Chuck's Chat-Welcome January 2021

Welcome to January, and goodbye 2020!

As I attempt to assemble thoughts and peer out our east living room windows on this first morning of 2021, I see the pure, white, driven snow falling at about an eighty-degree angle. There’s just enough wind to carry the large flakes a fair distance, and enough to make the current temperature of 34 feel colder than it is. We really haven’t received much snow here along the Northern Sycamore Urban Boundary, with hardly an inch accumulation on the porch railing. Can’t really even call it a blanket, more like a flannel sheet.

Nonetheless, just overnight the outdoors has become somewhat of a winter wonderland. A clean, fresh start to begin the new year. An opportunity to click “pause”, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and then cough because the cold air filled your lungs and now you wonder why you even went outside.

Farmers, ranchers, and stockmen (and women) know all too well this feeling, and in weather much worse than this. Daily chores must be done: put out feed and hay, check water supplies, assess the animals’ condition, clean out feedbunks, and assist with birthing difficulties that never seem to happen when it’s convenient. For some large outfits, this daily routine consumes much of the daylight afforded to them. For others, a couple hours and then on to something else. For many with full time off-farm jobs, these chores are often times completed with headlights, headlamps, and flashlights.

None of them are seeking sympathy, either. It’s a choice they made because of personal, historical, or professional circumstances. I realize there is a fair amount of choir preaching here, but those engaged in agricultural endeavors are aware of the many sacrifices they make just to feed the world, and in turn, hope and pray to be able continue the way of life of their ancestors, and improve it for those to follow.

While the bright, white snow covered landscape may provide a feeling of freshness and renewal, we all know that the same problems, opportunities, and challenges that we faced yesterday are still there today. The difference, however, lies in the ways and means by which we approach them. Let’s all take that deep breath of crisp, fresh air together, and use it to our benefit. Fill your lungs with cleanliness and let goodness flow from your hearts. May we exhale the prejudice, the hate, and the injustice we have held in for whatever the reason. Let’s all do our part to see that this coming year is a year to remember, but unlike the one we just endured.

Here's to a healthy and prosperous new year!

Until next month,

Chuck Voelker