Why I’m Thankful for Farmers and Ranchers
Erin Debler
Erin Debler is on
the
2nd District YF&R State Committee
from Wabaunsee County
With the season of
Thanksgiving upon us, I want to say thank you to
the farmers and ranchers who produce our food,
fiber, and fuel for our society. And I’m not
the only one. Gov. Mark Parkinson declared
Friday, November 20th as “Thank a
Farmer” day and our county Farm Bureau board is
sponsoring an essay contest with a similar
theme.
I’m thankful for
farmers and ranchers because through depressed
markets, weather adversity, and daily attacks on
their way of life from activist groups, they
choose to raise the products that feed and
clothe the world. They do it because it’s more
than just a business; it’s a way of life and its
all done through the safest means possible for
them, their families, and others. Chris Chinn,
a hog farmer from Missouri and a workshop
presenter at the 2009 Annual Meeting in
Manhattan, believes she and her husband raise a
product in a clean, comfortable, and safe
environment.
For those that don’t
know Chris Chinn, she is an inspiration to other
producers about telling their story by putting a
face to agriculture. We, the Kansas Farm Bureau
Young Farmers & Ranchers State Committee,
believe in the exact same ideal. In fact, we
believe in it so much so that we have chosen “We
Are the Faces of Agriculture” as our theme for
the 2010 Young Farmers & Rancher Leadership
Conference to be held at the Hyatt Regency &
Century II Convention Center in Wichita on
January 29th – 31st.
The upcoming YF&R
Leadership Conference will be jam-packed with
fun activities, exciting speakers, informative
workshops, and of course lots of networking with
other leaders from across the state. Friday
starts off with several contests and ends with a
new networking jackpot. Dr. David Kohl will be
the keynote speaker on Saturday. He will
discuss the current trends in agriculture and
how to better position your operation to prepare
for and take advantage of the opportunities the
changing face of agriculture provides.
Throughout the day on Saturday there will be a
wide selection of workshops to attend focusing
on an array of topics from GPS technology to
Do-It-Yourself educational programs to media
training to animal care to getting involved with
Farm Bureau. Sunday will end with an energizing
message from Michelle Payn-Knoper on how to
leverage your social networking into spreading a
positive message for agriculture.
So come make new friends in your business or
reconnect with old ones and together become the
future of agriculture. Someone who advocates,
communicates, and educates others about the best
job in the world – someone who is the FACE of
agriculture!
Comments?
|
