A great friend shared this poem with me a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I can’t read it without getting emotional but it makes me proud. Proud of my husband, proud of our life, proud of our farm, and proud of our family.

I’m just a farmer, plain and simple.
Not of royal birth, but rather a worker of the earth.
I know not of riches, but rather of patches on my britches.
I’m just a farmer, plain and simple.
I know of drought and rain, of pleasure and pain.
I know the good, the bad, the happy and the sad.
I’m a man of emotions.
A man who loves this land and the beauty of its sand.
I’m just a farmer, plain and simple.
I know the spring’s fresh flow and autumn’s golden glow.
Of a new born calf’s hesitation and an eagle’s destination.
I’m just a farmer, plain and simple.
I know of tall pines and long waiting lines.
I know the warmth of campfires and the agony of flat tires.
I’m just a farmer, plain and simple.
I’m a man who loves his job.
And the life that I live.
I’m just a farmer, plain and simple.
And I’m a reaper of harvest.
I’m the sower of seeds and I’m the tender of stock.
I’m just a farmer, plain and simple.
I know of planting corn and bailing hay and animals going astray.
I live in a complex world, but my faith guides me.
I’m just a farmer, plain and simple.
I am a man who works with God.
I cannot succeed without his help.
For you see, I’m just a farmer, plain and simple.
“I’m Just a Farmer, Plain and Simple”
By Bobby Collier