In Agriculture there is a large rift between farmers and the common American. Most people are now three generations removed from the farm. They have never been on a farm, and have no idea what we actually do. The only things they know about farming is what they hear from the environment around them, and for most people this is the news, internet, other people, etc. This has lead to a skewed image of farmers. Now, we can stand here all day and talk about how it is HSUS's fault, or the horrible news media's fault, or even the governments fault, but the truth is that is not true. We, the farmers, are really the only ones to blame. We have not stood up and represented ourselves. We have not told our story. Well, this is my story!
I grew up involved in agriculture. Some of my first memories are of stripping tobacco, as well as following a tobacco setter. Both my grandparents raised a couple acres of tobacco. When it came time for the work involved hired help didn't get called in...family did. We started, pulled, set, hoed, sprayed, suckered, cut, spiked, hung, stripped, baled, and sold Tobacco. Tobacco in Clay County TN paid for a lot of Christmas presents and college educations.
My father owns a small contracting company, and summers for me growing up was spent digging ditches, laying pipe, and pulling electrical lines. In the early 2000s, when the economy was still growing, I can remember many days in which we watched the sun come up on a jobsite, and left after it had set for the day. I learned how to work, and what hard days work means, and I will always be glad I learned that.
As the country started into a recession business for my father dwindled. He kept enough to support himself, but not enough for many other employees. This paired with his farm coming out of a long term lease and my grandfather's passing put a lot of farm land in his hands. In 2007 I stepped up and took over one part of the farming operation alongside my uncle. I was starting my junior year in high school. We had about 45 cows on 120 acres. My first year farming there was a drought, hay went to 55+ dollars a roll if you could find it, and good steer calves were bringing 88 cents per pound. This was also the same time the country started it's downward spiral into recession. Despite all these things, we kept on raising cows. I visited the farm on a daily basis throughout high school, and worked summers on the farm through college.
My junior year of high school is when my career in FFA really took off. We obtained a new Ag teacher who pushed us to do the best we could in contests as well as in life. He was my coach, mentor, adviser and friend. Many of you reading this article understand just how important a good Ag teacher and FFA adviser is to a young adults life. Junior and Senior year were whirlwind years for us. We competed in around 12 contests each year, as well as hosted a banquet and worked within our local community. I could talk about how much we learned from the contests, or the glories of winning, but that's not where FFA effected me most. It got showed me the world outside Clay County. It provided me the opportunity to meet new people and make contacts. It inspired my future. I can honestly say that had FFA not been a part of my life I would not be where I am today.
I graduated high school in the top 10(I tell you this not to brag, but to show that farmer's are not the dumb hicks alot of people believe us to be.) of my class in the spring of 2009. I filled out my application for the School of Agriculture at Tennessee Technological University. I found a job and place to live. I was prepared for college. The real question: Was college prepared for me?
Written By: James Matthew Craighead
2-8-2013
No comments:
Post a Comment