Sheilah: “I wasn’t able to attend the first class session. I had to work, so Mike was on his own. A couple of our friends had also signed up so he was able to ride with them.

“Mike came home excited that it would be a good program. He mentioned there was homework to do before the next session – about 6 weeks away. Since I didn’t make that class, I told him I’d help with the homework.”

Mike: “The second session is scheduled this Wednesday. Sheilah can’t make this one either; she has a different class to go to.

A SOLID STATEMENT: The Reskovac’s first Ag Bix Master accomplishment was writing their farm’s mission statement.

“That’s partially my fault. I told her all classes would be on Mondays. I was wrong, and as bad luck goes, Wednesday is the day she attends her other classes. But, of course, I’d never pass up the chance to have her help me with the homework.”

Sheilah: “I kept asking when he wanted to sit down and work on it. And he kept giving me that good old “maybe tomorrow” reply.”

Mike: “I figured we had all kinds of time to get it done. Finally, we nailed down Sunday afternoon to work on it. Wouldn’t you know, a windy cold front moved in and knocked the power out for about four hours.

“No big deal. There was still lots of time left in the evening to get the homework done. We could sit on the couch together and watch the videos on Sheilah’s laptop. I hate sitting at the desktop for long periods of time.

“We were all set to go with her laptop. But of course, the Adobe Player wasn’t updated.”

Sheilah: “I told Mike to just download the new version; it wouldn’t take that long.

“But Mike has no patience for technology. Our other option was to go upstairs and use the desktop. I knew he wouldn’t like that.”

Mike: “She’s right. I was so fed up with computer and the time already wasted. I was done working on it for the night.”

Sheilah: “Well, that’s fine. But you realize I work the next two days, right? I won’t be able to help you get it done if we don’t do it now!”

Mike: “I’d forgotten about Sheilah’s work schedule. I can never keep track of it. I guess that’s what I get for procrastinating.

“No worries though. I completed the homework in a timely manner – about 2 hours before the next class. Maybe next time I won’t wait so long to start on the homework.”

Sheilah: “I won’t hold my breath on that one!

“That night, Mike told me all about the class and the topics they discussed. He was excited, and told me how everyone had to write up a mission statement. Here’s what he came up with:

“Reskovac Farms LLC is a progressive family farm that values a good quality of life for its owners and employees. We practice sustainability by using the latest technology available to raise our grain crops while being good stewards of our natural resources. We strive to be involved in our local community and to provide a positive image of agriculture.”

Mike: “Writing a mission statement is something I’ve always wanted to do, but never taken the time to do.”

Sheilah: “It sounded good. Hopefully, I’ll be able to attend the next session.”

The Reskovacs farm near Uniontown, Pa. (No report on his hunting season success.) Read all their "Two Hearts, One Harvest" columns in American Agriculturist. This opinion is not necessarily that of Penton.com.