That is my question. And as social media stars like, The Food Babe, grow increasingly popular I wonder what is happening to my generation. Did the bashing begin with us? Or did it start with an earlier generation? From the way my Dad and Uncle Frank talk it started with us.
That is a scary thought. Now my next question is why? Why do we think it's okay to bash the people that put the food on our tables? Are we too far removed from the farm? My personal belief is that we are too far removed from the farm so as a generation we don't understand what goes into creating everything we have.
My mother is a teacher and as you know my father is a farmer. Those are probably the two most underappreciated professions. At least from what I've seen growing up with them that is what I believe. I was not raised to think that it is ever okay to bash anyone's way of living or job. Everyone has a story and it takes all kinds to make everything run smoothly. From the farmer in the fields to the waitress at your favorite restaurant, we are all doing the same thing, working. Working to make hopefully our lives, and our world better.
I know that I have an advantage over the majority of people in the world because I grew up seeing where my food comes from and where many household products begin. Now I have the honor of being on the front lines of it.
Who do you picture when you think of the farmer that provides the food in your fridge? Is it that little old man milking his cows? In some cases that is true, but there is a new generation stepping up. It is people like me. I have friends that I went to college with and they returned to their family farms as well. We all returned because this is our Dream. We want to be the next generation of farmers and we want to change the public opinion of farms in general. So my challenge for people is to do your research, visit a farm, get to know a farmer. Trust me we are pretty great people. I've got friends that can vouch for me on that as well. I think that we all need to get closer to the farm and remember where everything begins. And if you do know any farmers let them know that you do appreciate everything they do because they aren't getting up at 4am for their own benefit.
