View from the Cab: These boots were made for...

By: Kent Casson

These boots were made for farming and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these boots are going to wear out, too.

Move over Nancy Sinatra…there’s a new singer in town! I couldn’t help but think of that classic 1960s tune as I was staring at my old work boots the other day when we were winding down harvest.

You should all be lucky this is print media and not on the radio as you don’t have to hear me sing those words, though the tune may be stuck in your head now.

The old boots were definitely made for walking along with driving tractors, trucking, doing calf chores during the summer and mowing to name a few. The laces may be gone but don’t worry, they’ve been replaced by Gorilla tape which is as tough as nails. Heck, I don’t even have to lace them up when heading out anymore. It reminds me of the Velcro era of the 1980s.

I’ve tried going back to wearing my old tennis shoes when farming but they just aren’t the same. Plus, they lack the steel toes and get mighty damp inside on those wet mornings walking across the field.

I even get a few stares now and then when wearing the infamous farm boots. Perhaps others are gazing at them with admiration or just thinking to themselves, “What is he doing?” Well, the boots have been with me through the good times and bad and it’s kind of hard to part with something like that.

These boots planted and harvested many crops and even harvested a few memories along the way. They were around when my two youngest children were born and when we said goodbye to loved ones. They were there to help our little ones up the tractor steps to ride along with their dad.

The boots witnessed my son’s first year in 4-H when we took on the responsibility of raising livestock on our farm for a summer project. This wasn’t just any year – it was the summer of a pandemic which meant virtual livestock shows out in the yard. This makes me smile just thinking about it. Rebecca was recording the cell phone video as Kasen led his calf and I was off in the distance bribing it with a chunk of hay.

We often hear the phrase, “if walls could talk” but I often wonder if boots could talk, what stories they could tell. They don’t have to imagine what it’s like to walk a mile in someone’s shoes because they are actually doing it.

As Nancy sang, “Are you ready boots? Start walking.”