What it's really like to be a farmer
Maybe the public is really beginning to catch on to reality. Two articles within recently have redeemed my faith in the human race.
The first was an article on Cosmopolitan's website. Keep in mind, this is a women's consumer magazine and website. The departments at the top of the site include: Love, Celebs, Beauty, Style, and Cosmovotes.
Not farming. So to have an article about farm life on this website is truly groundbreaking. Then, to have the story told so well by Doris Mold, president of the American Agri-Women (as told to Arielle Pardes) is indeed gold-medal-worthy.
"If you want a career in agriculture, here are 10 things you need to know," Mold said, then she gave an honest, forthright view of farming life, including the long hours, hard work and the difficulties that are part of a normal day on the farm. Essentially, she presented the reality behind the romanticism, and I admire her for it.
This honest, articulate woman's list of what it's really like to be a farmer will have you nodding in agreement.
Read the article here.
The second was an article published in The New York Times, called "Why Industrial Farms are Good for the Environment," by Jayson Lusk. True, it was an op-ed, but the fact that it was published by this large metropolitan news source is noteworthy.
"Large farmers ‚Äî who are responsible for 80 percent of the food sales in the United States, though they make up fewer than 8 percent of all farms‚... ‚Äî are among the most progressive, technologically savvy growers on the planet. Their technology has helped make them far gentler on the environment than at any time in history. And a new wave of innovation makes them more sustainable still," writes the author.
He wrote about how farmers manage their operations in today's high-tech world. It's information all of us in agriculture know, but for the vast majority of consumers who think of farmers as still wearing denim coveralls and straw hats with a piece of straw in their mouth, it's a much more accurate portrayal:
"Farmers watch the evolution of crop prices and track thunderstorms on their smartphones. They use livestock waste to create electricity using anaerobic digesters, which convert manure to methane. Drones monitor crop yields, insect infestations and the location and health of cattle. Innovators are moving high-value crops indoors to better control water use and pests," Lusk wrote.
It's worth your time to read the article here.
