WHEN THE FARM FEELS HEAVIER THAN THE HARVEST
Written by Jessica Davies
This summer has tested me in ways I didn’t expect. My full-season crew—those who had committed to walking through the entire journey with me—decided to leave during the height of our busiest, most demanding months.
I understand that farming isn’t for everyone. It demands more than physical strength; it requires a rare combination of grit, stamina, and passion to show up, day after day, through heat, fatigue, and the endless to-do list that production farming brings. Our farm is no-till, which means our bodies are the machinery. We plant, weed, harvest, and move soil by hand. Even though I prioritize work-life balance and my crew works part-time, the work can still be exhausting.
And the truth is—very few people these days are willing to work that hard. Very few are drawn to farming as a lifestyle, let alone ready to endure the intensity of an entire season. That’s the ongoing challenge I face as a small business owner: finding people who want to get their hands dirty and stay the course until the season’s natural finish line.
Losing crew members in the peak season isn’t just inconvenient—it’s damaging. In farming, this is the point in the year where you push through, because there is no other option. I rely on my team. It truly takes a village to keep this farm alive, and when that village shrinks overnight, the work feels heavier than ever.
It’s times like these that really get me down. I feel deeply defeated at the moment. But I know I’ll persevere. Despite the chaos and uncertainties—I have my faith to lean on. There is still so much good in my life. Sometimes it’s hard to see it through the fog of a hard season, but it’s still there.
Right now, I feel the absence. I feel the weight. I feel the sting of disappointment. But more than that, I feel the call to keep going. Because that’s what farming teaches you—when it gets tough, you don’t stop. You dig in deeper, and you show up for your community. You pray for strength, you hope for a miracle, and you keep planting seeds even when the field feels empty.
