Farm Life: Sandwich Maker
Just the other day, I shared a graphic on my Facebook page from a fellow blogger, Tractor Jen. The graphic read, “Sometimes the most important people on the harvest crew are the ones that make the sandwich and do the laundry.” And I find this to be so true.
When most consumers think of agriculture, they visualize a man standing in overalls and a straw hat, holding a pitchfork—but there is so much more to farming beyond the farmer himself. It really takes a community of action for a farmer to be successful. This community includes roles such as the sandwich maker, the seed salesman, the tractor mechanic, truck drivers, the milkman, the veterinarian, scientists, and so many more.
Without the tractors or seed, farmers cannot plant their fields. Without the healthy animals, the milkman wouldn’t have any milk to deliver to the store to fill their cooler. And with no food in their bellies, the farmers wouldn’t get much work done. All of these roles work together and serve as much of a purpose as the farmers themselves.
These different community roles are something that we know well in our family. We farm corn and soybeans with my in-laws just a few miles up the road from our house, but both my husband and father-in-law also work off the farm, within this community that makes farming happen. My husband works for a local Ag equipment dealership and ensures that all of the area farmers have equipment that’s running safely and correctly to plant and harvest their crops each season. My father-in-law is an agronomist for the local co-op, and assists each farmer in making the proper decisions when it comes to seed and fertilizers that will best suit the farmer’s environment and land. They both have very important roles within agriculture but with a much different image than a man with a pitchfork.
My role is the sandwich maker, launderer, and advocate. As much as I love driving the tractor, I’m a mom with three young girls, so being in one of the support roles is where I find myself right now – I enjoy it more than I ever thought I would.
The more involved that I become in the agricultural community, the more important I find my role as a sandwich maker and advocate to be. I may not be the one planting the seeds, but I have a voice, I can write, and I can make a fantastic ham sandwich. I can share my story and knowledge to educate those who know little about farming or where their food comes from. I have the ability to break down those stereotypes of a “farmer” and show that all roles are vital and important to supply them the food on their dinner table every night.
Farming is just one hat of many being worn in the agricultural community. That hat may be straw and worn on the farm, but it might also be a truckers hat, a John Deere hat, or no hat at all, rather a stethoscope, an apron, or in my case, yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Some agriculturalists might even sport a business suit or lab coat.
Whatever our role may be we are all a vital part of this industry. We make it possible for farmers to live out their dreams on their farms, and provide consumers with a safe and abundant supply of healthy food. But most of all, we all share the same understanding and passion for farming.
About The Author
Rebekah Gustafson spends her days as a mom to three horse-crazy little girls, and a wife to her husband, Neil, in a small town in NW Wisconsin where they were both born and raised on small dairy farms. She shares her passion for agriculture through her blog Cooped Up Creativity, as an administrator for the Ask The Farmers blog as well as a volunteering for CommonGround. Her husband, Neil, works as the Service Manager for the local John Deere Dealership, and also crop farms with his father.
