No matter where you go in life, you will always be able to use the lessons you learned from farming.
All these lessons helped shape my actions as an adult. Between raising cows and baling hay, there was always a take-a-way at the end of a hard days work. Something as simple as making sure all your gates were closed to more serious issues like turning off your PTO when moving around the bailer. While I always remember to check the gates and PTO, I can’t always apply that to my career. Instead, the lessons I took with me throughout life had a little deeper meaning. The fact is that by growing up on a farm, I was able to relate these lessons to some of life’s problems. The first lesson was to make hay when the sun shines. As simple as it might sound there’s a profound meaning behind this common phrase. When the suns out, farmers plan to make hay accordingly. Cutting with enough time for it to dry and bale is always planned by the weather. Farmers know that when the weather is right, you need to take advantage of a good day. I’ve used this phrase when I need to capitalize on a good situation. When I have an afternoon without meetings, I utilize this time to work on a project without being interrupted. This way I was able to make the most out of my time. This hopefully produces a great result like that second cutting that my cows all love to eat. The second lesson I learned was to not worry about thing I could not change. I apply this lesson when my plans fall through, out of my control. Sometimes plans get canceled and you must learn how to adapt to changes. When farming there are many times the weather is just not on your side. Sometimes there too much rain or not enough and every now and then there’s a small tornado tearing through your crops. When it rains for a week straight or doesn’t rain for a month, that fact is that you can’t control the weather. However, we can control how we react when the crops wash out or the yield isn’t the same as past year’s bumper crop. And when all else fails, thankfully there’s crop insurance. Lastly, farming has taught me about the bigger picture of life. When we run into problems on the farm, we can’t stop to complain about them. No matter how many times the baler gets clogged, the hay still need baled. Because the fact is that we need enough hay to feed our cows throughout the winter. We can’t let the small issues stop us from accomplishing a larger goal. We work around the issues, find solutions to problems and get the job done. I use this lesson in my adult life when times get stressful. So often we can get caught up in the small problems. It can be hard to see beyond the issue in front of us, but we must put things into perspective. To me, farming is about a bigger picture of life. Day in and day out as farmers we are faced with problems and dilemmas that make it harder to do what we love. But that’s the point, farmers are doing what they love or else we wouldn’t be farming. Whenever a new calf is born on the farm, I am reminded of why I shovel manure. Being a part of the Ashtabula County Farm Bureau allows me to be more involved in the agricultural industry. It’s another way to give back to farming because without farming I wouldn’t have learned these valuable life lessons.
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You put the tractor away, tuck in the cows for the night, turn off the lights and you’re headed to the house at 9pm. Its been a long day and you’re on your way to finally have supper. You’re mentally and physical tired from another day working to make ends meet.
The world is moving at such a fast pace these days it is getting harder to keep up. Between managing a farm and managing your own life, farmers often get lost in shuffle. Its times like these where you must stop and ask yourself, what’s filling your tank? I’m not talking about gas in your fuel tank, I’m taking it a step deeper, what’s making you fulfilled? What satisfying your life mentally, physically and finically? As farmers there’s never a dull moment. We can’t always take a month off in January to go to Florida and rejuvenate. Farming can be someone’s main source of income. That means a lot of pressure on a farmer to make sure their yields are high, and their cows are healthy. In fact, a study done by the Center for Disease and Control and Prevention found that the suicide rate for farmers and ag workers is nearly five times higher than that of the general public. This is based on the fact that farmers are under incredible financial, legal and emotional stress. Farming is a culture, a way of life and some people can’t imagine living any other way. Others might not understand that you can’t take a vacation or a apply for a less stressful job. If you stop farming there is the risk of losing your land, failing to make your mortgage payment and must leave a place that your family has farmed for generations. As we can see what’s at risk, it is extremely important that we take a step back and ask the question again, why are you farming? Is it because you love the sound of a quiet barn at the end of a busy day? Is it because you love having your kids learning life lesson on a farm? Is it because you love driving tractor while the leaves change colors? Seeing the new calves being born? Farming has many benefits that often can be over looked when we’re mentally exhausted. No matter what your reason is, farming is rewarding. Its satisfying knowing that you’re a part of something bigger. Its not just about feeding your family, you’re working to help feed America. Next time you’re fill up your diesel tank, stop to think about the bigger picture. Remembering why you work 14-hour days to make ends meet. Remember why you love to farm. It also helps when someone understands your stress. Organizations like Farm Aid provide a hotline 1-800-FARM-AID to help farmers in crisis situations. Farming isn’t always easy, but its helps to have people recognize the problems you go through and share the burden. Being a caretaker for one of the top horses in harness racing is not always easy, but for Toni Hollar, groom of Color’s A Virgin, she’s doing what she loves.
Hollar has such a passion for harness racing that she couldn’t stay away from the track. When she started college, Hollar found she preferred being in the barn to being in class, so she made harness racing her full-time job. With one phone call to her aunt Jennifer and uncle Brian Brown, Hollar was offered a position as a groom for Brian Brown Stables. She then headed to Spring Garden Ranch in Deleon Springs Florida where Brown and his team trains in the winter. Eventually, she ended up as the groom for (then) 3-year-old filly Color’s A Virgin, who went on to win Filly Pacer of the Year honors. The two became fast friends and Hollar prides herself on knowing all of the precocious pacer’s quirks. Hollar has gotten to know Color’s A Virgin’s personality by working with her during training. Before a race, Hollar described the mare as anxious and ornery. Hollar recalled one time when Color’s A Virgin was so excited to get on the race track that she broke a hobble. Luckily, Hollar knows just how to calm her down by rubbing her nose. Handling a horse like Color’s A Virgin can be a challenge but Hollar has also seen her at her best moments. One of her favorite memories of working with Color’s A Virgin is when she won the Jugette (one of the top races for 3-year-old filly pacers). “I don’t think I’ve every cried so much after a race,” said Hollar. “It was probably the best feeling I’ve ever had. It was awesome.” Winning the Jugette was not the only exciting moment for Hollar as a groom for Color’s A Virgin. The pacer also won the 2014 3-year-old Female Pacer of the Year award. Hollar’s job has allowed her to witness some of her horses winning prestigious awards while traveling to many tracks. She enjoys being able to see some of her favorite places including Hoosier, Meadowlands and her home track, North Field Park. The Cuyahoga Falls native grew up at Northfield Park where her dad still trains horses and her mom is a representative for the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association. Hollar, who currently lives in Delaware Ohio, explains what it’s like visiting North Field Park. “It’s cool to be where you grew up and you miss it sometimes,” said Hollar. Hollar’s plans for the next couple years would be to see some of the horses she grooms win the Little Brown Jug and the Breeder’s Crown. At this time she doesn’t have set goals of where she wants to be but one thing is for certain, she will stay doing what she loves. Ronnie Wrenn Jr. is a serious competitor with a down to earth attitude. The world record holder has achieved what most would hope to accomplish in a life time. With only a few years under his belt, this 28-year-old driver is ready to win more races.
“If it happens it happens, I don’t drive all over the place like I did a couple years ago but hopefully I can continue to stay healthy and win my fair share of amount of races,” said Wrenn “I’d like to make more money than I did last year. That’s kind of my goal. If I win as many or more that great, taking home a good paycheck is what’s important.” On a non-race day you can find Wrenn hanging out with his friends or hitting at the batting cages or hunting. Between all of Wrenn’s drives it’s hard to find spare time. I was lucky to catch Wrenn while he was traveling to North Field Park. We talked about his career as he went through the Tim Horton’s drive through with his “road dog”. This goes to show his truly relaxed and down to earth nature. You might think that Wreen is too focused on racing with where he’s at in his career but that’s not the case at all. Wrenn does not let trophies and awards get in the way of the sport he loves. The two-time national driver champion is making his way to the top, one victory at a time. For getting a late start in his career, Ronnie Wrenn Jr. sure hasn’t let that slow him down. The fast paced driver has set records higher than some of the top drivers in the sport. This makes him the driver to beat. Wrenn’s racing career started in college but you could say that he was born into harness racing. Just like many family traditions that are passed down, so it the love for standardbred racing. Wrenn’s father, uncles and grandfather all were involved in harness racing. Ever since he was little he wanted to drive. When it came time for college, Wrenn took an opportunity to attend college and play baseball. While that was fun for a time, Wrenn found himself in the barn more often than school. He started just picking up a few drives but then his harness career took off. One thing led to another and before you knew it, Wrenn won big name races which came with even larger titles. It began a few years ago when Wrenn took his driving to the next level. He wasn’t considering being able to make it to the top of all the drivers with the most wins he did. The 28 year-old Michigan native looked to his uncle and dad for advice during the beginning of his career. He learned most of his driving techniques from his father and looking towards his uncle for technical questions like equipment. “The last two weeks I’ve been going out to Pocono, trying to promote myself out there. In five years I don’t know if I’d see myself out there, said Wrenn. “I really enjoy racing in Ohio. It seems like I have a lot of good connections here, I’ve established myself here. I don’t know if I would want to give that up.” |
AuthorJennifer Kapalin CategoriesArchives |