I've always respected them for what they do. I didn't grow up on a farm, and never really had much exposure to it until I moved to the country. Today I spent 6 hours planting soybeans for the neighbor farmer. My first time ever running a tractor. Made me really think about the work and sacrifices they make to put food on our tables.

I grew up on a small farm and all my close cousins were dairy farmers. They all planted corn, beans and milo for their own feed. The rest of their acreage was pasture and hay fields used for baled hay.

Lots of friends that raise beef to this day. They are some of the most dedicated hard workers in our society.

Please be careful on the tractor k snow. My best friends father was killed by a tractor earlier this week. I’ve farmed all my life and it’s no easy job. One of my earliest memories is of my great grandfather getting killed on a tractor. Eric

I've helped them out around the farm quite a bit the last few years, and it amazes me how many ways to die there are on a farm. One of their sons has a nasty scar on his arm from an accident. The other son was run over when young, but lived. Seems like every farming family has stories like that to tell.

Thank you for your respect, most of us aren’t right in the head to put up the bs we do, one accident story when my grandfather was in his 30 he was a driver for the ambulance crew and grandmother was on the crew a call came in they responded and it was a friend of his that fell off the back of the tractor and was ran over by the disk, they picked up the pieces, my grandfather had enough when he saw that and walked back to town about 10 miles away.

Older friend of mine in his 70s died a few years back. Got off the tractor to open a gate and the tractor ran over him. He was able to call his wife but was dead when she got out there.

This guy was born a farmer. Bought his first tractor with money he saved at 9 years old. Still had that tractor and about 80 other international last time we were talking tractors. He was under 10 when he was helping his dad log and a lim broke loose and killed his dad in front of him back in the woods.

Even the most experienced still make fatal mistakes.

I lost an eye building fence when I was a kid but I still don't understand the accidents by machinery. I had a father that worked 30 years in underground utilities plus farming. When I was a kid I was trained to look out for danger around you. Wish he would have pushed the safety glasses more.

I think a lot of the machinery accidents come from complacency. "Its just a quick job" gets a lot of guys hurt.

I definitely wore earmuffs, its no wonder most of the old farmers around here are deaf.

I remember my Ag economics professor once saying (1976) that farming is the only business that takes a million dollars in investment to net $30,000 a year. He forgot to mention the hard work part....or the years you have to borrow to get that 30,000.

Fourth generation farmer here. Planted corn all day today. It’s a way of life but a good one. Got to respect the land, Mother Nature, and everything entailed in the operating. We use anhydrous ammonia and I’ve got quite a few stories about the dangers of that stuff!

Some ppl don’t respect the farmers , even a few on this site! I just don’t think they completely understand what goes into a working farm. Easy to sit on the sideline and point fingers I guess.

Thanks for the gesture K snow

Growing up in South Dakota, did my fair share.
Baling hay, and hauling beans corn to elevator.
At time's I miss it.

It's a shame but the days of the small farms that used to be everywhere are gone. There was no better place to grow up and really learn about life then on a farm. A few of the farmers that I know, either they work off the farm or there wife's do in order to make ends meet. But no, they won't quit.

Agree skippy. My dad and I use to knock on a door to go rabbit and quail hunting very few times got turned down. Most places now are not worth the stop as all wildlife habitat is gone. I’m not blaming the big farmer. He has to do what he has to do. Back when I was on a wildlife area now conservation area I would plant corn with my 7100 jd corn planter and watch the China birds go down a entire row of sprouting corn and pull out and eat seed. Was cool and that was my job but I can relate to the farmer that had to spend $ to plant again. So I can see both sides. Done rambling

A lot not only work for income but primarily for health insurance. I'm a hobby farmer and to big a chicken to pull the safty net plug of my job with retirement, health and short term disability insurance.

Been involved in farming my whole life. Wish the ag industry would move away from being dependent on government aid but the industry is choosing to lobby for more and more. News about government assistance is right up their if not more important than the weather or the markets.

Thanks, that was a very nice post K snow. Planting corn here in not so good conditions

I have TONS of respect for livestock farmers. Literally zero days off. Some of these old cow men I talk to in Nebraska are nowhere close to rich and keep going til they cant. When we would try to find one old farmer to ask about turkey hunting, our best bet was to look outside, because he wasnt in the house. Worked daily til he died at 96.

Have a father in law who works cattle and hogs daily in his late 60’s. He is finally getting caught up on all the surgeries hes been needing for years to repair damage that work has done.

yup , lost a friend to a silo , he stuck his head in to take a quick look , like he had probably done hundreds of times before , overcome by the gas and fell in.

we lost 2 kids in 4H the week before fair one year to roll overs

one at state fair that fell off a truck.

2 of the 3 had turned 18 but that don't change much.

felt like those were back to back years but it might have been a couple between.

That’s why they are accidents. My great grandfather was mowing a section of field that he had mowed hundreds of times, the tractor slipped and flipped.

Here's a stock Pic of my ride yesterday.

I taught Dairy science and farm business in a tech college for 32 years. The herd sizes I worked with ranged from 18 to 2700 cows. I retired in 2006 about 10 years after the expansions started here. My average herd size I worked with was about 73 cows and the acreage was about 260. These were all family farms with most having mininamal full time hired labor. The herds have expanded tremendously the last 10-15 years.
When I started ub 1975 in the county I worked in there where 1216 dairy farms milking 54,000 cows or an average herd size of 45 cows. Today in 2026 there are 220 herds milking 60,000 cows or an average herd size of 228.
Several dairies and sizable ones are being bought out by the larger ones. We now have over a dozen herds with over 5000 cows.
Yes dairy farmers are 24/7/365 with all the crop work and manure hauling besides. Our crop planting windows are much shorter here in eastern WI than in the central corn belt so we need to be able to till,plant, and spray in a very short period of time and work around all the chores and pick thousands of acres of stones every year as well.

Bryce

Helped on a harvest crew when i was 16. Cut all sorts if stuff in north dakota, came back and cut corn here in kansas, lotta work. Deal with cattle for a living now.

Growing up on a farm, I remember discing fields at 7, helping plow at age 8. My dad would be in jail these days for allowed me to help as I did.

I loved my time on the farm, but not enough to take on the debt required to do it. I have nothing but respect for those that still do it.

WS

Couple people in our township lost there lives to farming related accidents 1 in back in the 80's holstein bull got him and the other 1 in the 90's.standing along side of the tractor trying to start it and it started running over him.back in the 70's neighbor lady was grinding feed wearing loose clothing and the pto shaft grabbed the piece of clothing ended up breaking both of her arms could of been alot worse.

I grew up on a farm. I went to college b/c I was tired of being a poor. Ground was $2500 an acre when I graduated. 100 acres would have been $250,000. That 100 acres today 30 years later would be worth $2,000,000. I'm not sure I chose correctly but it worked out.

Definitely sad to see all the small family dairy operations disappear. But I completely understand.

No dairy at the farm I help on. I don't know all the correct terms, but he buys the dairy bull calves and raises them for beef. About 50 or so head at any one time. His grandson, the neighbor kid, has a few 4H beef and some lambs. He's 14 and just wants to run/work grandpa's farm. Good to see that ambition in a young kid.

Farmers are the backbone of this country. Without farmers this country couldn't survive.
Farming is a very dangerous job. We owe a lot to our farmers.