This is us

A local farmer is offering a new way for ranchers and farmers to document their stories and well-earned memories after a year of hard work.

For as long as she can remember, Chelsey Erdmann, née Schafer, and her family have been playing "Hokey Pokey" at their farm on New Year's Eve. The game foreshadows what kind of year they're about to have; a year with lots of crop, luck, or money, and it's just one example of what Erdmann hopes to bring to farm and ranch families throughout rural America.

Erdmann, who currently works full time on the farm she grew up on, nine miles west of New Rockford, believes that the stories farm and ranch families tell are special, and she's offering a journal that allows them to share those stories, while documenting how the previous year's harvest turned out.

"I felt very called to do something with my life and I could not put my finger on what it was," Erdmann explained. "So I prayed very hard to be led in a direction of how I could serve, and finally ... out of nowhere, right before I fell asleep, I was given this idea that farms and ranches should have a baby book essentially. A book to write down little memories, because that can be just as special as the books that we fill out as we raise our kids."

When farmers open the journal, they'll immediately see inspirational quotes to keep them going through tough times and to inspire them to continue writing their story. Next, they'll find a page called Hokey Pokey, which includes directions for the game and a place to record their results.

At the end of the year, they can then turn the page and begin telling their story. Simple prompts are provided to ensure that even the smallest, and sometimes most important, details don't fall through the cracks. Erdmann recalled a story of her grandfather standing on the seat of the combine, while driving it with his feet, in order to stay out of the barley dust.

Stories like that and many more are exactly what Erdmann hopes farm and ranch families can capture with their journal.

"I think that farm and ranch families have an incredibly special story, one that should be preserved," Erdmann said. "I could listen to my grandma and grandpa, or anyone in my family, talk about farm history for days. Their stories are rich and powerful and it's often little details that stick out to me the most."

Erdmann began designing her journal in May and started printing in September, and she already completed a soft pre-order launch. Now, she's in the midst of her full launch and she's already seeing sales.

Each journal is set up to last a decade, and Erdmann hopes her journal will help rural American's record the kind of ag history that's too often forgotten. Those interested in purchasing a journal for themselves or their family this holiday season, can go to http://www.ohthatschelsey.com/shop-1.

"People's stories are really special. ... Even if you don't have anyone to pass the farm onto, but your journal ends up on the shelf of your niece's, step-son's, grandkid in New York City one day, that's incredibly special and that's ag history," Erdmann explained. "We are continuing to be farther removed from the farm, so us sharing our perspective is a great thing."