We’re in the thick of harvest around here and that means Little C (my daughter) has been able to ride in the combine, tractor, and truck nearly every day for the past few weeks. It’s a good time for her to see her dad, grandpa, and uncle since they are working long days and don’t have as much down time in the evenings right now.
She and I were riding in the combine with my dad a week or so ago and he made a comment that stuck with me. He said, “Here she is, only 18 months old, and already knows more about combining corn than half of the population.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized he made an interesting point. Little C knows what combines and tractors are. She can tell me the difference between corn and beans. This is only her second harvest, although I did ride in the combine while I was pregnant with her so I suppose, technically, it’s her third đŸ™‚
She’s actually driving the tractor in the field. I thought it would be a few more years before I had to worry about her being behind the wheel!
On Monday we had the fun opportunity to show some little boys what we do on the farm. One of my friends has an almost two-year-old who loves trucks and tractors, and we worked it out for her to bring him and friend out to ride along. We had such a great time showing the boys the tractors and letting them ride through the field. One of them even fell asleep in the tractor! She told me they talked all the way home about being farmers someday.
She often asks me questions about agriculture and why we do some of the things we do on the farm, and I’m happy to answer the best I can. It’s important for us in ag to take advantage of these “teachable moments” to share our stories with people who don’t have a personal connection to the farm – which is a good percentage of the population. Most people have questions about their food and want answers – and they’ll take them from anywhere that seems credible. That’s why so many believe what people like Dr. Oz say without a second thought.
I saw this video today and it made me laugh, but also scared me just a little. Jimmy Kimmel asked random people on the street what they thought about GMOs. Their answers didn’t surprise me at all.
We need to be proactive about sharing what we do and why we do it. People are looking for answers, and the majority will listen and try to understand, if we just become part of the conversation.
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