{"id":357343,"date":"2026-07-10T04:41:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T04:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/agriculture\/the-day-that-changed-everything\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T04:41:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T04:41:41","slug":"the-day-that-changed-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=357343","title":{"rendered":"The Day that Changed Everything"},"content":{"rendered":"


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December 28, 2023. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a day that is now seared into the history of our family\u2019s farm. Three days after Christmas, our spray barn went up in flames. I was already back home in Indiana (waiting for a furniture delivery that ended in disaster, but that\u2019s another post for another day). My mom texted me a photo:<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

At first I was rather confused. Why are there flames? I don\u2019t remember exactly what I wrote, but I responded with something stupid like, \u201care those flames supposed to be there?\u201d Mom\u2019s response text made it all come into focus. The spray barn\u2013loaded with all the recently purchased chemicals for the 2024 season\u2013was on fire. (Also another post for another day, my mom\u2019s delivery of bad news.)<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>
(Caption: In her glory days.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The newest farm tractor was also in the spray barn that day. It didn\u2019t normally live there, but for one reason or another, that\u2019s where it was on the fateful day. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m truly glad I wasn\u2019t there to actually witness it. I know how I felt 40 minutes away; I can\u2019t imagine actually being there. Even now, not quite three years later, I\u2019m struggling to write this. I\u2019ve started\u2013and then stopped\u2013a number of times. But the story is one worth telling.<\/p>\n

The spray barn was specially designed to handle emergencies like these. The floor was sloped so it would catch as much chemical as it could, instead of it running out of the barn into the field. It worked, though it was eventually overwhelmed. A neighbor (who had experienced a similar thing and immediately knew when he saw the black smoke) helped dad direct the liquid into a quickly dug hole and then pumped it out into a container. <\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The firefighters arrived but could do nothing. Water on the barn would mix with the chemicals and make a bigger mess. Instead they kept the surrounding infrastructure wet and cool so nothing else caught fire. Other than trying to pump up some of the chemicals, there was nothing anyone could do. Except watch it burn. Watch the tractors go up in flames and melt (literally). Watch the plastic containers of fertilizer melt to the ground. Watch the preparations for the 2024 season go up in smoke.<\/p>\n

As hard as that day was, the next two years were a hard, constant reminder of the loss. Believe it or not, the easiest part was creating an inventory of the personal property and replacing the tractor. Then there was the insurance company to contend with, the environmental clean-up companies that wouldn\u2019t do the work, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to appease. Every single thing was such a fight. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Part of me wants to share the details, use it as therapy, and expose the companies and people who failed us in that time. But most of me can\u2019t relive it. So I won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until the end of 2025 that the last check was sent and the new building was finally erected. It\u2019s currently waiting for concrete. Just like the original barn, this one was built to withstand the worst case scenario, too. I nearly cried when I pulled into the driveway and saw it for the first time, right where the other one once existed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

I didn\u2019t personally have a financial stake in what happened. It wasn\u2019t my livelihood on the line. But this is why I went to law school and worked so hard\u2013so I could step up for my family when it was most needed. I took that burden very seriously. And I felt it every time I had to do battle. We prevailed, but there was a hefty cost.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

My loyal readers may have noticed that I haven\u2019t done much blogging in the last two years, aside from my monthly AGDAILY piece (and kudos to my editor for his patience with me). Every time I sat down to write, to create, to reengage, I couldn\u2019t. Because I knew I hadn\u2019t yet resolved the barn fire. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be honest: I don\u2019t think The Farmer\u2019s Daughter USA will ever look, feel, or read like it did before. My life changed in other ways during those two years. In some really good ways. And those things now have a new priority in my life. The world has changed too: the issues are different, the content is different, and creators are different. (Do people still read blog posts?)<\/p>\n

Still, I want to show up for this. I\u2019m still passionate about modern agriculture and rural communities. I love advocacy. And I miss writing for myself. <\/p>\n

\n\"signature\"\/\n<\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 28, 2023. It\u2019s a day that is now seared into the history of our family\u2019s farm. Three days after Christmas, our spray barn went up in flames. I was already back home in Indiana (waiting for a furniture delivery that ended in disaster, but that\u2019s another post for another day). 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