My new Assistant Zach has survived four weeks of being a minion at Harrison Farm, and he fits in very well to our farm family. Zach is active in FFA, is passionate about playing football, is a very good conversationalist, and has a positive attitude. Thus far, this intrepid sixteen year old is managing to tolerate my eccentricities as a farmer quite well. He has been a most welcome addition to our team! My former interns Elizabeth & Marissa were both out to the farm today, along with Student Assistant Zach. Elizabeth is a beacon of so much goodness & laughter, and the work load somehow seems much lighter just by the virtue of her company. Marissa is preparing to transition from intern to assistant at Harrison Farm as she wraps up her college career. I am markedly impressed with the manner in which Marissa is embracing more opportunity & responsibility at the farm. She has a strong intellectual curiosity and a heart for animals. Neither Elizabeth nor Marissa grew up on a farm, yet one would never think that to see how competently they have learned to manage the work of Harrison Farm. They are both strong, caring women.
Today I was onsite all day with my awesome team. I gave them each individual tasks & group projects to accomplish -- and then unleashed them. I am full of pride for the leadership & work ethic that they displayed in carrying out their assignments. At our designated time for lunch break, my team returned and settled in around the kitchen table. I finished making lunch, while they read over three articles I had saved for them as our weekly "Harrison Farm Required Reading": an interview with the Executive Vice President of Ohio Farm Bureau, the obituary for the amazing physicist Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus, and a personal reflection by the President of the University of Richmond on the value of listening.
As I prepped our lunch -- and watched those three remarkable young people sitting at the kitchen table reading -- my heart was so full. They finished their reading, we prayed, and then we dined. Our menu was Harrison Farm scrambled eggs, Red Beans & Rice with Harrison Farm Goat Sausage, and Harrison Farm Lamb Brats. We like protein. For dessert, we enjoyed a batch of Grandmother Harrison's Chocolate Chip Cookies. During the meal we discussed the "required reading", laughed about our misadventures with the day's farmwork, and made plans for the future of the farm. I cannot imagine a more fabulous lunch than what I enjoyed today.
I love this farm with all my heart, and I believe it deserves the opportunity to serve a purpose for our community. My heart is full of joy as I watch these phenomenal young people gain skills, embrace animal agriculture, and become mature citizens of integrity. Our afternoon brought more farm work, a "traveling goatherd" expedition to a neighbor who needed help with a goat, and a wonderful visit from one of my very favorite families. It was a good day. My grandfather had a plaque in his office with a quote from President Abraham Lincoln: "I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him." These days it seems that this farm looks a bit prouder, stands up a bit taller. Harrison Farm is finding its purpose. And it seems that Katherine Harrison is, too.
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