After 4 or 5 toiling sessions of digging the potatoes by hand, I can’t say we were looking forward to the remaining length of the 1000 ft bed, until our Amish neighbor saved the day. When Rufus told him we were harvesting by hand, he loaned us his antique potato digger, usually pulled by a horse, but we hitched it to the back of the tractor. It was one of the strangest looking setups I’ve seen in the field, but it worked like a charm and made quick work of that intimidating bed. Rufus joked (in his polished Amish accent) about how the Amish must think we’re the ones behind the times, scratching at the dirt with our fingernails. “Have you heard of this tool? It was invented in the 1800s.” We laugh, but at the same time, I know there is something deeply moving about farmers helping other farmers, reaching across a cultural divide to help a neighbor.  

~Joy  

 

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