People have asked us why we stay in the midwest. They wonder if a company like ours wouldn’t be better suited to either coast.
They think this is flyover country… just an inconsequential prairie between important places. They don’t understand us at all.
I wish they would check out Matt Rubel’s recent piece and photo essay in Modern Farmer that Ryan shared with me last night. Rubel’s account happened near where my sister and I grew up and where my family still lives. It tells you everything about why we’re proud to have grown up here, and why we’ll raise our children here.
A local farmer, Jake Moore, was arranging a tribute for his best friend, Kyle Hendrix (31), who had recently passed away from cancer. Kyle left behind a pretty young wife, two young children, and an entire community who thought the world of him.
Jake’s original plan was to put 20 or so tractors along the road between the edge of Bement and the cemetery just outside of town.
What began as a simple row of tractors became much more.
The next morning I went with two other cousins to help line up what had now become over 60 pieces of farm equipment along the road. The sheer mass of steel began attracting attention throughout the morning as dozens of farmers moved tractors, trucks, spreaders and combines neatly along the roadside.
Click me to check out the rest of the amazing photos and the rest of the story.
A similar outpouring of support and help came to our family after my father had an accident in 1977. I remember at least a couple other occasions where farmers joined together to finish the harvest. You might think it’s awesome, and I might agree with you, but the people involved wouldn’t make or want a fuss. They’d just say it was the right thing to do.
There’s a reason the midwest is the heart of our country.
I think you summarized it perfectly. Thanks for sharing this.
I grew up in the Chestnut, IL area in a farming family. My father suffered from prostate cancer and passed away in December of 1991. That fall prior to his death, many of our extended family and friends from the community who were also farmers, all showed up in our fields and finished the harvest for him. I was with my dad when my mom told him about the generosity of others and It was one of the few times that I saw my father come to tears. There’s nothing like growing up in the Midwest!
People who think of the Midwest as a flyover also miss out on this important distinction – “doing business” is far more than just “making money”.
I’d rather do business in the Midwest than anywhere else.