With all the adrenaline, hype, and small town pride associated with Friday Night Football, it's easy to forget that fall is an important time of year for another hometown team: farmers. You know, the guys and gals who have to harvest late into the night and miss the game because there is a 30% chance of rain the next day. The folks who skip lunch or dinner or both for about 2 months of the year because stopping just isn't an option. The neighbors who you probably don't see a whole lot of between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. The folks who seem to be driving in the middle of the road at 15 mph all the time. The REAL Boys (and Gals) of Fall.
This fall alone, American farmers will harvest approximately 13.6 billion bushels of corn and 3.9 billion bushels of soybeans according to the USDA, give or take a few million. With an average 167 bushels per acre of corn and 41 bushels of soybeans an acre, there are a lot of acres that need worked! (You can do the math) Once everything has been picked, all those acres have to be tilled before the ground is frozen and too hard to work. September to November is crunch time for American Farmers, and their hard work goes virtually unnoticed amongst the Friday Night Football Craze.
Just like the 11 guys (and gals) on the field and dozens of others on the sidelines, farmers have prepared for this time of year for months. Hours of plowing, planting, and fertilizing have gone into their crops. Football players have 2-a-days; Farmers have all days. Just like in football, one bad play can cost the game. Farming takes precision and practice in order for things to go smoothly. However, the consequence costs more than just a loss to the season record. Farmers have stats too, and they are called yields. A flood, drought, or disease can cost farmers thousands, even millions of dollars. Taking a bad hit has a whole new meaning on the farming field. Being black and blue for a few days doesn't sound near as bad as putting your family's livelihood and business's future at risk. God is the coach and Mother Nature is the official, and they don't always seem to make fair calls. But as every farmer knows, it's all part of the game.
I'm not trying to say that High School Football shouldn't be praised in communities, because I was a part of the hype in high school too. In reality, those couple Friday nights a year are some of the few nights that these small town communities ban together and show how truly proud they are of their area. I just want to give credit to those Boys (and Gals) of Fall who work 12 hour days, 7 days a week for months to put food on our tables. They have no cheerleaders. They have no mascots. They have no student section. There is no Hall of Fame and no fights song (although a prayer from time to time really keeps the moral up). And they wouldn't want any of that stuff. They don't do it to make the front page of the sports sections. They do it because they know they are the few people who can feed the world, and they do it with very little thanks or recognition.
I want to ask you to do one thing after reading this: If you see a farmer this fall, thank them for what they do. Pray for them before the football game while you are praying for a victory. Acknowledge what they do and why it is important. They don't need a pep rally or homecoming parade, but a prayer or thank-you now and then won't ever be taken for granted. Thank-you to the Boys (and Gals) of Fall who spend all fall working late nights, missing meals with their families, and putting hard work and effort into providing us with food on our plates. What you do will always be considered a big win in our eyes.