Cyndi's Two Cents

We could learn from FFA

Commentary.

Many young people from FFA Chapters across the country attended the 90th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.  The energy and excitement about the future of agriculture is contagious when 65,000 FFA members along with supporters of the program come together in one location.  The diversity of membership and ag enterprises and national contests and award areas is a testament to the diversity of American agriculture.

I wish we could be a little bit more like those high school FFA members. Are they competitive?  Heck yes.  But they lift one another up and are encouraged by advisors to learn from others.  It doesn’t have to be “Us versus Them.” I believe those of us who make our living in agriculture could and should coalesce into one “entity” in those instances when doing so would benefit all of agriculture.  We would surely be a force to be reckoned with as a voting bloc, an educational alliance or a marketing cartel if we could all just get along.

Sometimes “them” and “us” are not so far apart on issues, but distrust one another because historically, they have distrusted one another.  Healthy dialogue is a good thing! How are we going to learn anything and understand the world if we fail to ask questions and form our own opinions by listening to the facts and opinions of others? I find little if any common ground between my beliefs and those expressed by animal rights groups but I believe that knowing where our detractors stand helps us more clearly define our own position on any given issue. Without knowing the reasons behind another’s conviction, how in the world can we ever convince them to open their minds?

If we (Us and Them) are going to feed a growing world population with a safe, affordable and abundant food supply while at the same time remaining economically sound and environmentally friendly, we need all of agriculture working together.

It shouldn’t matter how many acres you farm, what you grow on those acres, or how many head of livestock you own if you are a good steward of the land, livestock, water, air, your community and family. I like living in a country where we have choices.  If you want tomatoes grown locally, you can buy them that way. If you want to purchase brown eggs from a free-range farm, you can buy them that way. If you want to buy organic bananas, you can buy them that way. But expect to pay a premium.

We should spend a little less time judging one another and a little more time addressing those issues of true concern.

Back to the 90th National FFA Convention:  I have not had the opportunity to walk across that stage at National Convention to receive an American FFA Degree, but my shoes have.  A friend of a friend borrowed a pair of black high heels from me so a young lady would not have to purchase shoes for this one walk across the stage.  Now, every time I wear those pumps I’ll think of young Kara Walker and her commitment to agriculture.