From the field: The impact of wonder

Hannah Alden, Reporter, The Record-Review The wonder I have for farming has yet to fade, even with challenges that may dim my joy for it at times. It’s not so much fun having to squish bugs doing damages to crops, realizing a row of sweet corn can be destroyed overnight by a pair of fawns that are hanging around our farm or rushing to harvest dozens of cucumbers for market in the heat.

I was never afraid of storms in the past, but now I sometimes find myself fearful when the forecasters are calling for high winds or hail, considering harsh weather may damage our new high tunnel or tear apart foliage on crops. Luckily last week we were spared the huge hail that rained down in nearby places like Medford. We did have some high winds, but everything out in the field, including our high tunnel, faired just fine.

Before I started farming, bugs were a nuisance when they flew around me during an outside picnic or were chased around the house by our cats. But now certain pests can be a devastating force and require my attention much more than before. The same goes for mice, deer and all the other critters I’m now co-existing with in the field.

I didn’t know much about certain crops like ground cherries or tomatillos before I ventured into this new world nor did I know how to drive a tractor, set up irrigation or dress in six layers of clothing for each day. There is so much I have learned in the past several years, it’s difficult at times to remember I once knew none of it.

Over the weekend, I got to witness some fresh wonder. We had a group of friends come stay with us for a night, all of them with no significant experience being on a farm. I led them through the rows of crops in the evening where they got to harvest items for our dinner and see what I’ve been working at all year. It was gratifying and inspiring to have them follow me around the farm, asking questions with their eyes full of wonder and amusement.

It’s nice to feel like you’re an expert in something (even though I don’t consider myself at all an expert in farming yet) and show people things they’ve never seen before. Sometimes it’s like people are entering a foreign land when they get to see a working farm and that’s something that will never get old to me.

When I catch myself feeling these moments of wonder on the farm, I try to savor them as much as possible. It’s usually something simple, like a monarch hanging out in our pollinator cover crop area or a plant I thought was never going to make it bouncing back to life. These times make the challenges a little easier to endure.