One of the best skills to have in farming, and in life, is the ability to laugh. Farming provides ample opportunities to find yourself in predicaments that can make you want to cry, but eventually you have to figure out a way to laugh at them.

One morning a few years ago when I went outside, I discovered all of the cows laying down in the lawn. Sometime in the middle of the night, some of the cows had managed to knock down a gate and let everybody out. Thankfully they must have only been looking for a good resting spot and not to terrorize the neighborhood. The sight of 50 cows laying peacefully on the lawn first thing in the morning is not something that engenders humor in the moment. With the help of a few people, the cows were herded back into the lot for milking. Many replaced divots and cleaned-up cow pies later and the lawn was, well, let’s just say, it recovered. While stressful at the time, looking back, the bucolic picture of cows spread evenly across the lawn resting and ruminating is a memory that won’t be forgotten easily. What made them want to just walk a couple hundred feet and plop down is something I won’t second guess, and with the benefit of time, is something to maybe even smile at, if not chuckle a little.

The farm is also good at keeping you humble. My sister tries to get my mom to take one trip every summer, and one year, they were gone during strawberry season. Sarah, having helped my mom make jam for several years at that point, was confident she could handle the strawberry jam solo. She still insists she did everything right, but we did have strawberry syrup that year rather than strawberry jam. Luckily, it tasted delicious!

We love finding jokes that give us a reason to laugh, and our eight-year-old daughter is particularly fond of jokes and puns. We’ve been sharing some humor on Fridays on Facebook and Instagram. While the jokes are often cheesy, corny, and we humbly admit fall squarely into the category of “Dad” jokes, we hope they bring a smile to your face.

Here are some of the jokes we have shared so far: