Rain desperately needed for planting season
Guest column by Fr. Kenneth Borowiak
Pastor, St. Michael Parish in Lincoln
Farming is a way of life in Nebraska. Even though the total number of farms and the number of people involved in agriculture is not where it was 100 years ago (1924); nonetheless, farming and ranching is still the dominant occupation in Nebraska.
Reports say net farm income in Nebraska is now between $7 and $8 billion. This amount is from row crops (corn and beans), hay, cattle, hogs and poultry production, ethanol and much more.
When factoring in other ag-related industries: equipment sales – tractors, combines, field cultivation equipment, hay equipment, trucks, sprayers, grain conveyance and storage, seed sales, etc. – the amount agriculture contributes to the Nebraska economy is at least $25 billion.
Farmers and ranchers are also the backbone of every community and Catholic parish in Nebraska. Through property taxes and private stewardship in charitable giving, they support education on all levels, emergency response, the construction of community infrastructure, maintenance of roads and bridges, healthcare, the arts, Catholic schools, Catholic ministries and outreaches in a variety of other civic, religious and community affairs.
Nebraska would not be anywhere what it is without agriculture. In addition to the measurable contributions farming and ranching make to our state, agriculture is woven into the religious and human fabric of who we are as a people.
Even though they may not live on a farm or ranch, nearly every Nebraskan has connections to agriculture – whether current or past. Readers of the Register remember many hours spent picking up small bales, moving irrigation pipe, working cattle or hogs, picking up eggs or making fence.
So many of us can recall in memory – and with a longing – the sense of satisfaction of a long day of hard work. Every season brought its own blessing and highlights.
Farm life is based on several premises. It is reliant on the Lord as the giver and sustainer of all things. Work is dependent on a team, which is usually a family effort. The ideals of self-reliance, dependence on neighbors helping neighbors and contributing to the Church and community is just an expectation of farm life.
As the spring planting season approaches, we are reminded that our lives and work are rooted in the belief in and reliance that God gives us all things as the Scriptures remind us abundantly. Even today, with all of the advancements in technology and equipment and communication, any success in farming is not possible without Jesus, His Father and the Holy Spirit, the beginning and end of all things.
Today, much of Nebraska needs abundant and generous rain. As men and women gear up for the planting season, it is the time to ask our Lord for moisture, favorable planting conditions and safety in the fields (Deut. 28:12-14; Lev. 26:4; Psalm 72:6; Joel 2:23, Matt. 5:45 and 17 others).
A well-known and admirable practice in the Church in years past was Rogation Days. Rogation Days are days set apart to bless the fields and invoke God’s mercy on all of creation. The Catholic Church had certain days and seasons with litanies and beseeching the Lord for His presence in our lives. What an excellent practice! Rogation comes from the Latin rogo, which means “to ask.” I am a firm believer that it pays to ask. Jesus told us repeatedly in His life as recorded in the Scriptures to ask, ask and ask (Matt. 6:9-13; Philippians 4:6,7; 1 John 5:14, Mark 11:22-25; Matt. 18:19, 20 and many more).
Rogation Days are appropriately celebrated during the Easter season, which usually is at the beginning of the planting and the spring calving season. The practice of asking God for His intercession in oversight of our lives is something everyone should do on a daily basis, in every circumstance. Ask individually or with others. Possibly, your parish might set aside a particular weekend where parishioners bring buckets of seed and different things involved in farming and the parish priest will bless those items, asking God for His Providence and abundant blessing on them.
One particular need right now for most of Nebraska is an immediate need for rain. Large parts of the state remain under severe or extreme drought. As spring approaches, rain is needed to make the ground receptive to planting and growth. Beseech the Lord daily in response to His promises.
