The following is taken from the PROGRESSIVE FARMER Magazine a column written by Editor Jack Odle.  After reading it, I was convinced more than ever, that farm life is "quite simply-the best."  I think you will agree.

• Honesty. I learned it is better to point out that lame heifer to a buyer rather than wait for the buyer to find her in the herd-or worse, not find her.

• Charity. I learned the importance of giving to those in their hour of need.  It could be taking a casserole to someone's home after a funeral or combing the wheat field of a farmer who has been injured.

• Life and Death. I've seen calves, lambs, pigs, puppies, and kittens born, often right before my eyes.  But I also witnessed death and the harshness of nature before I was three years old.

• Compassion. I've seen my Dad get off his tractor to move a bird's nest out of the way so he could cultivate the field.

• Faith. I've watched the planting of tiny seed and had the assurance that they would sprout and make a good crop.   I've watched a newborn calf struggle to its feet and understood this fragile animal would grow into a productive cow.

• Work Ethic. I remember looking out at a field full of hay bales and wondering if we would ever get them unloaded and hauled into the barn.  I came to realize that if you work steadily and stick to it those bales will slowly disappear from the field.

• Patience. I know everything happens according to nature's schedule.  We can't speed it up or slow it down; we can only work within its constraints.