I began my full time career in agriculture 3 weeks ago but yet I’ve been surrounded by agriculture my whole life. My name is Audrey Luse and I graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Agronomy earlier this month. For me, this spring will be a memorable one as it starts the rest of my life, but for many farmers this will be a spring to remember for a long list of other reasons.

This season has just felt different in a lot of ways. The sunshine hasn’t been out near as many days as you’d hope for this late in the year. The rain continues to come day by day which makes for the most unique part of it all; no field work. Anywhere I drive, the only crop I see is what is leftover from the year before. My mom, a crop insurance agent, has begun to prepare us for what could be the case for this year, a possibility of prevent plant. The prices for corn and beans continually hit bottoms we haven’t seen in a long time. Farmers spirits are down and as much as some try to stay positive, it becomes harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

All this gloom and doom got me thinking about why we farm. If you would ask around, the answer probably wouldn’t be because it is a steady, safe job or that it’s a get rich quick fix either. It is easy to get caught up in all that’s wrong but could we remember why we do this job in the first place? This industry is one of the toughest, most intelligent, yet gracious, in the world. Agriculture is made up of men, women, children, grandparents, siblings, and friends, that feel like family. The work is hard but it is the best kind there is. For so many families, planting their crop isn’t just a paycheck but a legacy. It goes back to when their grandfather planted 50 years ago and can still tell you the clay knobs of that particular field you’re headed to. There are good days and there are bad days but what they amount to make the difference. Farming is learning, innovating, celebrating, but most importantly, it is a way of living. Every form of agriculture revolves around the work of the Lord. The very act of sowing seed in the ground and praying that it comes up is an act of faith. The conditions vary day to day and certain years are harder than others but the Lord is faithful. He has provided before, He is providing today, and He will provide for the years to come.

I feel privileged to get to do this job for a living. Granted, I may not have as many years of experience as the one reading this, but I know the heart for this job doesn’t fade with time. Whether you are a machinery tech, agronomist, seed/fertilizer dealer, farmer, or in another field of work that contributes to agriculture, we are the most blessed people in the world to get to do what we do, even on a bad day.

I just wanted to leave you with a bit of a pep talk today. Be encouraged that this growing season will be what it is supposed to be.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”

Psalm 24:1