In a ride-along corn harvest with my bonus son, Tyler, I noticed crayons on the combine floorboard and snapped this picture. There’s also a leather glove, a broom, a coloring book, a random nut and bolt, and a well-worn boot.

It’s a telling photo on many levels, as harvest usually includes several "take your kid to work days.”

Some call this clutter, but any farmer with toddlers can relate. Family and farming are almost always interconnected. That was the purpose for this photo, but once I pulled it up on my computer monitor, it presented a potential solution to my problem of what to buy Tyler for his upcoming birthday.

I honed in on the work boot. I’m sure Tyler has worn these exact boots around me many times; I never noticed the wear. Some might call this simply “broken in.” But from this photo, it looks like he might need a new pair to begin to break in as he eases out of this trusty pair. It could be a combo birthday-Christmas present for this hard-to-buy-for guy.

What to buy?

There’s been some discussion about brands and their reputations against other names in the market.

Having owned this brand before, my husband, Chris, identified Tyler’s boots as steel-toed Red Wings. Chris raves about Red Wings, but now owns a pair of Brunt work boots. Both are waterproof and durable.

But, what’s the best bang-for-the-buck boot out there? I’m looking for your input. What serves you best and why? What’s worth the money and what is not? How do Muck, Ariat, Wolverine, Carhartt and others stand up?

I know there’s been more polling than people can stand lately, but I’d love to hear what you think. Send me your thoughts at [email protected]. I’ll share the results in an upcoming column.