Proud to Be a Farmer: David Cromley
David Cromley chalks up his success to good timing & strong faither
BROOKLET, Ga. (WTOC) - David Cromley’s life has been all about timing.
The right time for his dad to put him to work.
“He taught me how to rake hay at like age 11. I don’t know where that is with like child labor and stuff,” joked Cromley.
Knowing when it was time to leave, “I graduated from UGA in 2009.”
And when it was time to come home, “(I) did a small stint in the House Rural Caucus in Atlanta living with my brother and realized Brooklet, Georgia is a pretty nice place to live,” Cromley says.
And of course, knowing when the peanuts are ready for harvest.
“You can see the leaves are still kind of green, they’re completely dry,” Cromley explains.
Which is where they go the name of their farm, Kairos Farms.
“Kairos is a Greek word for time. So, when you have faith, it’s not just anytime it’s the God given time,” says Cromley.
While he and his family aim to get the timing just right, they do so with an understanding there’s only so much they can control.
“We only do all that we can do, and the good Lord provides the increase. You’ve got to have enough sunshine, enough rain, too much or too little can be detrimental.”
Getting the right weather at the right time, now that takes something a little more.
“Faith is a huge part of it. We took these peanuts and planted about 160 pounds of seed pure acre with a hope of getting a yield of 5-thousand pounds or greater during harvest season,” Cromley says.
So, good year or bad, David and his family will continue to work this land, a land they love all while knowing it’s only theirs for the time being.
“I see natural beauty. I see God’s creation. I see something that I’m just a steward of for a little while. This is not my farm, this is just something I’m shepherding for the next generation.”
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