Sharing the harvest

Driving a combine all day through ripe, golden wheat gives a person time to think. For Almira area farmgirl Alison Viebrock-Steveson, it also gives her time to take amazing photos.

Viebrock-Steveson shares her life as a wheat farmer though her social media page, Blessed Farmgirl, and regularly posts “photos, videos and stats about wheat farming along with other ag information for readers.

She said she hopes the content will provide education for those who may not know much about farming.

“I think everyone should have a chance to sit in a combine,” she said. “If someone can learn something they didn’t know from my posts, I think that’s great. There are a lot of things that I sometimes think are obvious that aren’t obvious to people not raised on a farm.”

Viebrock-Steveson was raised on a wheat farm near Waterville and said she started driving tractors and machinery as a young woman.

“It wasn’t until my 20s that I realized I was the first woman on the farm to drive a tractor,” she reflected. “But I think being raised on a farm gives us a certain kind of attitude about not wanting to be told what we can and can’t do. I think you should go after what you want. I’d much rather look back on my life and say I tried instead of not going after a fulfilling life.”

Viebrock-Steveson and her husband, Kyle, have four children: Wyatt, Carter, Ryan and Grace. Carter often drives the grain wagon during harvest while Alison and Kyle run the combines. Viebrock-Steveson said she feels fortunate to share the harvest work with family. She also notes that farming offers her some special moments that can be hard to explain.

“In the fall when we are done seeding and its dark and you can hear the radiator ticking as its cooling down I know I am experiencing something special,” she said. “I like to share some of those moments on social media because people don’t know what they are missing.”

While Viebrock-Steveson said she doesn’t consider herself a professional photographer, she has always had an appreciation for the craft.

“When I was in high school, we had a dark room and using all the chemicals and watching the photos develop gave me an appreciation for what it takes to make a great photo,” she said.

Viebrock-Steveson and her family will be harvesting the soft white wheat they grow until mid-August with an anticipated planting date of Aug. 20.