When I was young and in elementary school I remember coming into contact with books, peers and adults that made reference to the farm life not ony being a simple life, but one well fitted for the simpleton. In fact, a few adults in my young life had the nerve to describe farm life as "the best someone would ever do" as a dig against the mental capitbilites of the person mentioned. As a young child that had sat in the tractor while my father combined while he explained the nitrogen fixing bacteria that existed in the root systems (or tried to, I was young:) and then hopped off to fix the combine itself. I thought this certainly couldn't be the job of a simpleton. Then we'd ride from field to field checking on things and his rather large bag phone in his truck would ring with another farmer calling to hear my dad's opinion on what ailed their crop. I would listen to him diagnose problems over the phone that extension agents needed samples and weeks to do.
However, it's the simpleton narrative that people prefer. Old McDonald, "Farmer Brown", Billy Bob, fit the bill as being farmers that know nothing in the world but green beans and chickens. Why? Because people no longer know farmers. Once upon a time every household had to fend and provide for themselves, now I've had people ask me where the "strawberry tree" was located. Yes, that really happened. No, sadly it wasn't because of a language barrier.
People are now generations away from the farm to which they can only relate to through the stories their grandfather told them, but there's 'no soil in their shoes'. Not only that, but we've created a perception that people have done well if they've "gotten off the farm". At best that is a generalization from the Great Depression, at worst we've began the culture that encourages people to go into any field in the world but "po' dunk agriculture" why? We're above that. Guess what? As long as you eat I'm here to tell you we aren't. And until we change our perceptions on agriculture and farmers we are going to continue down a pathway that isn't healthy for our country. As a country, our farmers not only feed us but most of the world with >3% of the population farming. Also, the majority of farmers are 59.6 years old, which means they are getting closer and closer to retiring with their replacements adding up to a significantly smaller portion of the population. Which means America is in for a mandatory diet unless we start focusing on what's important.
Also, our perceptions must change! When asked to draw a farmer most people would sketch out some white man in overalls with hay sticking out of his mouth and a stupified look on his face. Farmers can be female, they can be white, black, hispanic, asain, green, purple, whatever! Guess what?! My Granddady lived his 100.5 years without EVER wearing jeans, much less overalls. Farmers don't always look like you want them too. Guess what? That's okay! Find a farmer, they'll probably surprise you with how normal they are. Oh, and to disspell another myth, no, we aren't Amish.... or Mennonite, although they might be great people, it's not a direct requirement to farm. Seriously.
Also, my dad farms with knowledge he learned getting his degree at UF, he also is constantly reading to improve his practices he has shelves of books that are manuals and research- farmers aren't dumb. In fact, he takes all the knowledge the professors taught him in practice and has perfected it enough to make a living off of it. And no, it's not planting a seed and doing a rain dance. Agriculture is an applied science that involves, microbiology, chemistry, biology and botany... and that's just scraping the surface. He also has to have the knowledge to fix everything that is broken, basic vet care, and business skills in order to keep everything going.
But that doesn't fit the narrative of the fumbling children's book characters that we prefer, you know the ones where the farmer can't find his cow. Y'all there isn't a children's book where the accountant can't find his calculator, a mechanic that can't find his toolbox or a coach without a whistle. Folks, drones are being used regularly in agriculture and there are RFID ear tags, we'll find those jokers! We're professionals too. Maybe there isn't a suit and tie, but that doesn't mean we don't take the work seriously or that we're bumbling idiots that just got lucky and accidently planted a succesful crop.
-Just another farmer's daughter
