To Love a Farm....

....to know in generations pasts, though not bloodline generations, this farm was loved, cared for and used for God's purpose of the land. Then one day, you get the opportunity to lease that farmland. Let's pause for a minute.

Being a first generation farmer, and with the market today, buying land is almost impossible. I mean after all, we are not millionaires. I am in real estate, and land right now is high. Purchasing a large amount of land for the price per acre, is not feasible. We have so many other costs that are already on the books. Feed, fertilizer, herbicide/pesticides, equipment ( I mean, I could stop there....geesh..equipment costs...that's another blog post in itself!)....you get the point. We can't afford that kind of plunge. No matter how much we want it, we are not financially able to pull that off (yet!). So when the opportunity comes your way to lease an old beloved farm, the answer is and always will be "YES, we will take it!"

So, 15 years ago, we did just that! This farm holds a very special place in our hearts. We have and still lease many farms, but this one, was the ONE that started it all. This was our first leased farm. This old farm was loved many years ago by its owner, and we had the privilege of knowing him. He was a card. Always laughing and joking with us. He loved that old farm, and we began to do the same. After he passed, we were able to continue to lease. You see, it was also, right across the street from our home, and that made it even more special. The big hill overlooks our house. It was an amazing view. Our roots are now planted here, but we are imports. We are not from this area. My dad is originally from the same town we now call home, so we do have some connections here somewhat, but those family/community roots are not planted here! We moved and made our home here almost 20 years ago. We love this place. Our home holds a very special place for us and Mr. Farmer has instructions to bury me here! I have so much peace there. It is truly our sanctuary! We own acreage now, but we want to expand. We want to add more land to our existing farm, and what better location than the one right in front of you.

The love of a farm began the moment we were able to lease it. Exploring it and getting to know it has been enjoyable! Those old large trees at the entrance, wonder what stories they hold, or the old barn that is falling down across the highway on another section of the same farm. The stone walls, and the portion of an old foundation. Think of all the stories this farm could tell. Wonder how many sweet baby calves have been through that old barn? What was it's main use? For us, we used it for our nursery/clinic when we had cows/calves that needed extra TLC. That is where we took them. We saved a few lives in that barn, and we lost a few too. The creek, oh the creek. It has the biggest rocks that the water streams gently across. Some fall off those big rocks and make a small water fall feature. The sound is so serene. Love that creek. Some parts are super shallow, we have walked along it many times. Some parts are a little more deep, and some even drop off in spots. I have taken some beautiful pictures of this creek along the way. The love of a farm.....has grown over the years, but now comes to an end.

You see, it is being sold. After the owner passed, his wife eventually passed last year. We knew what was coming. The heirs didn't love this farm, the way we do, and we knew the clock was ticking. Yep, that four letter word that we knew would come. We dreaded the day for years. We always knew it would be here. We had hopes that one day, when the time came, we would be financially prepared to make it ours. But, since it is over 100 acres and the price of land is as I stated before, extremely high, here we are facing the closing day, July 2nd, and we are not the ones signing those papers. Not only was the price an issue, but unfortunately, the good ole boy system prevailed on this one, regardless of a 20 year relationship with the family. This last year we knew what was coming. Heart broken and bitter are some of the emotions that have been felt over this time. Knowing the love we had for this farm, and can't call it ours, just down right stinks. We made our last ride through it last night. You win some, you lose a lot in the farming world. This one was a huge loss.

To love a farm.......that has many stories to tell, but making it ours, is not one of them. Yet.

~xoxo,

Leann