Monday, March 28, 2011

Farming - Through The Eyes of the Consumer

Farming looks idyllic and seems easy, but there is real precision, logic
and science behind everything we do 
Would you ask your plumber tax questions?  And believe his answers to be true because he observed how accountants went about their day and then considered himself to be knowledgeable on the subject?   No?  It’s the same concept that many of us in the Ag industry feel about the misrepresentation portrayed in the food movies and biased media.  Half truths, things taken out of context that are put out there as the real answers, but they are not.

What does taking a walk with a 5 year old and you, the American consumer, have in common? It’s about asking questions and getting the real answers. True facts to your questions, so let me explain….


The 5 yoa grand-angel. A day out in the field when harvesting wheat

Viewing an ordinary walk on our rural gravel road through the eyes of an energetic and curious 5 year old made me think about you, the average American consumer and how you view those of us who farm. Let me back up, yesterday Farmer Joe and I took our 5 year old grand-angel out for a walk (her idea) and as the pink coated, yellow booted short little blond was skipping down the road, throwing rocks in the ditches filled with water, and asking questions – it was viewing the same ordinary path that we walk a lot, but so differently viewed through the eyes of someone who was asking questions and wanting answers. So as the farmer and I answered questions about why water was running from the fields into the ditches and other curious, sometimes funny questions…. It made me think about the shopper, the ones who rely on us to get food on your table, who want to know about the hows and whys of the things farmers do.


Early Spring on the Palouse, the winter wheat fields
are starting to turn green
A close up of the wheat, note the wheat straw from
last year's harvest helps protect the crops

So my newest endeavor is to have you, the consumer, get the real answers to your questions from real farmers in all areas of Ag. I have been compiling the many blogs along with the industry councils and other good knowledgeable websites to do just that - give you a one stop shop and invite you into our daily farming lives. It is still a work in progress, but it is a beginning. So where do you find this site? The site is called, Farmer Inc., The Real Story, and the link is simply farminc.net. So we invite you to read about us and if you have questions, ask us, we know what we are talking about.


P.S. Yes, I will keep this blog site up, as it is about our wheat and garbanzo farm. Tomorrow I will be blogging about starting spring work and Farmer Joe has taken his camera along with him to begin documenting what he is doing. Later on in the week, I will be touring the Washington State University Wheat Research Lab to show you how universities help the farmers with developing better wheat varieties.  Then hopefully I will get to document wheat at the Port being loaded onto the barges that go to the foreign markets! Am I excited to share this with you? You bet! So stayed tuned, come back often and as always, if you have questions, email me at idahofarmwife@gmail.com. All my best, Gayle.



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