I was born and raised on a farm, so naturally, agriculture has been a big part of my life. As I grow older, I realize more and more just how little most people from urban areas know and understand about the industry that has been my life. Everyone eats, heck, for most of us it is a favorite activity! For me, there is nothing better than a nice home-grown steak and a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Give that a bit to digest, and bring on the apple pie! Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I could not be more excited... but I digress.
My point is, all of us eat. Even beyond our dinner plates, agriculture and it's many products are a part of everyone's daily lives. With the growing urbanization of America, current generations are getting further and further from the farm. The fact of the matter is, most people have rarely, if ever, been exposed to farming first-hand. With the media and food labeling companies telling people what to eat, when to eat it, why it is good for you, where it came from, why it is better because it came from there, etc... how can we expect the average consumer to assume anything other than what they are being told?
The problem is a major communication gap between the farm and the consumer. So far, little effort has been exerted by the agricultural community to talk to our customers. Biased information is given to people every day by extremist groups and has been for years. Now the agricultural industry is playing catch-up. Somehow, we expect to change everyone's minds about things that they have believed to be true for so long. This is a big task, but it is finally being addressed. Now more than ever, people in agriculture are standing up for what we do and the integrity with which we do it.
With this blog, I hope to bring up some topics that can help more people understand what is going on on our farms. Remember, there are two sides to every story... agriculture needs to be heard.
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