Have you thanked a farmer lately?

It is Canada’s Agriculture Day. Have you thanked a farmer lately?

Being a farmer is often a thankless job and some people don’t realize just how much time and energy go into farming. I am sure there are many who growl when they get “stuck” behind a tractor on the road, which of course ALWAYS happens when you are already running late. Or when you’ve just put out your freshly wa’r’shed load of laundry to dry and you smell that aroma of manure being spread down yonder.

Many people probably don’t even give it a second thought let alone think, these farmers are doing this for me? There is so much more to farming than at first glance. Yes, there is food on your table but what sacrifices were made to get it there?

Being a farmer means waking up early and staying up late. It means staying until the job is done. There are no days off, no holidays. It is 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They do hundreds of thankless jobs. Because really who’s dream job involves mucking out stalls or hauling manure or worse yet castrating calves?! It means sacrifice. Missing family events because the cows got out, or it’s going to rain so we need to finish harvesting. Farming doesn’t wait so family has to.

From field to table whether its meat, vegetable, grain or dairy we want to say thank you over and over again. For managing your soil runoff, for planning your crop rotation, for protecting water sources, for fencing livestock out of streams, for managing your woodlots. In addition to all the small jobs you do, you are also protecting our natural resources for all of us to enjoy.

Thank you for the flour we use to make our delectable dinner rolls. Thank you for producing the cream and butter we use in our seafood chowder. The cheese we love to sprinkle and the ice cream we love to eat! Thank you for raising your livestock so that we can cook our steak and ham just how you like it – flavorful to the last bite. Thank you for the plentiful produce that we use in everything we create, from our potato salad to our Blueberry Pie.

From the smallest of jobs to the biggest of tasks – Thank you for all you do.