August 4, 1951 – January 17, 2005
Just a Farmer
“Just a farmer” you said
And I laughed cause I knew
All the things that farmers
Must be able to do
They must study the land,
Then watch the sky
And figure just when
Is the right time and why
To sow and to plant
To buy and to sell
To go to the market
With cattle and well’
You know the books
That farmers must keep
To pay all those taxes
And be able to sleep
And you know the fixin’
That farmers must do
When machines like mad monsters
Break a gasket or two
I guess when God needed
Folks to care for his earth
He chose “just farmers”
Cause he knew their true worth
A Farmer’s Creed
I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity and that no calling
bestows this more abundantly than farming.
I believe that farming, despite its hardships and disappointments, is
the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on this earth
I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and
can be learned in no other way.
I believe farming provides education for life and that no other
occupation teaches so much about birth, growth and maturity in such
a variety of ways.
I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free, the splendor
of a sunrise, the rapture of wide open spaces, the exhilarating sight of
your land greening each spring.
I believe true happiness comes from watching your crops ripen in the
field, your children grow tall in the sun, your whole family feel the
pride that springs from their shared experience.
I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking
from it, an honor that does not come to all men.
I believe my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for
my fellowman, and by this standard I fear no judgment.
I believe when a man grows old and sums up his days, he should be
able to stand tan and feel pride in the life he’s lived.
I believe in farming because it makes all this possible.