Little lives

Our family gathered in the Washington, D.C., area this week for the christening of our daughter's twin children. It was a joyous event bringing family and friends together to dedicate ourselves to the upbringing of these two (five-month-old) infants. In the midst of church ceremonies, smiles, tears and single-purpose garments, I realized that the promise we invoke at a Catholic mass or Protestant service parallels the commitment a farmer or rancher makes each time a crop is planted or livestock offspring is born.

The responsibility of steering a child through the formative period of his or her life requires vigilance and determination. So does the husbandry to assure that nature and human care work in harmony in the shorter, but no less important, development of a calf or lamb or a crop of Wheat or corn.

Agriculture and parenting are about responsibility and active intervention, when needed. It is understood that the development of life takes its own course with many functions imbedded in the genes, but it is also known that careful observation and action make a great deal of difference in the final outcome.

I see great promise in these children. I feel that they can exceed all prior generations because they have started from a stronger base of support than those of us who were born in the transitional period of modern medicine and social enlightenment. I worry that the complexity of life will overwhelm them but I realize that each new generation deals with an environment that is different than that of its parental line.

The strongest urging of life is procreation, whether it is our own species or the domesticated plants or animals of our profession. A good parent prepares for the birth of a child by creating a hospitable environment from which the new life can emerge. The same can be said for the preparation of a seedbed for a crop or birthing environment for livestock. We know that new life is tender and nature can be cruel and harsh. Our hope is to set each new life on a pathway to reach its full potential.

These babies enter a world with six billion inhabitants already competing for resources. Three hundred million in our country alone! The need for guidance is greater than ever as these children will likely live for the remainder of this century in a world that will become more crowded and complex. Is this any different than a farmer who sees greater pressure to produce in a more complicated environment with competing products emerging and greater structural hurdles being imposed by an urbanized society?

We live in a world where maintaining the status quo isn't good enough. Like it or not, each generation must achieve more than the last just to keep up. Like the reference in Alice in Wonderland: All of a sudden they start running, with the Red Queen holding Alice's hand and yelling "Faster! Faster!" but they remain in the same place. When they stop, the queen explains that, there, one must run just to keep in place, and to get anywhere else one must run at least twice as fast.

In no case do we know what tomorrow will bring. We have only our own experiences and the teachings of our culture to guide us. In some cases we put so much of our time and energy into guarding against the unknown that we fail to reach our full potential. In other cases we follow new pathways that reach a dead end and require retreat to avoid failure. It is as much a part of the human spirit to risk as it is to guard hard fought achievement. It is the young who are most likely to accept greater risk as they see themselves as invincible. It is ironic that those who have the most to live for have the least regard for longevity.

So as we shepherd each new generation, as we are the force of reason and caution and they are the adventurous and bold. We realize that each new life is sacred and should receive the greatest care, but we also realize that our work can only provide a platform from which the new generation emerges, achieves and builds a new base beyond our reach.

May you have peace and joy as we begin the holiday season. May we appreciate our friends, families and this wonderful country. May we make the commitment as parents, grandparents, as well as stewards of the soil and the keepers of livestock, to provide the best environment for little lives to emerge and achieve great things.

Editor's note: Ken Root is now celebrating his 34th year as an agricultural professional. His career began as a vocational agriculture teacher then turned to agricultural broadcasting and writing as well as environmental consulting and association management. He was the original host of AgriTalk (1994-2001) and now is lead farm broadcaster for WHO Radio in Des Moines, Iowa. Ken also contributes to the Midwest Ag Report electronic newsletter each Friday. A free e-mail subscription is available by going to www.hpj.com and clicking on Midwest Ag Report.

Date: 11/22/06

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