June 2020 - 20

AG LABOR REVIEW
Strong people come to the forefront in troubled times
MICHAEL MARSH
President & CEO
National Council of
Agricultural Employers
Michael@ncaeonline.org
fruit seemed to slow as trade deals took
hold and fuel costs, buoyed by new U.S.
production, remained stable. Fertilizer
costs had remained steady too.
The fruit came green and then
Hard times create strong people.
That must be why farm and ranch
families are so tough. They've seen
more than their share of hard times.
Think of it.
The cherry grower had a perfect
bloom. No frost and the bees worked
steadily without too much wind. It
seemed as if every single flower had
been carefully tended to by these
critical workers. Then, after the bees
had done their job, the remaining petals
fell to the orchard floor.
The grower irrigated the orchard
with just the right amount of always too
scarce water and the trees seemed to
revel in the nurture. The grower admired
the set of the crop that resulted from
these perfect conditions as his orchard
now bowed from the weight of the
ripening fruit, as the days lengthened
and the sun warmed the earth.
Finally, it was harvest time. The
workers had arrived and were ready to
go to work, anxious for the start and the
wages it would bring.
slowly ripened into a hoped-for
bumper crop. This seemed almost be
too good to be true!
It was.
The roar that occurred at dusk had
Then came the rain. No cherries. No
work, nor wages to be made. Maybe
next year. Hopefully, the banker will
understand.
Hard times create strong people.
The rancher had a great breeding
season. The cows all got bred and
grazed on a luxurious pasture of grass
kept green late because of intermittent
rain. They fattened up with the plentiful
feed and their growing, soon-to-be
offspring. The cows' hair lengthened as
the days grew shorter, the nights longer,
and the air became crisper.
The long cold nights of winter were
easy to get through as the cows' stores of
energy from a good summer and the long
fall kept them, and their unborn, cozy.
Spring started to pop up, as did fresh
grass and a few flowers here and there
with chinook winds warming the plain.
Then, the blizzard blew in drifting the
snow and making roads impassable just
as calves began to drop. The calves didn't
make it after the temperature plunged too
far below zero. Neither did many of the
cows. Well, there's always next year.
Hard times create strong people.
The ground was no longer frozen and
Spring rains held off as the plants went
into the field. A lot of time and money
had been spent discing up the ground,
floating it and then bedding it up for
the tomatoes. Even the flow of imported
been preceded by ominous black clouds
and the breeze had become a wind.
The roar was from the hailstones that
pummeled everything, stripping the
trees of their leaves and flattening the
field. The rain that came after assured
survey of damage would be delayed.
Well, that was that.
Hard times create strong people.
Hard times created what has been
called the " Greatest Generation. " Forged
by the First World War and having
suffered through the Great Depression,
this generation clamored into World
War II and then lifted humanity with its
strength, ingenuity and spirit. That was
quite a legacy. This type of strength is
what I have always found on America's
farms and ranches. That toughness
leads us through hard times. That
legacy of strong people endures.
Hard times create strong people
and we, all of us, will be stronger after
these hard times pass. VGN
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June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2020