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Out standing in the field – Sketching an Arkansas Soybean Farm

I was invited to tour a farm by the Arkansas Soybean Promotional Board not far from where I lived to share the stories of Arkansas soybean farmers. #ARSoyStory #themiraclebean #ARSoySupper #ARSoyTour

We were ferried on a hayride out to the middle of the Thrash family (3rd and 4th generation) farm. It was mid morning on a Friday in late October as I stood in a soybean field sketching. The bean fields and cypress grove sprawled out in front of me as a chilling air current from the Arkansas River behind me whipped over my collar.

Photo provided by the Arkansas Soybean Promotional Board

Brrrr.

Fall was just making itself known. My boots sucked and squished in the wet soil as the weight of my body made its impression in the field. When fall comes to Arkansas it often brings a flood of rain. The fields. The hayride and tractor. The cows in the paddock we passed. It was all terribly bucolic. Just what we always imagine the farming life to be.

But as I sketched this dreamlike landscape, the farming family we were visiting spoke with hint of tension. The rains were soaking the soybean fields at harvest time. They needed drier crops before they could be picked. And if the crops were eventually picked, what would the quality be and how much would be salvageable.

I popped a pod off its stem for closer examination. I love the small intricate details of a plant. As I examined the fuzzy hairlike texture of the pod, I noticed the the end had split open from the expanding sprout of one of the beans in the pod.  Due to the massive amount of rain the soybeans were sprouting in their pods before they could be harvested.

Agriculture is Arkansas’ largest industry with soybeans being the largest row crop. Being on the farm just really reminded me about the life of the farmer.  Put a seed in the ground and gambling with Mother Nature on the payout just to make a living and feed the world.  November is national soybean month so along with the spirit of thankfulness.  Don’t forget to thank a farmer.  Big farm, small farm, traditional, urban, whatever.  Say thanks.

Here are some more fun pictures from the day.  Stay tuned for the completed illustration of the soybean field.