My family and I recently enjoyed a few days off the farm having some fun in the snow in northern New Mexico. 

While homeward bound from our spring break ski trip, there were signs of a new season quickly approaching during our drive.

Over our nearly eight hours on the road, our window views changed from mountainous snowy landscapes highlighting herds of grazing elk to wintery grasslands dotted with antelope. 

As we traveled from New Mexico into Oklahoma and then through western Kansas, the rangeland views slowly changed to farm ground. Remnants of the 2021 cotton, corn and sorghum crops were ever present as we took in the landscape. Mama cows and their young calves now occupied the fields that had grain harvested from them last fall. 

We could also see that this year’s wheat crop was slowly coming out of dormancy.

As we continued eastbound back to our home, the wheat fields that displayed small patches of greens among fields of mostly drab browns slowly transformed into larger and more colorful sections of green. The color variations continued to change as we continued towards our central Kansas home.

While appreciating the extra hour of daylight during our drive, I was able to take in the view of the fields as we got closer to our farm. The evening sunlight allowed me a glimpse of a sure sign of a quickly-approaching spring as we returned to our neighborhood. Carpets of vividly green wheat fields occupied my view. The bright green blanketed entire fields and provided an unexpected “pop” of color.

The color was so intense and obviously noticeable that I immediately pointed it out to everyone in the car. We had only been gone a few days, but within that time spring had clearly sprung! 

The bright green views not only offered my family a warm welcome home but provided me with a simple reminder that we are getting closer to the end of a long, dreary and cold winter. 

Those beautiful windshield views of bright green fields provided me a gentle assurance that warmer temperatures, longer days and our busy season on the farm are just around the corner. 

As the days continue to get longer and warmer, the wheat near our home continues to showcase its magnificent beauty with its dazzling pop of emerald. While some might believe that the view of a waving golden wheat field in the summer is one of the best views in the world, I’d argue the magnificent green fields of wheat in the spring are near the top of my list. To me, it’s a color that represents an awakening that ushers in the promise of new life, growth and warmer days to come.

“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service. Kim Baldwin is a McPherson County farmer.