6 Forces Driving More
compelling them to withstand the relentless agony of emaciation and
ultimately starvation.
Their sacrifice cries out with lessons worth heeding. What we
dismiss as worthless may be infinitely valuable. What we measure may
be woefully incomplete. What we cannot see may be critically relevant.
And what we ignore may ultimately prescribe our future.
Part of my reverence for seeds came from wondering how colonial
farmers got by before seed companies came along. What happened
when crops planted in the current year succumbed to extreme events
like drought, wiping out next year’s seed supply? How did they protect
seeds against inevitable damage from humidity and heat, not to mention
invasions of insects and rodents whose voracious appetites could quickly
devour precious seed reserves?
The other part came from observing my father at planting time.
When I was old enough to help, I asked why corn seed was colored pink
while wheat seed was turquoise. With a grin he said the colors kept
mice—and me—from eating them before they were planted. In fact,
the coating protected against fungi, bacteria, and moisture until the
conditions were right for germination.
We planted winter wheat in the fall. Most everything else waited
until spring. Preparing the land while the weather cooperated could
be intense. But when the moment came to start planting, my father’s
next steps were cautiously executed. It began with a top-to-bottom
inspection of the planter. Chains and gear drives were lubed, hoppers
and tubes were examined, the depth and spacing of each planting arm
was set, checked, then rechecked. When filling the hoppers, we handled
the seed as if it were precious glass.
When planting began, he followed a precise plan without rushing. A
few yards into the first pass, he shut down the tractor and checked each
row for proper seed depth and spacing. At periodic intervals he repeated
the process, while verifying each hopper was drawing down seed at
similar rates. He insisted that the rows for each pass be straight; and I
learned through experience that he had little tolerance for deviations.
Of the seeds we planted, the most intriguing for me was alfalfa. From
a speck the diameter of a pinhead emerged a perennial plant whose