Monday Motivation: Why I Farm Roadtrip Week 15

It's Monday again already, which means another week of the Why I Farm Roadtrip is under my belt! I can't believe I'm starting week 15 today! As I get further into this experience, I get more and more excited to share the stories of the farmers and feed, fuel and clothe us all. Here are a few that have been especially meaningful to me this week.

Nebraska farmer: Shannon Peterson

“My husband and I have been married almost 18 years now. We are in a partnership with his brother and his mom. We the fourth generation on his family’s farm. The kids will hopefully be the fifth. I love the outdoors, I love the animals. Calving season is my ultimate favorite. It’s by far my busiest time of the year, little to no sleep seems like. My kids like to come and help tag, so that’s really fun when they jump on the four wheeler with me and go out and help me check cows. It’s fun to watch over the years, what they’ve grown to learn and know.” – Shannon Peterson of Gothenburg, Nebraska

Nebraska farmer: Chris Niemann

“I was coming home to help for harvest when it really hit me that if I stayed in Oklahoma City, Dad is not getting any younger. When he’s done, it would technically be my turn. But if I don’t want anything to do with it and I’ve never been home to learn anything, then I’m either going to send the fourth-generation farm into the ground or I’m going to sell it. I don’t want to that. Grandpa busted for it, Dad has busted for it. That’s when everything came together. There’s a lot of bullets to be sweat, a lot of tears to be shed, a lot of smiles to be had, and a lot of remotes to be thrown at TVs. Some days, I don’t know why we do it. But I do know I love it. After everything else I’ve done, I wouldn’t do anything else." – Chris Niemann of Dwight, Nebraska

Kentucky farmers: Hayden family

"Why I do this, honestly, is because of my mom and dad. I look at everything we have here and I see these people who worked their butts off. My dad was one of six kids. He grew up poor. And he worked really hard every day, not only to build his electric company but to build this farm. This wasn’t a farm that was handed down from generation to generation. He started it. Dan and I are the second generation on this piece of land. I watched him build it from the ground up. I remember when we had a couple milk cows and tobacco. Seeing everything that he did, that’s why. The passion he has for farming and agriculture, that only made the passion inside of me grow even more." – David Hayden of Hayden Farms in Philpot, KY (Pictured L-R: Martin, Daniel, David and Joan Hayden)

Nebraska farmer: Deb Gangwish

“We take care of our farm because if we don’t treat Mother Nature well, Mother Nature doesn’t take care of us. You have to honor what you have. There may be thousands of acres around here but to us, it’s our backyard. I never think of big fields as big fields; I think of them as pieces of the planet that we have to take care of or it’s not going to be around. Sometimes I think too much, but we’re just part of such a bigger picture.” - Deb Gangwish of PG Farms in Shelton, Nebraska

Click on the photos to read each farmer's original post. I hope their stories inspire you to enjoy the outdoors, step up to responsibility, appreciate your family, and look at the big picture this week. Happy Monday! Thanks for reading!