Sacrifice: Dying that produces new life.

As such, in this the third part of my series on the topic of sustainability, we look at what would seem to be the least popular leg of the process to talk about.  In my experience this topic is most neglected in discussions, seldom getting a mention when I listen to lectures or read reports on the subject.  Maybe the speaker or writer knows it will be a “hard sell” and prefers to keep the discussion “light”.  After all, who wants to talk about sacrifice and death? They are weighty and can be demanding subjects to wrestle with.  Or maybe it is neglected due to ignorance. Regardless, there is no complete process of sustainability without death.

The fact is ALL the food we eat today, whether plant or animal, was grown at the expense, or sacrifice, of another plant or animal.  More than that, the plain truth is everything you eat was once alive and had to die before it could be consumed.

If you have a cycle of sustainability, and life and birth is part of that cycle, ( and we know that it is), then death and sacrifice must also be part of the cycle.  We observe the cycle of life and see this to be true.

In my life I have experienced what I believe are three of the most beautiful examples of this truth. Let me share them to help this truth come to life for you.

We once had an apple tree growing in a fence row of our farm. Old and twisted, it was “self pruned” by years of ice and wind brought by our Indiana winters. As it was waning in life I noticed a young apple tree had sprouted under the canopy of this old tree. A split in the branches of the parent had allowed sunlight to get through and bathe the spout in life giving light.  Over the next few years the parent tree completely gave way to the emerging young sapling which had the advantage of familiarity with the soil and climate, and the protection from early and late frosts from the parent which by now was just a rotted out stump of a trunk.  A small but yearly harvest of apples was sustained.

I was once deer hunting during bow season when all the leaves were still on the trees.  One warm evening I had perched myself above a heavily used trail in a tree stand.  A doe with two very playful fawns slowly meandered into the area.  The wind was in my favor that evening and I had not made a sound or movement, but the mother deer, suddenly “sensed” a problem and stomped her hoof into the ground.  The fawns absolutely froze. After a few moments she put her head down as if she was eating for a moment then raised quickly to check the area again.  Her ears were really working and with her nose in the air she would roll back her upper lip striving to validate her intuition. Upon a second stomp of her hoof the two fawns moved back down the path from which they came. The mother stayed behind for another five minutes or so continuously testing the air and the area. She never “busted” me directly but she knew there was something wrong and would not let it go. She protected her babies, staying behind and guarding the area and their retreat to insure their safety and possibly sustaining their lives to the next generation.

In 1997 I approached my father with a proposition.  I said to him, “Dad, I want to take the farm in a different direction.” “ I want to start raising food instead of commodities.” Dad was in his 60’s and was debt free. He owned his farm free and clear.  As I laid out the plan for what would ultimately become Moody Meats, I asked dad what he thought.  His words have never left me. He said. “I wouldn’t do it, but if I were you I would.”  Over the next twelve years dad selflessly worked for me earning $100 for a fifty hour week on MY dream to fulfill his dream of keeping the farm vital and viable for the next generation.  In 2005 he sold 95 acres and gifted the majority of the revenue to Lucy and me in order to expand our business.  His best friend from childhood and a fellow farmer thought dad was nuts.  I heard dad tell him “…there is much more of a chance of Moody Meats employing my grandchildren than that 95 acres of corn and beans will produce.”

Dad has passed now. To this day I cannot forget the sacrifice he made in his waning years when he could have just cruised out with grace and enjoyed the slower pace he was so fond of. His example of sacrifice and death to himself, like the other examples above, demonstrates to me without a doubt what a necessary part sacrifice and death play in the cycle of sustainability and in our lives.

I’ll step out on a limb here and state that the sacrifice that God made in our behalf through the gift of His Son, Jesus is the perfect example of true sustainability. This is fitting and such a good reminder to many of us at this time of the year who celebrate, not only the birth of Jesus but also Him giving His life in death so we might enjoy new life.

With that I’ll finish by saying as we approach the holidays that as far as me and my company, Christmas would just be another day without Jesus, our Christ.

Thank you for your patronage. May you have great enjoyment and peace this holiday.

From all of us to all of you, Merry Christmas and have a Safe and Happy New Year.

Adam Moody, CEO, Founder and Farmer