Nothing like getting out in the field with a kid — whether they are from the city or farm. You suddenly realize how cool it is to know even the slightest things about farming. And luckily my nieces & nephews have always been up for a stop along the road and some ag education.
Last fall, as I drove my niece to a friend’s for a Halloween hayride, I spotted the first cotton field ready for harvest. By the time I pointed and said look, my 7 year old niece screamed with delight “it’s cotton!” She proceeded to point from one side of the highway to the other doing shout outs — cotton, soybeans, corn. Not bad for a couple of city girls! With that sort of enthusiasm I HAD to ask if she wanted to stop. (I asked because she was “starving to death” and dinner awaited us when we arrived at our friend’s house.)
She greeted the question with gusto and as we pulled onto the turnrow, I asked why don’t we get out for a couple of minutes? We had to! I said we could pick a few bolls, and my niece reminded me I had taught her a little about ag cause she asked me if I knew the farmer, saying she didn’t want to get in trouble. Love that she understands and I assured her I know a lot of the farmers in that town and thought all of them would be okay with us taking a few minutes to learn more about agriculture and cotton. I caught part of what happened on video and while I was far too caught up in her enthusiasm, I want to share it with you.
And yes, we may just have to get back out soon to watch as friends being planting the food, feed & fiber that sustains us. I can just see her now asking questions about how far apart the seeds go, how deep, when we’ll see the plants and so much more!!!
If you want to know more about farming, you may find the Facebook group called Farm2U helpful. They are also on Twitter with the @Farm2U ID. Its by a group of farmers who want to talk to consumers.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYTgmFBA4SM&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]
By the way, she had a great time on the hayride too! AND she got a whole big thing filled with candy. WHAT A DAY!
