Seeds

It’s amazing what each new morning reveals. My morning trek today yielded a mini-adventure into the world of seeds. This jaunt was like any other when I started but progressively caused me to hyper focus on tiny seeds (which I am prone to do when I am not “busy” daydreaming). My odyssey started by walking by my neighbor’s field ripe with what I guessed was winter wheat (later confirmed to be winter barley). In this case, my background as a “town kid” is a handicap. The heads of grain on the stalks are heavy and will soon be harvested. Some are already on the ground from a recent thunderstorm. As I stare at the heads of grain, I am so amazed at the yield that I counted the kernels of grain on one head-67 in 6 neat rows to be exact. All of this produced from just one seed.
As I walk on, I am amazed how many different types of seeds I find. Many have just lost their colorful floral plumage and are ready to start a reproductive or epicurean journey. There are mustard seeds, red clover seeds, buckhorn weed seeds, many delicate grass type seeds, and even some cat o’ nine tail seeds in a marshy area. I found a wild chive plant going to seed along with dandelions with too many “parachute” laden seeds to begin to count. Seeds are everywhere but seldom noticed.
As I turn to trudge back home, I stop again on the edge of the barley field. I stare at the millions of heads of almost golden grain swaying softly in the sunlight. It was going to be a good harvest for my area-possibly 70-80 bushels of grain from each area the size of my lawn. That is impressive. However I found out that harvests of up to 150-200 bushels of other grain per acre used to be possible in some of the most fertile soil in our county. (Unfortunately those fields are now permanently “planted” with huge warehouse facilities instead of crops.) This particular barley crop was planted after the potato harvest last fall. It is in a field where it was calculated to successfully endure harsh winter weather and thus increase yields. The resulting harvest will be much more than the barley planted later in the spring which yields only about 60 bushels to an acre. This particular crop will soon be used to feed growing steers because the wheat is so rich that it gives them stomach problems. (Possibly Tums for cows?)
As I think about these crops and smell the richness of this setting, my mind races. I realize that the sowing and reaping cycles have prospered for thousands of years. My friend and neighbor (and his family) who farms this field are very good stewards of the land, the knowledge they’ve inherited, and the opportunities they’re given. Weekly paychecks are something they’ve only heard exist. They invest as much as 60% of the proceeds from their crop into fertilizer and other necessities. They often toil from sunup to sundown. They sow 3 bushels of seed into each properly prepared acre of soil. It is a joy to see the harvest that their investment, toil, and faith will soon yield. They didn’t do it to just get their three bushels back from each acre. In fact their family’s wellbeing has depended for generations on the faith that they would be rewarded with harvests similar to those 70-80 bushel an acre yields. Even though most of us are not privileged to the toils and joys of farming, do we not depend on the same provider? Prepare the “soil” that’s been given to you today and try sowing a few seeds. There are rewards. It’s an eternal law proven over generations.