We all enjoy and, in fact, need to eat. This month I want to talk about farming and the amazing people who are the hardworking entrepreneurs we call farmers. Currently, my home is surrounded by farms that grow fruit trees, cattle, sheep, pigs, ginseng, peanuts, soybeans, and too many vegetables to list here. It is a delight to go for a drive in the spring when all the fruit trees are blooming. Even better is the opportunity to buy strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and raspberries right from the farm where they are grown. People, younger than I am, go and pick their own. You can’t get fresher than that. There are many fruit and vegetable stands where you can stop and purchase local produce. Corn is offered on the side of the road from the farmers that grow it and, in the fall, you can buy pumpkins, squash, and gourds directly from the farm as well.
Farmers are very hardworking people. They have to be planners, problem solvers, mechanics, money managers, and experts in their field of farming. There are things beyond their control that can affect their livelihood. One big factor is the weather. Too much or too little rain can drown or starve a crop. Even if the crop makes it to maturity the weather can impede the harvest. Insects and blight are also risk factors that need to be dealt with. Bees are essential to the fertilization of many crops, but they are also threatened. Personally, I think farmers are heroes with nerves of steel who cope with so many challenges to provide products to the market.
We live in a land of abundance that provides the food that we need to live. Sometimes, when I am driving in my community, I see new developments of homes gobbling up our precious farmland. We certainly need houses to live in but we seem to be sacrificing our food sources to make that happen. Some of the best farmland in this country is disappearing to housing developments. Our governments need to put policies in place to protect our farms. Luckily, we have non-profit groups such as Ontario Farmland Trust lobbying to protect our farmland so that we maintain a food production system to support our ever-growing population.
The artwork attached to this blog is a mixed-media piece and a salute to farmers.
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