My first year on the farm
It’s hard to believe it has been one year since I started my journey with G Farms. I have learned and grown so much this past year. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined that I would want to farm for a living. I truly cannot imagine doing anything else. I’m constantly wanting to learn something new, break a sweat and get my hands dirty. I have been bitten by the country bug and for that there is no antidote. If you think about it, it must be some sort of sickness to want to wake up at 4:30AM to gear up for our deliveries. What kind of person actually wants to cut and rake hay when its triple digits outside? ME! I do! It’s much cheaper than going to therapy. I say that half-jokingly. You can really clear your head out in a hay field (although I’d rather clear my head riding horseback).
I have been challenged in my thought process like never before through the reading of multiple books. I have set and reached goals I never thought were possible. I can honestly say I am not the same person I was when I started a year ago. I have smoothed out a lot of rough edges and grown tremendously in my self- confidence. Last year I was completely afraid to try new things. I was afraid of failure. Today, I’m more afraid of not trying. I would rather try and fail than have never sought out something new.
My journey has not been without a few uh-oh’s along the way. Looking back I can laugh at a few of them. When you put a city girl in a tractor it’s only a matter of time for her to learn:
That the tractor can take out just about anything.
Always gear down when turning the cutter around a tree. Barb wire and the cutter are not friends.
Sometimes the barb wire will hide in thick hay; always check your fences to make sure it hasn’t rolled out into the pasture when the fence is not completed.
Sit on your hand in order to learn not to reach and pull the lever to open the baler before the buzzer tells you to.
If you do open the baler before its time you will end up having hay in places that you never thought was imaginable.
OFF works wonders when a yellow jacket is trapped in the cabin of the tractor.
When spraying the yellow jacket it is wise to stop the tractor first.
Always keep Benadryl handy when you are allergic to everything in Texas.
If you run up on an old cutter in thick hay taller than your 5’1 self, cinder blocks or other heavy metal objects it will most likely put the cutter out of commission for several weeks.
I look forward to see what this next year holds for myself and G Farms. I expect great things to happen. Cheers to taking chances, trying new things and learning along the way.