 

I'm sure I don't even have to mention how the price of fuel is affecting us, as I know it is for us all. Being farmers and depending on diesel to get our hay harvested, the tremendous rise in the price of diesel has brought with it a great burden. We cut our first field of hay for the season just this week, having to buy a fuel pump for the tractor in the process, and then having the rains fall upon the freshly cut grass. The weather is not co-operating with us at all. The air is heavy and damp this morning, not a great environment for curing hay. 

Then yesterday, the biggest obstacle so far hit. Our latest batch of chickens has contracted enteritis and they are dying. The mortality went from about 20-30 in each house one day, to 65-120 the next. These are "organic" birds and are not able to be medicated so we will just loose what we loose. Last time this happened, we were picking up over 300 a house before it got better. I just now got a call from Rodney and the #1 house mortality was 170. I'm going to put on my boots and get down there to help. I guess I'll be praying for chickens now too. If you feel like you can fit in a prayer for 100,000 + chickens, and the people caring for them, please give it a whirl.