It’s winter on the farm (even though the weather at times isn’t sure). The fields are quiet and anticipating 2017. Tractors and equipment are tucked away in the sheds after a hard year in the fields.

I bet it seems at times when you roll by farms that things look like they stand still in the winter. But behind those doors of the shop or the homes are still people, like us, working.

My husband spends time in the shop working on our tractors or our client’s equipment. I’m behind the computer and mounds of end-of-year paperwork crunching numbers and preparing for tax season.

Most of our winters are spent doing this, or in between conferences, meetings and appointments. And of course, we celebrate the holidays together as a family.

Then comes time to reflect about our year. Would we have changed anything? How did we operate on the farm? How did the crops fair this year to previous years? Do we need to increase/decrease chemical, seed, fertilizer, etc. purchases?

Next, comes the dreaded “to do” list on the farm--things to do before we get busy in the fields. Are their trees to trim in the fields? Are there any major repairs that are needed on any of our tractors, planters or combine?

And finally comes the decision list for next year’s crops. We meet with our seed expert and decide what is best when it comes to certain crops. We have the freedom to choose what brand of seed, what type of seed and where it goes. We ask ourselves, “Does it need to be more drought tolerant, longer growth season, pest resistant?” We look back at our notes from previous years. It can sometimes be a guessing game, no matter how much you plan. Mother Nature could make it a drought year, wet year or a rough year.

And then we hope for the new year--to make it another year; to squeak by these low-income times. We hope that nothing major happens on the farm or to the family.

I think we all hope for next year to be better, and that our family remains happy and healthy. And, we can only hope our past experiences can help in some way.