I was reminded last week on my way home from dropping our daughter off at school how important it is to continue the discussion about agriculture.
On a local (Kansas) country radio station the two DJ’s were talking about when one of them had taken a tour of a post office facility. To the DJ’s amazement he found that you could
“ship chicks.”
Hearing baby chickens in a facility like this verses at a farm might be surprising to someone. I get that. But then he then said “Where would you ship chicks?” (Here is where I am shaking my head).
Well, one place would be the farms of people that raise chickens or want to have their own supply of farm fresh eggs!
My point is that even in the state of Kansas, where we are known for our wheat fields, dirt roads, wide open spaces, grazing cattle and known as a “rural” state, that even it’s residents are sometimes unaware of where food comes from, what happens outside the city they reside in or what a farm really is/does. It isn’t just adults, it starts with the children as I’ve seen from being a little familiar with Kansas Farm Bureau‘s Ag in the Classroom.
Folks, let’s begin a conversation with our own children around the dinner table about where their food comes from. Simple things like the difference between beef, pork, and lamb. That the green beans out of the can are probably grown on a large farm, not magically placed in the can. O that the fresh ones are from a garden of someone at the farmer’s market.
This could spark a conversation that leads to family time away from the dinner table or city you reside. It could take you on a Saturday morning tour of a farm or watching corn, milo, or soybeans being harvested one evening. I can’t speak for all farmers but I know quite a few that would love to share what they are passionate about and kids normally make their day.
Take an interest in what lies before you at least three times a day for most of us. Where does the food you eat come from? Not only in Kansas but all over the world!
Let’s talk Kansas for a moment though. The foundation of this great state was/is agriculture. I know many things go into making it a great state but the agriculture basis is what started it and will continue to be present. If you know a farmer they will stick with it till they have one foot in the ground, even if it’s not making money year after year.
Do I sound like I’m pleading with you? Well maybe I am, but the reason is because it’s important to my family (and yours). What we do here on our farm isn’t more important necessarily, it’s just essential to living. Just like anything, if we aren’t educated about it, it will become something we all just expect will be around forever and ever. I hope farming is, because without it, not only will my family not survive but odds are yours won’t either. Whether it’s 2 generations away or 10.
I’d like to take a moment to say thank you now. Thank you to the folks out there that farm, that share an appreciation for what my husband and his father have done for many years, and to all the bloggers, ag-related social media pages, agriculture companies, etc. that share the task of educating others about farming and ranching. I know it takes a lot of time to keep a blog going, plus the task of managing all the social media platforms out there.
That is why, just a few days before hearing that radio play, I was considering closing this blog. I don’t feel it’s reaching many people, it consumes time away from my family, and there are other reasons as well. But I will have to think a little longer on that subject due to the reminder I received from the radio. Even if only one person reads my post perhaps it’s worth it because education comes in many forms nowadays. Maybe I could be helpful in some small way.
Sharing this post might bring more views, readers, or even conversation about agriculture, so if you feel moved please share. It’s something that will take everyone, not just some Kansas country blogger farm wife.
Thank you!
Julie
In Between the Sunsets of Life 
Yes! We need to keep talking about it! I live in the big city now, but grew up in rural Kansas. My father is an agronomist and spent his life devoted to making life better for farmers and wheat crops more sustainable. Agriculture “talk” has been taken over by too many activists that do not have the voice of the every day hard working family farmer! Thank you for what you are doing here! Stopping by from Country Fair Blog Party!
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Great post! As parents we need to give honest answers and as farmers we need to share what we’re doing. Stopping by from the Country Fair Blog Party!
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