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Support all farmers in the U.S.

EVERY day posts regarding how “unsafe” our food is go viral.
EVERY day posts regarding how farmers do not care go viral.
EVERY day posts about how farmers do this & farmers do that… they go viral.

I watch as people on my personal Facebook page share articles about dairy. These same people who live within farming communities. These same people have people they know & love that are involved in the dairy industry or agriculture in general. These same people know that our lives revolve around our farm & our girls.

To be honest there are three types of people in this world: the farmer, the consumer & the farmer/consumer.

The farmer is the one that is feeding his/her family as well as those around him/her.
 
The consumer is the person that makes their living off the farm, completely removed from the farm and solely relying on the farmer.
 
The farmer/consumer is the farmer that not only supplies food for his/her own family but the rest of the world. This person also relies on other farmers to provide the things in which their farm doesn’t.

How is it that the consumer can “know” so much & have so many opinions about a farm that they have never stepped foot on or a farmer they have never shook hands with?!

In my opinion..

The internet is full of great information but it is also full of a lot of opinions & agendas.

Honestly, sometimes I feel like there are very few people in touch with reality when it comes to the internet. They read an article & OMGsh… it must be true. Why?! Because they never post anything on the internet that isn’t true. (insert sarcasm) Does anyone know what fact checking is?

The thing about the internet, there are always two sides to every story. Sadly, farmers/ranchers do not have much time as animal rights extremist groups. There is no commercials with sad music to donate directly to famers/ranchers. The advertisements & individuals that are hired to help tell the story are all paid for out of the farmer’s own pockets. When many folks are enjoying weekends, holidays & snow days, farmers are out working. They are tending to the animals and land that they have devoted their lives too. The story of agriculture, the true story is often being missed when consumers turn to Google.

Farmers can work from before the sun comes up until after the sun goes down and there is still work that could have been done.
Farmers choose this “occupation” for the way of life.
Farmers take extreme PRIDE in what they do and how they do it.
Farmers LOVE this life and work hard every day to be able to continue this way of life.

EVERY day I hear someone say, “Support the family farms.”

But I want to honestly know why supporting family farms only depends on the size of the farm. Why are farms that are “larger” than what someone thinks they should be, why are they excluded from consumer support? Why is it that the 1200 cow dairy a few hours away doesn’t deserve everyone’s support but our little dairy does? Why is it that a dairy farm that milks 1200 cows ran by mostly family members, that does a great job, why do they not deserve our support? The short answer is that they DO deserve everyone’s support! Animal care is important for any farmer to survive in today’s economy, that applies to farms of all sizes. Are their bad farmers? Absolutely. However, being a poor excuse for a farmer has nothing to do with the size of the farm, it comes down to the individual person
EVERY day I hear someone say, “Support your local farmer.”
I get it… I too support our local farmers in anyway that I can. I think it is very important that every community should support their local farmers. Our local community in our little town could use all the support it can get! However, every farmer is a “local” to the united states. We are all contributing to this economy. We pay taxes, we have employees, we buy feed, etc. We are huge contributors to our local economies as well to the economy in general. ALL farmers deserve support. You may not buy directly from our dairy farm, but you can buy our product directly from the grocery store. That is still buying a local product, that is still supporting your local economy and it is in fact supporting your local farmers.
We need to support all our farmers within the United States. If we have questions, we need to go to them for answers. Every little thing that you “like” or “share” on the internet, every little bit of misinformation that is shared has an impact on all farmers/ranchers in the United States. There is a place for every farm and every farmer. We need to support all farmers and ranchers that are being the best possible caretakers of the land & animals.

As this population continues to grow (317, 073, 533 at this very moment) only about 2% of those are farmers. The world population continues to grow (7,124,551,000 at this very moment) and United States farmers help to feed the whole population. We NEED every farmer and we NEED to support the right to farm the way the farmer chooses to farm. Not one method of farming can be applied to all farms. There is not a single farm that operates exactly the same as another. Every farm is doing what they believe to be the best for their farm. We need to allow them to continue to do so.

Support your local United States farmer! We feed the world & LOVE what we do!
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Krista Stauffer

Owner at Stauffer Dairy
Krista didn't grow up on a farm but fell in love with a dairy farmer and now works alongside her husband on their family dairy farm, raising five children. Despite her non-farm upbringing, she embraces farm life, enjoys gardening, and remodeling their farmhouse. She also runs a successful women's boutique, manages social media for local businesses, and serves on the board of a non-profit creamery, showcasing her dedication to entrepreneurship and community service.

Comments

  1. T Myers says

    I agree with you about the Ra Ras regarding farming, but I have to say, although the internet does provide the ignorant with fuel to their fire, it can also help educate those who want to learn. I think whether there is internet or not, there will always be those who think they know everything about something they know nothing about.

    Good on you for being the educator. You are doing your part!

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