Farming Ain't Easy
Paying Tribute to the People Who Grow our Food
I’ve always believed that the most important people on the planet are the ones who plant the seeds, and care for the soil where they grow - Willie Nelson
As a chef, I have purchased, inspected, and cooked countless pounds of meat, produce, and grains, as well as a plethora of other food products over the years. Yet I have seldom thought of where those products originated.
When a good percentage of commercial kitchens are buying pre-packaged convenience products it’s easy to say, that everything we get comes from or is made in China. This may be true for some larger institutional operations in the food service industry such as healthcare or school kitchens.
However, for smaller restaurants that are operating scratch kitchens, their ingredients are often local or at least regional. This means that the farmers and ranchers who grew those ingredients are part of the overall community.
Farming is a necessity for us to live, yet being a farmer is one of those truly thankless and often forgotten jobs. Famers play a critical role in ensuring that we have an abundant food supply, without them our grocery stores would look like a barren wasteland.
Most people have never grown their own food and most of us wouldn’t have a clue where to start, myself included. Sure, I have grown some fruits and vegetables in a small container garden but I would be lost If I had to rely solely on myself for all of the meats and produce that my family and I consume.
When we think of farming we think of ready-to-eat consumables such as raw produce or meat, but what about all of the snack foods and convenience products that our modern world has to offer?
Take wheat, for example, (my apologies to the gluten-free community). If someone handed you a few pounds of wheat could you first separate the wheat from the chaff? Could you mill that wheat into flour? I couldn’t. Not saying that I couldn’t learn but I would still be a few years off from producing a delicious buttery Ritz™.
There is a renewed interest in breadmaking but do you really have the will to make all of your bread for the rest of your life? I would like to think that I do but in reality, I know that’s a task. You can read more about breadmaking here,
Man Can't Live on Bread Alone or Can He?
There is nothing quite like a delicious loaf of bread baking in the oven. The smell of baking bread is so enticing that real estate agents often suggest baking some during an open house and for good reason. When you walk into a home that has freshly baked bread it’s as if the house is saying, “Come in and make yourself at home”. It is a warm, inviting s…
In some areas of the world, farming employs entire communities, making agriculture a vital part of many economies. Without a thriving agricultural sector, economic stability would be at risk. Aside from providing a livelihood for members of rural communities, farmers are responsible for the vast array of food diversity that is appreciated by consumers, especially in The United States.
We can thank farmers for growing a wide variety of crops as well as different kinds of livestock, These choices in our food supply help contribute to a balanced diet and better nutrition.
Some of us may think of farmers as just the people who grow our food but that’s only a part of what they do. Farmers are stewards of the land. They take on the responsibility of preserving our land for future generations of farming. Taking care of the soil to ensure a healthy and fertile substrate in which to grow luscious and nourishing crops.
In rural communities farming isn’t just a job it’s a way of life, particularly when it comes to regenerative farming. This kind of farming is focused on restoring or preserving the health of the ecosystem while continuing to produce food. The primary goal of regenerative or old-school farming is to regenerate soil health and enhance biodiversity. These are the kinds of farms that would be considered local. Regenerative farming is the antithesis of contemporary farming.
The idea behind contemporary farming is to maximize production and efficiency through technology and mechanization. This type of modern farming relies heavily on machinery, genetic engineering (GMOs), and chemical fertilizers. Modern farming is often linked to global markets agricultural products are traded internationally.
If modern farming is the antithesis of regenerative farming then factory farming takes contemporary farming to a whole new level. This incarnation of modern farming is also known as intensive farming or industrial agriculture.
These factory farms are just that, animal factories. It is in these factories that cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys are raised in large confined facilities. These industrial establishments are just about as far as you can get from what most of us would consider farming.
In my opinion factory farms can be hideous, but if we are going to give credit to farmers we have to include this type of farming. Just about 99% of all cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys consumed in this country are raised in factory farms. The abundance that we experience in this country would not be possible without intensive farming practices.
The next time you sit down to eat a meal or even just grab a snack, think about where those ingredients came from, and how they went from being a seed to a plant to being a part of a nourishing meal.
Farmers are the lifeblood of our society. No matter what you think of modern farming practices, without them our society would be on the verge of collapse. The farmer’s role is indispensable and eternally essential. Thank you for farming!
Good stuff. I would love to see factory farming gradually replaced by cruelty-free "lab-grown" meat (such a huge branding issue!). If people want to eat animal flesh, they should pay a farmer a premium for it (eventually, I mean).