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PRESTON - The second annual Blessing of the Combines and Farm Equipment by the Bethesda Methodist Church, based in Preston, was held Sept. 14 in a field at the edge of the town of Preston.
Farmers and families, and members of the congregation and community, witnessed the blessing for a success harvest this fall. Pastor Nate Weaver led the prayer, and as he prayed, the congregation responded with their agreement together, “Lord, hear our prayer.” Weaver included all elements of the harvest process, from the crops and livestock to the farmers, farm workers, and the land and equipment. This was an opportunity for neighbors to actively stand with one another, asking for the best possible outcome as the harvest is brought in this year.
Farming is an expensive calling, and “a calling” is truly an apt label. Rising before the sun, and finishing the day after sunset, caring for crops, livestock, workers and the land itself, farmers work tirelessly and consistently year after year to supply the country with grain, meat and produce. The large equipment used for so many jobs in farming costs $750,000 to $1,000,000.
Farmers use science and technology to produce at maximum yield. They take the best care of the large equipment needed to make the harvest easier, sometimes making a combine last for 20 years.
Farming is a business, an industry that supports every facet of our society. Butch Frase said, it is more than business, “farming is in the heart, not in the pocketbook.” He described a tough row to hoe for farmers, facing a lot of disappointment, with the potential for bankruptcy bringing about a rising rate of suicide among the farming community.
The business of moving commodities can be stressful. Supply and demand is blamed for flat grain prices, with large supplies of grains being imported from Brazil, rather than buying grain at a market-led price from farmers in the US. The prices seen today are not much different than prices seen in the 1980’s, keeping smaller local farmers scrambling to keep their family businesses alive. With expenses constantly rising and commodity prices flat lining, it is becoming harder and harder for small farms to remain profitable.
Supporting each other in the face of such odds is how Caroline County farmers do things. Butch Frase is of the opinion that prayer helps everything, thus the Blessing of the Combines and Farm Equipment is an important part of ensuring a good harvest.
