Today is the feast of St. Isidore and his wife, Maria. Isidore is considered the patron of farmers. On this day, I recall my years of teaching in a rural area of Wisconsin. The children - of all ages - worked hard in their homes, barns, and fields. They even invited me to help them “pick rocks” in the spring, so as to clear the land for plowing and planting (this is a glacial lobe area) - Today there are machines that can do this back-breaking work.
It seems that when I lived in this rural area, I was more aware of the changes in the seasons and sensitive to the conditions of the environment. I always watched the skies and listened to earth around me. I listened also to the wives who often spoke about the harvests and the possible stresses they would endure financially if they had a bad harvest. They were always at the mercy of the weather - for it would affect their crops and livestock in every way. But they were always aware that they were in partnership with their Creator God in caring for the earth, and the crops for their families, and for those whom they produced these crops, along with milk production for numerous dairy products.
I consider these farmers and their families “Earth Whisperers.” They could communicate with the land and they certainly, over and over, manifested a deep faith in God as a true partner in this sacred work. Today there are fewer farms in Wisconsin but more milk production being calculated. Farmers have transformed farming into an art. For now there is an increase in organic farming and they are truly engineers, accountants, business executives, marketers, scientists, meteorologist, geologists, and chemists – just to name of few new titles for this often forgotten “ground breaking” and “back-breaking” ministry!!
"Organic dairy farming in Wisconsin is experiencing rapid growth and capturing an increased share of the market. Although the organic dairy sector in Wisconsin is still relatively small, accounting for two percent of the state’s cows, Wisconsin is one of the nation’s top two producers of organic dairy products and home to the largest organic milk cooperative. The expectation of strong demand growth for organic milk products provides plenty of potential for continued expansion in organic dairy farming within the state. Yet, relatively little is known about how organic farms compare with other types of dairy operations in terms of the demographic characteristics of the farmers, size and structure of the farms, management practices and technologies utilized, their overall economic performance, and quality of life experiences." (Bradford L. Barham, Caroline Brock, and Jeremy Foltz)
A story: (I write this from memory.) The story is told that farmer Goldberg had a little plot of ground in the corner of his small village. Each day the Rabbi on his way to the Synagogue would shout, “What a beautiful garden, Goldberg. Truly, you and God are partners.” And Goldberg would smile, and respond, “Thank you, Rabbi. And each day when the Rabbi returned from the Synagogue, he would shout, “Goldberg, what a beautiful garden you have. Truly, you and God are partners.” This would go on day after day, week after week. Meanwhile, Goldberg was busy picking rocks, clearing weeds, tilling the earth, planting, and watering the garden. Then one day, Goldberg was frustrated with the Rabbi’s greetings, and he decided to prepare a different response than, “Thank you, Rabbi.” So it happened. The Rabbi was on his way to the Synagogue that morning. As usual, he stopped by Goldberg's garden and exclaimed, “What a beautiful garden, Goldberg. Truly, you and God are partners.” In reply, Goldberg surprised the Rabbi with his response. “Thank you, Rabbi - but you should have seen this garden when God had this garden all alone!”
Let us pray for farmers who have come through a serious drought last summer and pray that this year will be a fruitful and kind season for all “and in commitment to see farmers properly supported and rewarded."
Gracious God, you provide us with food from the earth through the work of human hands:
after a poor summer and long winter, we pray for all those who grow and produce our food in the most difficult conditions. We remember the physical hardships and distress of farmers dealing with livestock that have died, and those who are still to sow crops to harvest this year. Bless the work of all those who care for your land and animals so that we may have food to sustain us. This we ask through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The prayer is written by Dr. Jill Hopkinson, the CofE's National Rural Officer based at the Arthur Rank Centre in Stoneleigh)
http://ruralwomensinitiative.com/woman.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidore_the_Laborer
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/
http://media.eatwisconsincheese.com/assets/images/pdf/WisconsinDairyData.pdf
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