I had the opportunity to meet this man when I went to visit him at a small community hospital with a local pastor. He is now in his nineties, and his health is failing, but his love of both farming the land and his faith are still strongly evident. He described his love of watching his crops grow with the knowledge that it was not his efforts that ultimately produced results, but rather that it was, in his words, “Someone Upstairs” who caused the crops to flourish.

Although I will spare you the details of this experience, I will suffice it to say that I learned much more than I ever thought I would about the anatomy and digestion process of a cow!

The day continued with a visit to a local feed lot, where cattle are sent for the last several months of their lives, to be “finished,” or fattened up, before they are taken to market to be sold. We also visited an implement store, where tractors, combines, and other farm equipment is sold. The variety of this day was a good reminder that farming is a multifaceted business, that requires a wide variety of skills—hard work, knowledge of the land and seasons, and business savvy, to name only a few.

Bruce Wichman, a farmer and agricultural loan officer at Pender State Bank, speaks to a group of students at St. Peter's Lutheran about rural farm and financial issues. Bruce earned a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Marketing at the University of Nebraska, then came back to the area to farm. Bruce is also active in his church and in several civic organizations. (Photo: Dirk van der Duim)