I grew up in Fargo, ND.
I spent summers in the lakes area, but that doesn’t really give you any “cred” with the farming folks. The people who rose with the sun and feed the world.
They are growers and producers
My rural experience tops out with trips to the home of some friends who farmed outside of Walcott, ND. They had a tire swing and I was tricked into smelling a “horse apple.”
(JJ Gordon IS THE Cardigan Cowboy)
Fast forward to my mid-30s. I have the privilege of being on KFGO – The Mighty 790am. We are #1 in talk, news and ag. Agriculture is the life blood of KFGO and many other businesses around the region. When the farms do well, it trickles to the bigger cities and directly influences those who have never even jumped into a combine. Even though my daily farm knowledge was lacking, I have a basic understanding of the importance of a corn report or the amount of moisture in the fall.
I had the pleasure of attending all three days of Big Iron at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds. A mixture of farm equipment show, ag technology conference and annual meet up – this show welcomes thousands of people to West Fargo every year.
This year I went wandering. My goal was to get a better understanding of farm machinery as well as talk to some of the Ag folks.
(The KFGO studio setup at Big Iron 2019)
It went…well?
First off, I have some questions. There is a particular brand of equipment called Bobcat. I usually see these babies on construction sites. Sometimes with wheels, sometimes with treads. This particular unit I was eyeing up had a snow blower attachment on the front…but was a two seater. Why a two seater? Do you need company? Are lunch pails out of control these days?
Question number two, does the non-farmer realize how advanced these machines are?!?!?! From GPS units to video game-like controls, these giant pieces of equipment are something to behold. To all of the metropolitan folks who have asked me if I still “ride a horse to work or use an outhouse” your bluetooth capable refrigerator has NOTHING on a current model combine or sprayer.
My last question, with the amount of people concerned that the word “organic” appear on their coconut water – are they concerned about the men and women working the dirt to feed them? From the large scale farms that are made or broken by the price of soybeans or the gardener who relies on your patronage at a farmer’s market – these people struggle just like you do. They want the best for their families and they are proud of what they do for our world’s economy.
Talking with new friends at Big Iron, I found that I don’t ask myself that last question enough. When my garden tomatoes get blight, I just chalk it up to a “bad year” and buy canned tomatoes the rest of the year. But what does a farmer do when a crop destroyed by a disease or drought?
Food for thought.
My Five Favorite Movies About Farming (in no particular order)
