Farming
I grew up on a farm. I have fond memories of helping my dad work on the machinery and riding with him in the cab of the tractor or combine. I was too young to do much, but I could get tools for him and keep him company. I remember looking forward to it riding with him in the field or to the elevator, probably because it was time me and my dad got to spend together. My mom and my sister were usually doing something else, and when my brother lived with us, he was usually busy too, so in the field it was just me and my dad.
Maybe that is why I like playing games like Harvest Moon or watching shows about farming technology so much. That's why I am watching an episode of Modern Marvels on the History Channel about the history of farm tech.
Before going to a commercial they give little bits of trivia, and one of them was about the fact that today only about 2% of the US population farms the nearly 2 billion acres of farm land. Every year the number of farmers drops, family farms are forced to shut down due to low prices.
I'm not a farmer, but it a lot of my relatives are. I live in a community surounded by farm land. Farming has been a big part of my life, even if it is just through the people I know. So it saddens me when I hear the number of family farms closing each year.
My uncles run one of the bigger family run farms in their area. Between their accomplishments (and now the accomplishments of their children) and the farm, theya re fairly well known, yet they were forced to take jobs outside of the farm due to low prices. They continue to farm, working in town when they arn't in the field.
My oldest cousin on that side, Brett, is in college but helps out when he can. He will most likely join his dad and uncle in the family business after graduation. another cousin, Travis, has also helped on the farm, but whether or not he will go into the family business after he graduates, I don't know. (he's only 13 right now, so he has plenty of time to decide.)
One thing I can't help but wonder is what lies in the future. What if Brett and Travis take over after their fathers retire, but their children don't want anything to do with the farm. same with their sisters. what if their future husbands and children want nothing to do with the farm. The family farm could die with my generation.
What is my point? I don't even know if I have one, but if I do it is this. Support your local farmers. Buy localy raised products when you can. There will always be farms run by companies like Green Giant and Del-Monte, but if the family farm dies, so will an important part of America
Maybe that is why I like playing games like Harvest Moon or watching shows about farming technology so much. That's why I am watching an episode of Modern Marvels on the History Channel about the history of farm tech.
Before going to a commercial they give little bits of trivia, and one of them was about the fact that today only about 2% of the US population farms the nearly 2 billion acres of farm land. Every year the number of farmers drops, family farms are forced to shut down due to low prices.
I'm not a farmer, but it a lot of my relatives are. I live in a community surounded by farm land. Farming has been a big part of my life, even if it is just through the people I know. So it saddens me when I hear the number of family farms closing each year.
My uncles run one of the bigger family run farms in their area. Between their accomplishments (and now the accomplishments of their children) and the farm, theya re fairly well known, yet they were forced to take jobs outside of the farm due to low prices. They continue to farm, working in town when they arn't in the field.
My oldest cousin on that side, Brett, is in college but helps out when he can. He will most likely join his dad and uncle in the family business after graduation. another cousin, Travis, has also helped on the farm, but whether or not he will go into the family business after he graduates, I don't know. (he's only 13 right now, so he has plenty of time to decide.)
One thing I can't help but wonder is what lies in the future. What if Brett and Travis take over after their fathers retire, but their children don't want anything to do with the farm. same with their sisters. what if their future husbands and children want nothing to do with the farm. The family farm could die with my generation.
What is my point? I don't even know if I have one, but if I do it is this. Support your local farmers. Buy localy raised products when you can. There will always be farms run by companies like Green Giant and Del-Monte, but if the family farm dies, so will an important part of America
posted by R.C. at
12:52 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home