By Julie Tomascik
Editor

A year of challenges, uncertainty and a lot of work—that’s what 2020 has been for Ryan Novak and his family.

“Every year, I say next year is going to be better. In 2019, I thought 2020 sounded like a good, strong number,” Novak, who farms in Atascosa and Wilson counties, said. “But it seems like it’s been one curveball after another since the first month of the year.”

He isn’t alone in those struggles, though.

“We really are all in this together,” he said. “You talk amongst farmers, and it’s not just an isolated event for me or this county. It’s not just one farmer having a bad year. We’re all struggling with something. It’s definitely not been an ideal year.”

Novak and his wife, Jeralyn, grow wheat, cotton, sesame and peanuts. The young couple also has a small commercial cow-calf operation.

The year started off dry for the Novaks, but cotton harvest was met with a soggy mess.

Two storms were brewing in the Gulf when Novak was preparing to pick his cotton.

“We tapped the breaks right before harvest, and we waited to defoliate our cotton until we knew the storms would pass,” he said.

Although they missed the hurricane, cold fronts brought more rain.

On some farms, they received 11 inches. That was good news for their cattle operation. Green pastures mean they could cut back on supplemental feed.

“We were feeding hay to stretch our grass earlier this summer when it wasn’t raining,” Novak said. “That big rain event means we can back off on feeding hay right now.”

But that rain meant problems for the rest of cotton harvest.

He will have to again defoliate the acres that he didn’t finish picking, and the cotton quality will likely be downgraded.

“Despite the unknowns and the challenges this year has brought us, we’re still going to the field every day. We’re still growing crops and raising livestock, and we’ll continue to do so,” Novak, an Atascosa County Farm Bureau member, said.

In a physically and mentally demanding year, it’s his faith, family and passion that keeps him going.

“I have strong family support, and I have a passion for what I do,” he said. “But more so this year, I realize that there are so many things out of our control, and I just have to have faith that everything will work out and always remember that there will be a brighter tomorrow.”

And their daughter, Clara, makes Novak see things from a different perspective.

“She shines a new light on everything,” he said. “I used to be caught up in getting everything done right away. Now, I slow down. She rides with me, and it’s neat to watch her as she learns. But it’s also been a learning experience for Jeralyn and me.”

He’s learning about life from his daughter and relying on his network of friends and farmers to continue growing and improving their farm.

“I have a good network of mentors to talk with, bounce ideas, vent, discuss marketing and talk about crop input advice,” Novak said. “At the end of the day, it’s so good to have the support of our family and also those around us. That open communication is extremely beneficial.”

As Novak works to wrap up harvest, he’ll also begin planning for 2021—a year he has faith will be better.