A Real Farmer

I had an interesting conversation with a lady a few days ago. She asked Eliza how things were on the farm, to which Eliza responded, "good". Then the lady turned to me and said, "Oh, well, you don't really have a farm. Just a lot of land, right?"

"Well, no," I responded, "We have a REAL farm."

"So, you have a few animals, then."

"Yes, over 200 cows" was my reply. "We have a dairy farm."

"Oh, so you have to milk them, once a day or something."

"Actually, twice a day. We sell our milk to Dean's."

"Oh, but your husband has another job. He doesn't just farm, does he?"

"No, he doesn't have another job. He is a full-time farmer."

This statement was followed by a look of disbelief and shock.

A real farmer. Can you imagine? There seem to be people who think that farming is something that is "outdated"; something people used to do years back. Well, I don't know about you, but I personally like to eat. Who among us doesn't like milk, cheese, yogurt, or ice cream? Do you put butter on your toast in the morning? Do you add cream to your coffee? Think beyond dairy products. How about a good steak or hamburger? What about a wonderful meal of chicken, mashed potatoes and stuffing? Or a fresh salad? A farmer made it possible for you to put that on your plate.

It's sad that many around us don't seem to think that farming is a real occupation. My husband works about 90 hours a week on a typical week. Yes, that's a real job, and a definitely a full time one. Now, please don't misunderstand my position here. There is nothing wrong with someone who has some beef cattle or other agricultural business and also has another job. Anyone who contributes to feeding this nation or the world is in agriculture and that should be applauded. However, there are some of us in the full time occupation of agriculture. A farm is a business, not just some "fun" job where you ride around on tractors and pet the cows.

A real farmer has to be a care-taker for the animals, a mechanic, an electrician, an accountant, a plumber, computer literate, and able to handle long hours with less than average pay and hardly ever a chance to get away or go on vacation. Farming is an honorable profession, and that is how we should look at our farmers.

Our society needs to understand that without the hard work and sacrifices of farmers there will be no food in the grocery store. Also, if you think that food is expensive now, which I know many people do, think about what's going to happen if the number of farmers continues to decline. We need support agriculture in any way we can. We need to encourage our schools to teach children about agriculture and encourage our children to think about farming as a worthwhile career goal.

I wish I could have responded to the lady at the beginning of this story in a better way. I was surprised that she seemed so shocked that someone in this area actually farmed - for real. I don't think she was trying to be rude, she was just clueless. But again, something good came of it; it made me more passionate about educating people about supporting agriculture professions. So go ahead, enjoy your food today. Think about the wheat farmer in the Midwest who harvested the wheat to make the flour that made your bread, the vegetable farmer that provided the vegetables, the dairy farmer who milked his cows at 5 a.m., and the many others who work 365 days per year at their REAL jobs to make your food today.