Oct 19, 2023
By Rick McNary
The best award I’ve ever received was the "Friend of Agriculture" from Kansas Farm Bureau. Being considered a friend from people whom I admire, especially since I'm not a farmer, is something I want to encourage you to do, also. Here are some suggestions:
1. Get to know one, or more, personally
Farmers and ranchers are super friendly, but a bit shy. Mostly it’s because they work from sunup to sundown, so they don’t have extra time for socializing and, like most of us, they hang around other people like them. If you don’t know how to meet them, check with your local county Farm Bureau.
2. Learn about who they are and what they do
Here are great conversation starters:
• Tell me, what do you enjoy about farming?
• Why is soil health so important?
• How many generations has your family been farming?
• Why do you prefer that breed of cattle, hogs, chicken or goat?
Be warned, if you ask any of these questions, they might not stop talking.
3. Buy things directly from them
Technically everything you buy comes from a farmer, there’s a new way of purchasing directly from a farm or ranch. On the farmers’s side, this is called “direct to consumer sales.” On the consumer side, we know it as, “Hey, I’m buying my meat, veggies, dairy, etc., from (name of the farmer or rancher), and I love knowing who is growing my food and how they do it!” If you need a place to find one near you, visit www.shopkansasfarms.com and look for them there.
4. Invite them to speak to your group, interview them on your podcast, TV or radio show or write a blog about them
Although shy, once you ask those questions listed above, you will find just how passionate farmers and ranchers are about what they do.
5. Put a sign up celebrating them
There are signs you can get that read, “One Kansas Farmer Feeds 155 People + You.” You can purchase them from Kansas Agri-Women. I’ll bet you can find a farmer or rancher more than happy to let you put it up wherever people can see it.
6. Ask them to serve on a board of directors
Farmers are the most varied experts in multiple disciplines I’ve ever known. The nature of farming requires knowing global economies, meteorology, finances, real estate, business development, strategic planning, marketing, engineering, mechanics, construction…you name it, they are good at it.
7. Ask them to give you a tour or ride along with them
Farmers are proud of what they do and they love showing people their lifestyle. Be careful, you might get a bit of barnyard on your boots and that’s OK. It’s good for you.
8. Say nice things about them both to them and to your friends
Consumer confidence in farmers is at an all-time high, but farmers don’t always hear that so send them an email, drop them a handwritten note or tell them in person how much you admire them. You see, they have some pretty serious enemies who mean them harm and want to end their way of life, and sometimes that’s all that farmers hear; the wild-eyed fanatics who have it out for them. Have you heard of agroterrorism? Yep, some are so malicious they will destroy crops, machinery and buildings.
9. Learn to grow things yourself
In writing about farmers and ranchers, I have learned this - they love to grow things. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a plant or animal, they love helping things grow. As I’ve learned to garden the last few years and even raise some backyard chickens, I’ve come to respect farmers even more for how difficult it is to keep things alive and producing well. Except for weeds. I hate weeds and so do they. In fact, ask them about the No. 1 enemy of a farmer who grows crops, the pigweed. One plant can produce anywhere from 500,000 to 700,000 seeds that can take over a field, choking out their crops.
10. Follow them on social media
Some like Facebook, some like Instagram, while others prefer Twitter, but most use one, if not all, of those platforms. There’s no better way to know what they do, every day, than by following them. Please interact with them, they love it when people engage with them. Every once in a while, thank them. You’ll make their day. We can all be a “Friend of Agriculture.” Do one, or more, of these 10 things and you’ll fall in love with them just like I have.