Something Better

It all started in 2^nd grade, the very first time I helped my uncle work his cattle. It was at that moment, when I was so proud and excited for being able to help, that I knew that I had found what I loved. I was only 7 years old at the time, and it is crazy to think that a 7-year old could find something they were passionate about, but I ran with it. I put on my shirt with a green 4 leaf clover on it for the first time in 4^th grade, knowing I eventually wanted to be in that ring with the “big kids” showing cattle someday. I begged and hassled my dad until finally, he gave me a challenge to accomplish before I would be able to have my own bottle calf. He said, “You know, all the great showmen have their own show box. So, before you can get a calf, we need to build a show box.”

            It was game on from that point forward. I spent several hours and days planning and building that show box, and finally, the day came to show my project off to the woodworking judge. That was my first time I ever received a purple ribbon for my efforts. Looking back now though, it was never about that purple ribbon… It was about learning, growing, and working hard for something I was passionate about. I went on that following year to show my first bottle calf, and I will never forget crying my eyes out when it was time to say goodbye. But again, it wasn’t about winning showmanship in that ring, but rather it was about the lessons and the passion that would carry me on to numerous other opportunities.

Soon after my bottle calf was gone, my dad started his own herd of cattle, and it became even more real of how much I truly enjoyed working with cattle. I never personally grew up on a farm, but through the kindness of our neighbors and the barn they let us use for years just a couple miles down the road, I showed clear until I graduated high school.

Flash forward to now, and just a few months back, I was able to watch my partner in crime, my sister, Kristen, compete in the State Track Finals in the shuttle hurdle relay. I was so hyped when they won 4^th place in the whole state, and I can’t describe the smile on her face when I saw her after her race! My family was ecstatic, coaches were stoked, it was all around a monumental moment for our family and community. Thinking nothing could go wrong that day, I decided to go home and take a short nap (like a normal college kid), and then rest up in the evening. I began to close my eyes, thinking about how far each one of my family members have come through various challenges of their own. Nearly an hour later, I woke up to my mom’s frantic loud voice, “Erica, get in your car, I just got a call that the barn is on fire.”

            Sprinting out of my bed faster than I ever have in my life, I tripped down the stairs, put on shoes, and sped down the highway going nearly 100MPH. Cop cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and volunteer firefighters who were coming in personal vehicles all started to flood into the yard, as my dad and I frantically tried to figure out what to do with the calves that were stuck inside the gates.

            Soon enough, a volunteer fireman came running and screaming from behind the blazing barn, “Let the cattle out! It’s going to fall any second!”

            I sprinted to the nearest swinging gate while my dad sprinted to the other, both working as fast as possible to let our show calves escape the scorching heat. Finally, the calves were able to run, and in no later than 30 seconds after pulling those gates apart, the barn collapsed with an unbearable amount of heat surrounding the area. Two calves loose without halters near two major highways, all of the equipment I had saved up for and purchased over the years and gotten for gifts, and the barn that my friends and sister created memories in were gone in an instant. Tearing up while tracking down the lead steers on a 4wheeler, I couldn’t help but continue to think “This is agriculture.” Why those words came to my mind, I’m not quite sure, but it kept popping into my head. By the time we finally walked the cattle two miles up the highway to a neighbor’s pasture, over six neighbors had stopped to see if they could help in any way.

            I’ll never forget the hug my dad gave me once we shut the gate to the pasture with the steers inside. While that all happened within two hours, coming back to the sight of no barn or equipment left standing was quite a site. As I sat there in the lawn for a while after, watching the remains of the barn smolder and the firefighters continuing to work, I began to think. The memories, good times and bad, came flooding back, and this unfathomable and shocking moment came down to these three realizations:

1. You find out who your friends are. My family and I had several people texting, calling, messaging, emailing, and just plain worrying about our well being and our neighbor’s well being. 6 fire trucks, 3 different fire departments, 7 cops, 2 ambulances, nearly 20 volunteer firefighters, and 7 neighbors came to the rescue in a moments notice. In fact, after riding the bus to Earlham every day for Ag class, one of my bus drivers even came with the fire department for moral support of myself after knowing that was the location of our cattle. They are the everyday heroes. Those are the events that remind a person to count your blessings and to pull over when you see those flashing lights.

2. Under no circumstances can you replace a person. The feed, bales, chutes, grooming supplies, halters, combs, and much more is replaceable. You can’t replace a person. You can’t replace your sister or your neighbor or your dad. Even our cattle are replaceable. While I would never wish upon anyone to have livestock die in such a gruesome way, I am thankful that the firefighters, first responders, and neighbors were all safe.

3. This is agriculture. Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, strong winds, hail, snow, rain, sleet, drought, it is part of the territory. There is something to be said about farmers and their ability to persevere. To the agronomists and feed nutritionists and seed scientists and Ag teachers and loan officers and salesmen, you truly amaze me by your persistence in feeding a world. In working together for a common cause. In helping those in a time of need and problem solving in an ever-so-changing world. You are the tilting point in turning our world around. Nobody can fight on an empty stomach, and I am honored to pursue a passion with a population of people who share the same enthusiasm and perseverance to see agriculture through the good and bad.

I wouldn’t wish a situation like this upon anybody. But I also know by the grace of God, something better is always around the corner. He is enough, day in and day out. Again, it proves how quickly material things can go, but with a strong family, network of friends, and a foundation in Christ, there will be nothing ever given to me and my family that we can’t handle. 

Erica Baier

Past Iowa FFA State Officer