My father died last week. He was 90 years old and farmed his entire life.

I have been reflecting on what it means to be a farmer and their impact on all of us. And the memories were bright and fresh as I wrote the following.

There is No Farm Without a Farmer

A tangle of weeds and grass in dirt

Without a farmer tilling the land

Untamed trees and bushes

Without a farmer’s hands tending crops

Empty grocery store shelves

Without a farmer rising early to milk the cows

Callused farmer hands holding coffee hot

Sunrise to start and after sunset farmers stop

Rain will fall, seeds will grow

Too much or too little brings sorrow

Prayer and hard work and more tomorrow

A bountiful harvest is the hope

Corn, soybeans, and wheat in rows

Cattle, hogs, and chickens behind fences

Dirty work boots, jeans mended, and t-shirts sweat through

We honor heroes like solders that fight

Looking up to doctors, lawyers, and the like

Sports in the spotlight our children watch closely

And yet farmers create the foundation of life

Farm equipment failing and fixed by flashlight

The parts, oil, and diesel fuel

The hope and risk in each season

Hot summer days and freezing winter dawns

We forget the nourishment provided by farms

Farmers grow old and pass in the end

God’s hand held out to welcome them home

Their family, land and legacy still stand

There is no farm without a farmer

Heros come and heroes go

Thank you, farmer, as you journey home

To rest and smile in heaven looking down

Your love of family, land, and life remains

There is no you or me without a farmer

(Written by Denise Liebetrau and inspired by her father, Francis Vering)