Sean Dengler.

With the planting season off to a slow start thanks to the always compelling Iowa weather, it is the time of year when hope is at its best.

Being a farmer, optimism is key to starting every year. Farming is truly blind faith. No matter what the plan for the growing season and how good it is, Mother Nature will have the last say.

No matter what crop the farmer grows – from the corn and soybean to the vegetable and fruit farmers – this hope abounds with all farmers. The goal of a bountiful harvest is bright, and the problems which might prevent it are far off in the distance. The start of planting season means the doldrums of winter are over. This patience of waiting comes to an end as the first day of planting arrives with the kinks needing to be worked out. Nonetheless, the growing season has started.

The hope with the gamble of weather for farmers is utterly unique. No matter what Mother Nature provides and takes away. It is the hardest version of gambling, but farmers still do it for their legacy, their pride, and their love of the game. To farm is to be one of a different breed. Much can be said about incentives being pushed to grow certain crops, but at its core, the experience of a farmer putting their trust in their ability to grow a good crop knows no bounds.

As much research has been done by universities and agribusinesses, the variable of nature can always change it. Designing computer code, marketing techniques, and creating music are all difficult, but nothing can ever make a maestro in one of these professions completely change the entire rules of the game. This is what farmers experience every year. No one knows what is going to happen. If you think you do, you will be wrong.

For those farmers putting their crops in the ground for another year, good luck. I wish you nothing but success. I hope for few if no breakdowns. I hope people give you grace no matter what crop you are growing or what machinery you must use. To put your heart and soul into farming is an admirable feat. The determination to keep coming back each year, no matter how the previous year went, with optimism each year is impressive.

It does not matter if the previous year did not go well. A farmer wants to farm another year. Fighting this fight after a tough round is a commendable goal. The money might not be much, the system is set up to squeeze farmers, finding labor can be tough, but being a farmer is extraordinary. Good luck in the fields, and I wish you all a safe, productive, and healthy planting and growing season.

Sean Dengler is a writer, comedian, now-retired beginning farmer, and host of the Pandaring Talk podcast who grew up on a farm between Traer and Dysart. You can reach him at sean.h.dengler@gmail.com.