17 Chapter 17

“This is Silver Queen corn,” he told me, gesturing grandly with his hand.

“How many acres?”

“We only have two. It’s easy to manage, assuming we get enough rain. When there’s not enough, we need to irrigate, which can get complicated.”

I shook my head, looking over the stalks of corn that were nearly as tall as me. How amazing it all was. So much dedication was required to make this work. I knew the basics of farm life, having grown up around this, but I’d never thought of it in terms of effort. Farmers had to be completely committed. Anything else would lead to ruin and waste.

“Seems like too much,” I said. “I can’t imagine having the patience to do so many things at once. Sheep, cows, crops.”

“We also have hens and goats.”

I glanced at Colten and was rewarded with seeing him smile.

“And this is your life, huh?” I asked. “You want to do this? Take over after your dad retires?”