Can An Outsider Be Agriculture Proud?

So we’ve heard from many farmers and ranchers about why they are proud to be a part of Agriculture. But what about non-ag consumers? Aimee Whetstine lends her two cents for the conversation in the latest part of my month-long series featuring the diversity in Agriculture. Growing food would not be possible without someone to eat it all. That is why I am thankful for consumers, especially those like Aimee who have an appreciation for Agriculture even without a farming background. Why are YOU Agriculture Proud?

Um. Excuse me, kind farm folk. The woman who does not a farm would like a turn at the mic.

I did not grow up on a farm. I was not in FFA. I did not raise chicks, show a calf, ride a horse, drive a tractor, or split a rail.

My husband and I own a 10-acre parcel of what was for 85 years his family’s dairy farm in Missouri, but they no longer milk cows there. We don’t live there either.

My spouse has worked in the agricultural industry his entire career. I worked in it a bit and freelanced a bit more.

I have some connections, but let’s face it. I’m an outsider. And I’m agriculture proud.

Bottom line, I like food. I like to eat. I like plants and animals. I like down-to-earth people who work honest and hard. I love this land we call America.

I believe developing and using the best technologies  and practices to grow larger supplies of more nutritional food to feed a greater number of hungry people is good. Very good. Even noble.

If you work in agriculture, that’s how you give back. That’s what you do for this country and the world. You literally feed us.

No, I don’t farm. I don’t swim on the U.S. Olympic team either, but I can be proud of them. I can cheer for them. Support them. Speak up for them when someone threatens them or talks trash about them.

They are my team. And if you are an American farmer, so are you.

And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 2 Timothy 2:6 NLT

Aimee Whetstine can be found in Wichita, Kansas and is author of  Everyday Epistle. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook. Go on over, check out her stuff, and tell Aimee ‘Thank You’ for supporting American Agriculture?