A Farmer’s Creed
In memory of the Joe-kster’s Uncle, Vernon (Shorty) Alexander Moll
Born on August 8, 1914 in Raub, North Dakota, U.S.
Passed away on July 3, 2008 in Dawson Creek, B.C. at 93 years of age
I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity and that no calling bestows
this more abundantly than farming.
I believe hard work and honest
sweat are the building blocks of a person’s character.
I believe that farming, despite
its hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honourable way a man
can spend his days on this earth.
I believe farming nurtures the
close family ties that make life rich in ways money can’t buy.
I believe my children are
learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned in no other way.
I believe farming provides
education for life and that no other occupation teaches so much about birth,
growth and maturity in such a variety of ways.
I believe many of the best
things in life are indeed free; the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of
wide-open spaces, the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring.
I believe true happiness comes
from watching your crops ripen in the field, your children growing tall in the sun,
your whole family feeling the pride that springs from their shared experience.
I believe that by my toil I am
giving more to the world than I am taking from it, an honour that does not come
to all men.
I believe my life will be
measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellow man, and by this standard
I fear no judgment.
I believe when a man grows old
and sums up his days, he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life
he’s lived.
I believe in farming because it
makes all this possible.