The all-consuming chopping!

We chop our alfalfa and sudax (a kind of grass) for our cattle's feed.

To do this, you have to cut it, rake it into rows, and then chop it when it's dry enough - but not too dry!  We want to ensure the best feed for our cattle.

Sometimes it all goes perfectly.  Sometimes ...

It rains on it after it's been cut.
You have to rent a different kind of rake to rake it.
It rains again.  Not much, just enough to ruin your harvest plans.
You have to then buy a rake to rake it when you need to return the other rake.
A tire blows on your chopper.
You have to find the one tire in the area that someone will sell you to put on your chopper.  (Only dairy farmers really have choppers - they're not that common.)
You have to find a guy to come over really early in the morning to remove the rim and put the tire on the chopper.
You chop, find out one field is sort of wet.  Take the feed out and test it, decide it's fine.  Start chopping again.

So!  We got the hay chopped today, finally.  It took a lot of people and a lot of days.

Know what?  None of that matters to the next generation.

Yesterday, all three of the boys rode with Kris in the chopper.  Today they took turns.  (I also saw one of our team member's daughters riding with him in the buddy seat.  Kids just love it.)

My sons started asking about it as soon as we got home from town.  "Dad said we could take turns and each ride an hour with him!  Can we?  Call him!  Is he ready?"

They each eagerly left the pool, one by one, to go and ride with their dad.  They love the machines, they love the excitement of seeing the hawks in the field, a deer with antlers, the guys who work with us ... all of it.

When they're older, they probably won't remember any of the hard parts of farming - just the best parts. The harvest, the machines, and especially hanging out with their dad.

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