View from the Cab: Fond memories

By: Kent Casson

Kent with a little help from the family back in the spring of 2020 / CIFN file photo.

Hard to believe more than a year has passed since we were stuck at home with nothing to do other than leave for farming and make an occasional trip to town for errands.

I realize those were crazy times at the start of the pandemic but some of the memories while we were on lockdown will stick with me forever. It was nice having Rebecca and the kids home during spring planting because they could ride in the tractor more than usual.

With homeschooling, everyone was home more and we could all spend quiet time together – something that has changed now that we are getting the busy lifestyle back once again. Don’t get me wrong…it is good to have a sense of normalcy returning to our lives but it sure was nice to get the extra family time in.

I look back on those spring 2020 months with fond memories of playing outside with the family, trying new recipes in the kitchen, playing games on the living room floor and taking lawn mower rides around the yard all while taking care of my son’s new 4-H calves.

Plenty of uncertainty surrounded us last year as we had Lysol and disinfecting wipes for the tractor cab in case the cab space was shared with anyone else and many of us didn’t gather with loved ones for holidays like Easter. No one seemed to know what was safe and what was not.

Those of us working in the agricultural industry may not notice much of a difference between a pandemic year and a normal one since we all just keep farming no matter what type of curve ball is thrown. The social media agricultural campaign of #stillfarming was a very clever one and is still relevant today.

We will still be farming here in 2021 and many years to come. Working out in the field is like therapy – or an escape from this crazy world even if it is only for a few hours at a time. There is no better way to “social distance” than by running the controls of a tractor and planter in the spring.

As of this writing we have not put any seeds in the ground just yet as we have been waiting for soils to warm up and dry out from a recent rain event. Since our area missed the heavy rains, we will be in the field sooner than farmers in other parts of the state. We will plant a few soybeans first since they seem to tolerate less-than-ideal conditions much better than corn.

I wouldn’t be surprised if corn planting is delayed a few more days around here as growers wait for better conditions to put corn in the ground. A few years ago, many of us regretted putting corn in the cold, damp soil.