The Long View

This past week we wrapped up spreading treated dry urea on custom acres. When driving through shoulder high corn one can't be constantly looking back wondering about mistakes. One can't even look down to see if your spreader wheels are still between the rows. One has to look forward as far ahead as possible. And have faith in the long view that your machine is going where your eyes are looking, where your arms are steering, and that your allowances for hill sides and corners are correct.

In the short view, farmers often get up before daylight with the determination and work ethic to get the jobs on the list accomplished, including the unknowns. Their goal however is the long view, looking forward to harvest, which hopefully pays the bills, provides for family, and benefits our communities and our world.

John and his father, BJ, took some time this week to finish pattern tiling one of their farms. The soybean planter is still hooked up, waiting for this project to be completed.

Karl and his daughter Brynn took some time this week to put up field signs on field edges along highways that we had just trimmed up with the batwing and skidloader mowers. Thanks for the picture Karl.

Thursday morning Lucas brought Ben over for a visit. Ben farms in Scotland. He and his wife raise hogs there. He came to America to learn about raising soybeans for a protein feed source. Thanks for the picture Lucas.

Adi and Natalie had an incredible day yesterday with their Pella Christian School clay target  shooting team at the state finals. The short view is I don't make it to enough of my grandkids sporting events. The long view will hopefully show that because of my health and abilities, I can still be an asset on the day to day activities on the farm, helping to allow my kids to be a part of their kids lives, and also to help them be an asset in their schools and churches, where they often volunteer their time. Thanks for the picture BJ.

March/2026 was an incredible warm and dry month. It was a month of opportunities. The first week we remembered and honored my mother who went to Heaven March 3. The second week we switched some soybean acres to corn last minute. A hog finishing company had 500,000 gallon of extra hog manure in 6 pits that needed lowered to make it till fall application. So we hauled and applied spring honey which worked well because of the unusually dry conditions. The third week we leveled off many acres going to corn. And the final week of March we planted corn. Some of that early corn started silking and tasseling yesterday.

The short view here on earth is that it is a blessing to spend time with family. We were invited to join BJ and Cassia's family last week on Father's Day for lunch. The big boots are mine. The little ones are great-granddaughter, Oakley's.

These Sunday morning stories are a 17 year path of events that reflect faith, family, friends, and farming. I occasionally and deservedly get questioned about my motives. I have 3 objectives. To be interesting and from the heart, to be as short as possible, and to point to the faithfulness of my Heavenly Father. I intentionally try to avoid fancy words. My intent is that the young, the simple, and the childlike can understand my thoughts. 

Homesick For Heaven, by Phil Wickham, was released Memorial Day/2025. After a cancer diagnosis last July 2, I thought Heaven might have been sooner rather than later. I'm still here and feeling well. However, unless Jesus comes soon, we will all die. We all need to be ready for the long view. I'd like to wrap up with the song's chorus: "I want to walk with Moses on streets of gold. And dance with David before your throne. To thank you face to face for the grace You've given. (Here's the family long view) I wanna see my children run into your arms, and worship the Savior who wears my scars. There's an ache in my heart. I'm homesick for Heaven".