John Bytheway and lessons from the farm

As John Bytheway listened to general conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over the years, he noticed a pattern: LDS Church leaders liked to tell stories that illustrate lessons they learned while working on a farm.

It occurred to Bytheway that some of the most enduring lessons about life can be learned as a person labors on a farm.

He researched the topic and what he found became a talk on CD called, "Farm Wisdom for City Folks" (Deseret Book, $14.99). In the talk, the best-selling author, favorite speaker and part-time instructor at Brigham Young University discusses how some of the best teachings, stories, and examples we hear in the church come from those whose work ethic was forged in the rigors of farm life.

In an interview with Mormon Times, Bythway shares thoughts and insights into this unique topic.

MT: You have produced several talks on CD for Deseret Book over the years. What is it about this talk that really sets it apart from the others?

JB: “The topic ‘Farm Wisdom’ is not a gospel doctrine or scriptural topic, although I found considerable scriptural support for the lessons learned on the farm. It’s also a timely subject, since we’re struggling with issues of entitlement and work ethic in our world right now.”

MT: How did you come up with the W-H-E-A-T acronym?

JB: “I looked for common threads or principles in my research, and it looked to me like the wisdom gleaned from the farm fit nicely into five groups — and by an amazing coincidence, (wink, wink), they just happened to spell WHEAT (I had to force it a little). So on the CD, ‘W’ stands for 'Work Ethic,' ‘H’ is for 'Law of the Harvest,' ‘E’ is for the 'Everyday nature of farm work,' ‘A’ is for 'Animals and Life,' and ‘T’ is for 'Thrift and Self-Reliance'.”

MT: Considering your many travels and experiences, tell us about the most memorable agricultural/farm moment from your life?

JB: “My own backyard, and my mom and dad’s backyard, is where I learned about tomatoes and weeds and daily maintenance. But I have to say that it was working with my grandpa, who grew up on a farm in Mountain Home, Idaho, that had the most influence. Witnessing his work ethic and hearing his stories gave me an appreciation for the farm’s best lessons.”

MT: How many general conference talks did you find that contained references to "farm" stories?