Dec 18, 2025
By Rick McNary
Farmers and ranchers are the most hope-filled people I know. Each seed they plant and each birth of a farm animal are deliberate acts of hope put into action. They hope the rain comes at the right time for their crops. They hope their animals mature without harm or illness. They hope the harvest not only covers their ever-increasing expenses but gives them the ability to keep the farm afloat for another year.
I recently attended Kansas Farm Bureau’s (KFB) annual meeting where more than 700 men, women and children involved in agriculture gathered like one big, happy family. There is a particular type of camaraderie in this group that comes from understanding they are part of the 2 percent of the population in America that feeds 100 percent of us.
I began attending their conferences in 2011 because I had been involved in international hunger issues for more than a decade and realized I knew little about the people who actually feed the world. While I was raised in rural Kansas surrounded by farms and ranches, I had no idea how they functioned.
I was full of questions about how agriculture worked and when they realized I was genuinely curious and not a radical activist trying to sabotage them, they shared with me the inner workings of what it takes to get food to our plate.
In 2015, I was invited by a colleague who was the director of government relations for FFA to attend their national conference in Louisville. I was blown away with 65,000 bright, brilliant, beautiful, blue-jacketed teenagers and thought we ought to go ahead and turn the world over to them tomorrow. Their speakers encouraged them to do more to share their story and the idea hit me that I might be able to share their story as an outsider-looking-in.
On my way home, I called Steve Baccus, the outgoing president of KFB who set up a meeting with the CEO, Terry Holdren, and the incoming president, Rich Felts, and pitched them the idea that I wanted to write a couple of articles about their farmers. They connected me to Meagan Cramer, director of communications, and Sheridan Wimmer, editor of Kansas Living magazine. We decided to try it out, so they gave me three assignments, which eventually turned into several years of giving me the privilege to meet and write about the people who feed us. I quickly fell in love with farmers and ranchers!
Over the course of time, I noticed they all shared many things in common such as a strong work ethic, the value of family traditions in keeping the farm viable from one generation to the next, the importance of volunteering in their communities, how skilled they were in so many different ways needed to keep the farm running, why it was necessary to be involved in governmental policy because what happens in D.C. or Topeka impacts them daily and the most important virtue – hope. Farming and ranching are tough businesses. There are numerous variables that can impact them on a daily basis. Mother Nature can be their best friend or worst enemy. The same with the government. And bankers. Crop prices can be great one day and tank the next. Right now, the cattle prices are at an all-time high, but ranchers are nervous – they know what it’s like for the market to crash.
Unlike most of us who get a regular paycheck, farmers and ranchers only get paid when the crop or livestock sells, and they just hope it’s enough to keep them going.
As I listened to various speakers and had numerous conversations with old friends and new, the common thread of hope wove together the tapestry of those who, no matter the circumstances, cling to the hope that the next crop will produce record yields and their momma cows will birth twins. They invest their time, effort and money into more education and new technology so their hope is more than just a virtue, it’s the driving force that produces long-term sustainability for their family, their community and their environment.
This community of farmers and ranchers have welcomed me into their family and it’s one of the richest experiences of my life. They grow more than food; they grow hope.
Note: While I do believe they are the most hope filled, I also know some struggle with mental health. If you know of someone, here is an article I wrote that includes connections to resources: Tips for starting hard conversations about mental health.