A Morning of Golden Fields: My Real-Life Journey Through Harvesting Our Family Rice Farm

The morning was peaceful the and that makes you stop and breathe for a moment. The sun had just begun to rise, and its soft light touched the fields where our rice plants stood tall, new golden, heavy with grain, and ready for harvest. It was finally time. As soon as the grains turned yellow, we immediately scheduled harvester. Watching the machine drive into the field felt like a familiar and emotional moment, another season, another chapter and another blessing.

I grew up on a farm, so everything about harvesting rice is part of my real life. I know the gee of mud between my toes during rainy days, the heat of the sun on my back during dry season and the weight of each spent in the field. Farmers wake up before sunrise, long before the village even stirs, Because the fields cannot wait. We return home tired, clothes soaked either in sweat or rainwater, depending on the season. But no matter how exhausting the work is, the land continues to call us back.

Farming rice is not a job, it’s a commitment. A sacrifice! And every farmer knows this. We plant without knowing what the season will bring. Sometimes the harvest is abundant, but the buying price is painfully low. Other times, the harvest is small, but the price per kilo is higher. And there is season when both the harvest and the price are disappointing. Still, we continue planting, because the field is our livelihood, our family’s hope, and our connection to generations before us.

In our home, in many Filipino homes – rice is life. It fills the table, nourishes the body and carries tradition, rice is served morning, noon and night. It may look simply, but every grain holds months of work: land preparation, planting, watering, weeding, fertilizing, protecting from pests, and praying for good weather. Without rice framers, there would be no rice o anyone’s plate.

Despite the challenges, I still love framing. There is joy in seeing the land we prepared transform from bare soil into a field of bright green seedlings, then into waves of golden grains ready for harvest. There is pride in knowing that the rice people eat came from our labor. Farming teaches patience, humility and strength. It teaches us to trust the process even when the future is uncertain.

Planting rice is not as simple as putting seeds into soil. First, we prepare the field – plowing and leveling the land. Then we soak and select healthy seeds, ensuring strong seedlings. The young plants we transferred to the field, where they grow in knee-deep mud, needing constant water, weeding and care. Every week brings a new task, new challenge, a new hope. And when the grains turn golden the harvest begins – fast and often emotional, especially to me.

To everyone who enjoys a warm plate of rice: remember the farmers, honor their work. Support their harvest, every grain you eat carries a story of real sacrifice, real effort and real love.

(I hereby attest that this story is made by me without any aid of AI or grammar editing apps and the photos attached are mine and was edited in Canva.)