Photo: D. Paul Graham / Vidalia Onion Crops

Monday 5 Things…..Of Farmers and Bud’s…..

It took me a moment to realize what was happening. The first field I drove by had farm tractors parked at the edge of the fields, perfectly aligned and facing the road. For all my travels throughout this part of Georgia, I had never seen equipment parked like this. The second field had the same thing. Then the third field of hundreds of acres had men with sun worn faces standing in front of their tractors; hands, calloused from years of hard work, holding their hats over their hearts. Cars coming from the other direction, pulled over and patiently waited as the long line of the funeral procession went by. As we turned down the road to the cemetery, dozens of men and women from the local utility company were standing on the corner in homage to a man who had done so much for the community. And at the cemetery, two bucket trucks, buckets hundreds of feet in the air, held a massive American flag that gently fluttered in a cloudless blue sky as family and friends gathered around the gravesite. Bud Hart is not a name that you would know unless you’ve spent any time in Uvalda. He was a man of great faith and a man who loved his family dearly. And he was a farmer his entire life, making sure to visit his grandson’s farm every day right up until the last of his last days. It was an honor and a privilege to have met Bud even in the later part of his life. This morning’s M5T pays tribute to Bud and to the thousands of farmers that quietly go about providing for their families, their communities, and for this nation.

1. Backbones.

Farmers are arguably the hardest workers in the world. They are up well before sunrise and are in bed well after sunset. They work through rain or shine, and through holidays. Farmers are why our hunting/gathering now takes place in our local grocery stores. They are the reason we have food on the table and have fibers and skins for fabrics and clothing. They are the backbone of their families, their communities and our nations GDP.

2. Drivers.

Farmers are vital to our society and lifestyles. Farmers drive our economy. Agriculture is the largest employer sector in the US when you consider all the various elements and types of farming from crops to animals that makes up farming today. Farmer’s work touches every aspect of our lives, not only in fields, but in logistics, roadways and railways. They are advocates for the environment and sustainability and are the stewards of land and nature.

3. Optimists.

Farmers are the ultimate optimists. Year after year they plant crops that are their livelihood, yet are completely dependent upon weather and markets, neither of which they can control. Farmers are disciplined and dedicated. They are innovative and resourceful. They have huge hearts and deep souls and are some of the most passionate people you will ever meet.

4. Families.

Most farms in the US continue to be family owned. Multigenerations of families who farm. Families who all they have ever known and all they have ever wanted to do is farm. Farmers keep to themselves but are there at a drop of a hat when a need arises, most times before they are even asked to help. Their community is part of their family. They are humble men and women of faith.

5. Inspirations.

When a lot of people go to work wishing they didn’t have to, farmers get up day in day out because it is their very essence to do so. They focus on the day’s work and possibilities, not limitations. Crops and livestock can’t exist and won’t survive without farmers. Farmers are visionary entrepreneurs, servant leaders. They are tireless, energetic and focused on doing the best they can do each and every day. They are men and women who respect and live their faith, their family, and their farms. They each are the inspiration that Bud Hart was to so many.

As you pick up your groceries, shop for clothes and eat your meals this week, here’s to a week of the “Bud’s” that we may never know or may never meet but impact all of our lives in ways that we rarely think about.

© 2021 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

D. Paul Graham is passionate about people, culture, photography and business. He has embraced his wanderlust with his travels around the globe and is at peace with his need for spirited drives in all things automotive.

You can find M5T each Monday here on www.southmag.com and by friending D. Paul Graham on Facebook. Paul is also a contributing photographer to South Magazine. His photographic work can be found on Instagram @dpgraham and at www.imageGRAHAM.com . Your feedback is always welcome. Email Paul at dpg@imagegraham.com