Tonya Land – Jackson County, Florida
I read so many of the HarvestHER posts and realize that I have no idea what y’all go through. So I decided to fill in the blanks a bit about what farming in the Panhandle of Florida is like.
Our worlds are so different but, yet, so similar. We all harvest a crop except that it’s a different crop harvested with peanut combines and cotton pickers.
Our year starts in February and yours in May.
The boss has an International combine for the soybeans, a small corn crop and winter oats but I’m not allowed to operate it. Y’all, on the other hand, operate combines (while taking care of children!), cook for an army, run for parts and haul grain to the co-op…all in the same day!
Whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
I do none of that.
For instance, we travel over two counties to about 73 different fields that range in size from 1 acre…yes, I said one acre…to the largest which is 40. All together, they total about 1,500 acres which is split evenly between peanuts, soybeans and cotton. We call it postage stamp farming. And we prepare, plant, spray and harvest all of it. For the most part, it’s just me, my husband, and the boss. We do it all.
Nuts to soup. All 1,500 acres.
We deal with lots of local traffic, incredible heat and humidity in the summer, hurricanes, feral hogs gone wild, herds of deer that will mow down a field of soybeans, two trail dirt roads, sand gnats in the summer and tourists on their way to the beach.
Quite honestly, I’d rather deal with the hogs than the tourists any day.
And then there is the travel issue. We stay put. Y’all are gone from home for months. And from what I can tell, it is in the middle of nowhere. And, of course, it’s all romance to me because I can only imagine what y’all see and do.
And so our differences are a testament to the diversity and challenges farming and harvesting have in different parts of the country.
I know our way of farming is not the same, yet I get the privilege to contribute in some small way and with lots of pride I am happy to call myself a farm worker…and HarvestHER.
As for an update on our progress:
The dryer barn shown has been repaired and the one next to it has been torn down. Two other barns and the catching pens have also been repaired and/or rebuilt (a bit of both on all). Another very large barn is under construction.
Rebuilding has taken a lot longer than anyone anticipated. And frustrating. But we are starting our year out. Dirt is getting prepared, tractors to maintain and tinker with, equipment to pull out and rebuild or replace certain parts.
Our “new normal” is not so different than before. The landscape has certainly changed, but the job has not.
Recovering from a hurricane has been a big learning curve!
And so, as the Midwest continues this year, I pray that there will be patience, understanding and caution in dealing with rebuilding. I believe God has a purpose for everything even though, right now, it might not be so apparent.
I pray for you all.
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