Sunday, June 29, 2025

Summer In America

Summer is long days, heat, events, freedom for school kids, ball games, vacations, and small town get-togethers. Summer is when families take time to be families. And community folks enjoy each others company. Thanks for the picture Lyndsay.

 

So is life still happening on the farm? Of course. There are weeds to kill, grass to mow, some grain to haul, hay to put up, shop work, ponds to build, a little leftover tiling, and as per the picture below, a little hog work. However I'm going to share about summer events this morning. Thanks for the picture Karl.


Jan and I spent last weekend enjoying a Christian outdoor concert called Risefest in Sheldon, Iowa.

Have you ever been tempted to tell someone what you really think when they are inconsiderate? Ten times out of ten you'll be grateful you kept your mouth in neutral. This situation at Risefest resolved itself after a time.

Remembering last week's events would be incomplete without mentioning America helping out Israel. After visiting Israel in 2019, we have a number of friends there. Iran used to be called Persia in Bible times. And did not become an extreme radical nation until 1979.

Last Sunday afternoon I stopped by Howard Jr's 70th birthday party at the fairgrounds. Jr farmed for 30 years. He also poured concrete and enjoying racing stock cars. During Covid he had a debilitating stroke that caused severe issues with speech and physical activities. Thanks for the friendship Howard.

Karl and I attended a regional meeting in Colfax Monday. We got caught up on Becks current season and looked forward to what's coming in 2026.

On Tuesday evening we had a Family Leader board and executive staff meeting at our new facility near Bondurant. One of our many agenda items was the Family Leadership Summit on July 11. The Family Leader's goal is to empower the Church at the intersection of faith, family, and government. We don't ask churches to get political. However churches have a Biblical mandate to engage in transforming our culture.

Karl and his son Malaki loaded 15 loads of hogs on a warm week. We were also blessed with rain showers 4 days this past week. Our corn is just starting to tassel.

Last evening we attended the Pella Christian Fun Shoot. Granddaughter Rachel won the Mom's competition. Thanks for the picture Cassia.

Mark, Elijah, and Anton went to Nebraska and competed in a motorcross event. Sounds like they did well. Thanks for the picture Mark.

Grandson Ethan entered he and his Dad's semi at the truck show at the Oskaloosa Fairgrounds this weekend. Kurt, Emily, Kristin, and Linda served wood-fired pizzas at the event.

Mike and Cody enjoyed time together last week. We look forward to Cody and Tori's wedding in Mitchell, SD on July 19. Thanks for the picture Suzanne.

Attention Boender cousins and families: Don't forget Saturday afternoon, July 5, here at our farm. Some of our kids will be grilling burgers and brats for us later in the day. It will be a great time remembering the funny stories about our older generation. We will also be blessed to remember how faithful God has been to our family.
















Friday, June 20, 2025

People First

Saying people first is easy. What makes a family or business distinctively different is actually accomplishing that goal. People work with people. Leadership and help alike need to create a culture where folks are treated as friends.


So what happens on a farm when things slow down some in the summer months? Folks often hear me tell them that it's summer time and there is less need to push. We still need to be productive. We need to keep our farms and equipment neat and repaired. We need to take the time to be neighborly, helping others. We need to be grateful, for each other and our growing crop. We need to plan for harvest, just over two months away. We need to be humble enough to admit failure and accept change if there is a better way.

Farming is where the action happens and we need to have fun while working. BJ and Cassia's farmstead welcomed a baby donkey this past week. You've often read stories about our kids. Probably more than they care for. This week I'd like to mention and publicly thank our hired helpers.

Jim has been helping us since 2016. He and his wife Barb live in Beacon where Jim was mayor for 6 years. He can build or fix anything he is asked to do. We both enjoy telling the younger crew how things were in the older days.

Alex has worked for us for close to 20 yrs. He is in charge of soybean planting, most dry spreading, and a major part of NH3 application. He does anything else he is asked to do. Alex and his fiancé Alexis are planning a wedding.

Kasey has worked for us a couple of different times. He runs our 612R sprayer just about 100% of the time doing a fair amount of custom spraying. Kasey likes to get a ton of work done and sometimes has to be encouraged to call it a day. He and Sydnie live in Albia with their two children, Preslie and Lane.

Dean is helping us after working at Drost and Van Wall Equipment for 42 years. He, Jim, and I are all close to the same age. He is one of the best mechanics in southern Iowa on both square and round balers, planters, combines, and about anything else he is asked to fix. He also helps a few others when time allows. He and Konnie live east of Oskaloosa.

That just leaves our part time help. Linda, Pablo, Jon, and Matt. Linda does our books in the mornings. Pablo trucks and cleans equipment when he isn't working at Cargill. Jon helps truck mostly in the fall. And Matt can do about anything including our heating and cooling needs. He is also a good organizer. We also have a couple of helpers that trade help for equipment use.

We have grandkids ranging from 4 to 21 yrs. old that help. Some help Grandpa. Some help their Dads. Some have their own rented acres. What a blessing to watch them together learning work ethic, responsibility, values, and caring about each other.

Family and helpers alike deserve a fair return on their efforts. Their hours need to be flexible for their own endeavors as well as family responsibilities. They need to know we're all here to help should there be a need. They need to be given and taught leadership and direction for those not making their own plan. But most of all they need to feel appreciated.
The H Farmall we have talked about before is running like a top. What's it's purpose? I have no idea.

Late Monday afternoon after grandkids, Jan said she was going to mow yard awhile and then pit cherries. So I told her I'd start pitting. I googled pitting cherries with no luck. But before long I was figuring it out. When she got in we worked together and canned 15 qt of ice cream cherry sauce. When I brought them to the basement fruit room I counted around 250 jars of canned fruit, pickles, and sauces. The extra vegetables get frozen in quart bags.

So I'm just a southeast Iowa farm kid that was able to live his dream of helping feed the world. God has allowed me to have a wonderful wife, six great children, many grandkids, and two great-grandchildren so far. This kid is turning 69 yrs old the day after tomorrow. This kid is still a work in progress. And whatever abilities and accomplishments are only by the grace of God. Thanks for the visit. Thanks for the picture Jon.














Sunday, June 15, 2025

A Full Quiver

What does Solomon mean in Psalms 127 by a father being blessed with a full quiver? He is valuing family as a source of strength and a blessing from God.
Last Sunday we attended Oakley's 1st birthday get-together at her parent's (Gideon and Emily) place northwest of Sully. Gideon is BJ and Cassia's oldest. BJ is our 3rd child.

This is one of the last times my father visited our farm office. In late 2020 he is enjoying two of his favorite things, coffee, and his great-grandchildren. Since I'm the oldest of 6 children, Dad was strict. However as I see the demonstrations in our cities around the country this past week, I'm blessed and thankful he taught me right from wrong.

                              

There were five things I'm thinking about this morning my father gave me; (1)Brothers and sisters. Because of all the responsibility he gave me he (2)taught me to work. When I found my boss dead of a heart attack as a 11th grader, and Walter's children offered to rent me the farm, Dad gave me the (3)opportunity to rent the farm. Dad left the next generation a (4)good reputation. He gave me the (5)love of farming.

Farmers don't get stressed out by what they do. Farmers get stressed out because they forget their passion and purpose in doing it. Farming is not a job. It's a lifestyle that requires faith in planning, in planting, in weather, in marketing. In Ecclesiastes 11:4 Solomon says, "Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud they never harvest".
I read this past week that only 12% of farms make it to the 3rd generation. And only 3% make it to the fourth generation.

Mike and Mark worked together some this past week on building a pond north of here a ways. Thanks for the picture Mark.

Kurt and Emily were invited again to serve pizzas out of their wood-fired pizza trailer at Friday after Five in the Oskaloosa square. Jan is visiting with her highschool classmates from the Class of 73.

Do any of you locally here remember the tabernacle barn that sits on the old Vernard College campus grounds? Thursday evening Jan and I attended a camp meeting service the Iowa Holiness Association was holding there.

We started this morning with Solomon valuing family as a source of strength and a blessing. We get to enjoy both. On Mondays Jan still gets as many grandkids as are available to play together and help Grandma. I've been asking for grandkid help on Saturdays. Cousins get to work together on projects. It's a joy to see the older ones showing and helping their younger siblings and cousins. Yesterday I asked that they wash each other's vehicles as an act of service and caring.

Last evening Mike and Suzanne asked Jan and I out for supper at Hu Hot. It's a Mongolian grill in West Des Moines where you go through a salad bar type of thing, pick out your ingredients, and then watch them grill your meal. Thanks Mike and Suzanne.

As an earthly father I'm a cracked pot, meaning I've fell and been broken many times. However God has and is using this broken vessel. And with His light shining in my heart, the cracks have become who I am. And God can even use cracked pots to light the way for others.

Somewhere in the Bible it talks about flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, an analogy of our lives here on earth. When we're gone there is one thing we leave, a reputation whether good or bad. And one thing we take with us, our full quiver. Somewhere else in the Bible it says, "There is no greater joy than that your children (and grandchildren) love the Lord".












Sunday, June 8, 2025

Heroes Kneel

What does a hero look like? Is it someone with significance? How about status and success? Or lots of drive? Actually a hero is some who takes a risk for the greater good of others, expecting nothing in return.


I read a book earlier this year called Heroes Kneel. In it, Alex, the author, unpacks God's concept of a hero and what it takes to live like one.


Last Sunday evening we celebrated Amelia and Tysen getting engaged. Mark and Stacy are Amelia's folks. Randy and Jodi are Tysen's parents.

A little Dutch Bingo for readers my age. Ed and Judy are Jodi's parents. Bev and Dennis are Randy's. Then Tysen and Amelia. Jan and I are Mark's folks. And Sandy and Fred are Stacy's. 4 sets of grandparents. Thanks for the picture Bev.

Adi did a great job shooting at State Trap in Cedar Falls yesterday. In one of her sets she shot a perfect 25 out of 25. Adi's parents are BJ and Cassia. Claire's parents are Doug and Angie.

We are blessed to have a chiropractor that makes house calls. In the summer months Dr. Mark brings his table to our farm shop twice a month and adjusts whoever is available. Then Jan fixes lunch for the whole crew. 

In the old days my parents talked about how life was just getting faster and faster. Things haven't changed. We're busy. Our kids are busier. And now our older grandkids "burn the candle at both ends" as my folks used to say. Ethan is volunteering his time and their family's truck last Saturday evening. Thanks for the picture Ethan.

This past week we finished spreading treated urea (extra N) on some of our corn acres. We're finding out some seed varieties make good use of extra N, while others are fine without it. While spraying soybeans 2nd pass with Enlist and Liberty need "banker's hours" for killing weeds effectively, dry spreading N can happen anytime as long as the corn leaves are dry. So below, I'm doing 2nd shift late one evening.

Maybe you've seen a few neon green corn leaves before in knee high corn. It's called Sudden Growth Syndrome. And it happens when corn is growing fast. Sunlight and photosynthesis soon fix it.

Our last story is about a hero in the midst of grief. Below Mike and Suzanne's Cody is with his Dordt University fellow football players and roommates. About a week ago Liam, the big fellow to Cody's right, was seriously injured in a work related accident less than a month after walking across the graduation stage. It was soon evident the family had to make a tough choice since there was no earthly hope of living without a ventilator. So this past Wednesday morning there was what was called a "heroes walk", where Liam was taken from his hospital room to the surgery ward where Liam's family agreed to have their son's organs donated, saving several other recipients lives. Around 100 family and friends, including Cody, lined the hall from the hospital room to the surgery ward. Thanks for permission to share this story of a hero's family Cody. Thanks for the picture Mike.

Who is your hero? When picking this morning's title, I tried heroes earn, heroes care, heroes help, even heroes serve. But none of those adjectives described the bending of our strength before the living God, submitting that everything we do and accomplish comes from Him. Blessings. Let's visit again next week on Father's Day.











Sunday, June 1, 2025

But Take Heart

We were told 2000 years ago that we would have troubles in this world. Little gnats constantly swam and bite when we're outside. There are always weeds to get out of crops, ditches, pastures, and gardens. No-till soybeans are slow with some even needing replanted. There are disagreements in schools, the workplace, and even at church. Equipment breaks down and needs repair. Folks get sick.


Seven young men helped Jan and I yesterday solve just a few troubles. We pulled out a 1946 H Farmall that had been sitting in the corner of the machine shed for 15 years. We swept and organized the shop. We changed oil in Jan's pickup. We mowed very dusty yards. Below is an IH 856, my first tractor, an International 1066, my second tractor, and BJ's International 1486. These were the "Big dogs" from 1969 to 1981.

This picture tells a dozen stories. Jan allowed our kids to get dirty and help their Dad. Equipment broke down back then too. The 1980s had plenty of troubles of it's own. Mike, Mark, BJ, and Becky are helping their father overhaul a motor in a 1979 Chevy Silverado.

Attention Cousins: Last week I told you the wrong date for our Cousin's reunion. But take heart. This week I have the correct date. It's Saturday afternoon and evening, July 5, here at our farm. I'm guessing this picture was taken in 1962 in the basement at Osky 1 CRC. It's Grandpa, Grandma, and their 10 married children and families. By the sober looks on all these faces, the 1960s must have troubles as well. 😊 I'm the little guy on the left end of the front row. Cousins and families, please join us. I have stories, and I can't wait for yours.

I enjoy seeing folks that have tree-free fences and weed-free road ditches. So I spend time every summer spraying and mowing. Back in the old days children were sent out with spades to cut sour-docks out of ditches and throw them on the road. 

On Friday afternoon I sprayed 2nd pass corn on BJs Edgren bottom. The corn rows are just closing on the early planted corn. This shades between the rows and weeds slow down their growth because of no sunlight. In farming we call this canopy.

Mike just finished a pond for Brian and Kristin southwest of Eddyville, moved his dozer to Lynnville, and is starting another one. Thanks for the picture Mike.

Kurt and Emily were invited to serve wood-fired pizzas at the Friday After Five event on the Oskaloosa square.

In a world of troubles you do your best to live a life of faith, family, and values, in a world that's focused on status, success, and self.

After lunch yesterday our helpers looked at picture books of the old days. My goal is to help them and others see their clarity of purpose (God's plan for them) in history (His-story).

On the night before He died Jesus told His helpers, "In this world you will have troubles. But take heart, I have overcome the world". John 16:33. Three days later Jesus rose from the grave and His disciples finally understood and spent the rest of their lives sharing with others how Jesus overcame this world.
So how do we take heart in a world of troubles? We rest. We spend time with the Lord. And then we become productive to the best of our abilities. Welcome to June/2025.