Thanks, Dad

Charles Kruse

I lost my father on September 17th, just 12 days shy of his 99th birthday. I've been thinking a lot lately about all the changes Dad witnessed in his long life. He started farming with mules and his grain auger was a scoop shovel. I think about that whenever I'm feeling like I've got it tough because the air conditioning is out in my tractor cab; that complaint did not garner me much sympathy from Dad.

Even though he had it rough in his early years, he never complained and was always excited about new technology, eager to find a better way to do things. In fact, he was one of the first in Missouri's Bootheel to recognize the promise irrigation held for our land, and he began irrigating in the '60s.

Dad taught me a lot, sometimes by telling me, and other times by the way he lived his life. It is from him that I developed my appreciation of the land and my love for farming. Dad always told me to leave the farm in better shape than when I inherited it. He also told me to always tell the truth. By being truthful, Dad said I would not have to remember everything I said.

I'll never forget the day we went to buy a new tractor. We went to the dealership and found just the tractor we were looking for. I was sure we would buy that tractor, but instead Dad thanked the owner for his time and told him we'd like to think about it.

As soon as we were headed home, I started questioning Dad about why he did not buy that tractor. He told me, "Son, when you have the luxury of time, you should always sleep on a decision and see if you feel the same way about it the next day." Well, we did get that tractor a few days later, but while that tractor is gone, Dad's words are not. I've always tried to follow Dad's advice about sleeping on a decision when possible and his advice on many other subjects as well. Farming is different now than it was when Dad was running the farm; let's face it, the whole world is different now. I can't help but think, however, if more folks lived their life like Dad - working hard, not complaining about the past, paying their own way, looking for ways to make things work better and leaving things in better shape than they were when they found them - we wouldn't have many of the concerns facing us today.

Fourth generation farmer Charles E. Kruse, of Dexter, Mo., serves as the president of the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization.