Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 217(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
My passion lies in sustainable farming with a true impact both in the environment and for the farmers’ bottom dollars. If they can’t make a living doing what they love, then growing local goes away. Don’t we ship in enough food to the United States as it is?
I’m not a paper pusher and never has that been what I want to focus on. Anything really that gets me out of this office and in the fresh air makes me happy. I am not built for this desk life.
Really, some people thrive in captivity … I am not that person. Luckily, I have an office, with a nice executive desk and a chair so I’m not in a cubicle. Seriously, though, I don’t like feeling stuck, the walls easily close in every single day, except on field days. My job with the state agriculture department comes with many titles and I wear many hats juggling multiple regions since we are short-staffed.
Maybe it’s because I grew up on my grandparents’ farm. Maybe I get it from my mom. She’s strong, opinionated, and won’t be held back by anyone. She is also the most on the go person I’ve ever met, so offices really aren’t her thing either unless absolutely necessary. I don’t know exactly what it is inside of me, but really my tolerance for the office bullshit is minimal at best.
We all have a job to do.
Come in, do the shit, go home, and do whatever makes you happy. Only I have to work within guidelines written by politicians who have never once stepped foot in a corn field. They don’t understand the dire need we have in North Carolina for changes in laws. Farmers struggle with crop diversification. The old timers knew to rotate crops. The rotation doesn’t mean pick any old thing. There is a science behind it. Pick the crop that gives nitrates back to the soil if the year before the crop was one to strip it bare. When the government steps in threatening fines or bigger restrictions if a farmer doesn’t plant according to their requirements, it changes the landscape of farming for the land.
The simple life our great grandparents lived by is one I cling to now. The farmers of yesteryear weren’t hindered by strict government regulations. As a kid, I remember fields of tobacco on every backroad. Now there are practically none.
Why? Because the government regulations and crack down on cigarette manufacturers has killed the demand. Only that isn’t all that happened. That’s what the general public thinks, when in reality the government pays more for a farmer to let a field sit empty over growing tobacco. At least they used to. Now, it’s a little more tricky.
I have this internal need to be involved in farming. It’s in my blood and my very soul. My grandfather worked full time at the sheriff’s office but still ran a large farm for the community. It’s become a family thing to keep going and it’s important to us all. Sell what is grown to the local markets as much as possible, because there is simply nothing more satisfying than knowing you are helping your neighbor. That isn’t the farming we know today.
What we have is corporate and political bullshit wrapped up in regulations and costs that line the pockets of the big boys sitting in some position that is voted on by the people for the people. Only the people don’t know behind the scenes of a farmer’s life. Our current problem with AG right now, especially in North Carolina, is all about government restrictions. There are less laws, rules, and regulations on imported food. Yes, take that in, the government gives easier provisions for outside countries to import food to us rather than support our own people sustaining our country. The more I learn, the more passionate I get about keeping local farms going.
That adventure of enlightenment changed me. College is a big deal to my parents. Thankfully, there is a degree in agriculture. I started this job as a passion to help farmers. That little piece of paper gave me the options to have a career in agriculture. I never imagined I would have a position in the state literally doing my part to help each and every farmer I can. It’s my job to help farmers know and use all grant funds available. It also means I get to go out and inspect projects that are ongoing.
The downside is my boss seems to think I’m some kind of superhero. The farms are spaced out. I’m one person and even though our regions are divided, I currently cover two wide-spread areas. The days are long, but I love helping the local farms expand or try a new crop.
Today is a field inspection, a farm site visit. Except as a state we are short staffed and have been for over a year. Lately, I’ve done them alone, which I love! However, my boss thinks we have the person for the job in the other region, but they need some training. This means I get the privilege of a shadow. Insert mister fresh, clean, and not a speck of dirt under his fingernails, Jesse. He will hopefully pay his dues quickly, get out of my hair, and reign over the piedmont region.