I love old barns, don't you? These are all pictures of barns we saw on our recent trip up the coast of Lake Michigan. I love to think about the families who built these impressive structures, undoubtedly sacrificing and doing without in order to afford them.
Isn't it sad that so many are crumbling to the ground now because of neglect? It makes me a little weepy.
Another thing is making me feel like crying this morning.
People, we are burning up out here. The drought is unbelievably severe and it is taking its toll on the prairie. I don't even remember the last time we had any measurable rain, and we have day, after day, after day of scorching temperatures. Yesterday, it was 108 degrees.
Our corn looks like it should at the end of September except there is nothing to harvest.
Our beans are struggling to put on a pod and even trying to fill. The will to reproduce is amazing.
Our trees are losing leaves and we worry how many will still be alive next spring.
Thank goodness most farmers purchased at least some federal crop insurance, which will help cover some of the enormous expense of putting out a crop. Profits will more than likely be nonexistent. Some farmers will probably have to go out of business.
Our small farm communities will suffer and the ripple effect will be great. If you are a small business owner, you understand how that works.
Your food prices will rise, and the news media is starting to make a big deal out of that. And they should.
But when you go to the grocery to purchase your cereal and milk and bread and bacon, please say a little pray for the farmer and his family who are wondering if they will still be in business next year.
Hugs,
Linking up to....
I hear ya Susan. We're burning up at the farm here in Missouri too. It makes me so sad to see all of the surrounding farms struggling. I say a prayer for them everyday. 103 here yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely been praying for the farmers. We have been lucky to have had some nice rain up here in Michigan...every little bit helps.
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
It's been such a hard growing year. I hope rain and cooler temperatures will come so that you'll at least have a small harvest.
ReplyDeleteThis is devastating news - we so need our small farms. Have heard the media starting to cover rising food prices and in fact am already noticing fresh vegs. and fruit prices increasing. Farming is a hard life and we shouldn't take all you do for us for granted. There is no future if the food supply runs out!
ReplyDeleteWe're back in triple digits too - much too to.
Hang in there Susan - I'm praying for rain and cool to soon arrive your way.
Hugs - Mary
Hi Susan!
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad about the pretty old barns and the fields, etc.
Worry of course won't do a thing and I'm not going to...but will pray for rain! It has rained quite a bit here, surprisingly...after many weeks of dry. Soybeans have some hope but corn was a goner.
Hi Susan :-)
ReplyDeleteYes the heat has been devastating on the farms and my heart breaks for the farmers that are loosing their crops. As always the news media strikes panic and fear in everyone, but you are right, people need to be informed. I will be praying for rain and for the farmers crops.
You have a lovely blog and enjoy reading the posts :-)
Wow, Susan, this is a bleak and heavy-hearted report. We have good friends who run a dairy farm and grow corn and soybeans, and they are dancing for joy anytime a drop of rain falls from the sky, which is rare this summer. Keep clinging to God. I'm praying for you.
ReplyDeleteSusan- On the East side of WI it has been terrible, too. However, we got rain last night and some today but I fear it is too little, too late; but we will take what we can get.
ReplyDeleteI love those old barns, too, and find it sad to see them falling into disrepair and falling down- xo Diana
Thank you for writing this, Susan. My heart goes out to all farmers. You are right to speak as you do--many of us will complain about high food prices, and we need to realize that those high prices represent farmers and farmers' families who have gone through really tough times. Thank you for all you do--I join you in praying for much-needed rain.
ReplyDeleteSusan,
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad. So many around here are really hurting, too. The heat is unrelenting.
So many families are going to be effected by this. It makes me so sad :(
blessings,
karianne
Love your barn photos. I would be honored to have you link up with me for Grandparents Say It Saturday.
ReplyDeleteOh I'm so sorry to hear about the drought - we suffered through a bad one last year and our farmers suffered greatly. We've been blessed with rain this year - such a relief. Praying for all of you! Thanks for sharing the lovely pics of barns.
ReplyDeleteSusan I think and pray for you as God brings you to mind...which is more often than you'd guess. We have had some good rainfall here the past two weeks in Western PA. I'm so sorry for your losses. We buy as much as we can direct from the farmer and I know, even with the mild drought that we had, it was nothing compared to what you experience. I thought of you and cried for all the farmers when I read Ann Voskamp's recent post about the farmer and the lack of rain. {hugs}
ReplyDeleteOn our 12 hour drive down to NC, we passed thru so much farm land and we commented on how beautiful they all were. But many were run down or abandoned. Here's to bringing farms back to the way they once were.
ReplyDeleteKelly