Why do we need farms anyway?

“Well, I suppose we don’t need farmers much. Just three times a day.”

I heard that from local media legend Don Peasley a couple of weeks ago. The joke was followed by a hearty laugh. Peasley said he heard it from Orion Samuelson some years back.

Samuelson has been the voice of agriculture in America since 1960 when be became farm service director at WGN radio in Chicago. Two nationally syndicated radio programs and a syndicated television show keep him busy advocating for agriculture in America still.

Recently, he spoke to a Woodstock audience of nearly 200 about the future of farming in McHenry County.

Part of Samuelson’s message regarding preservation of farmland in this area was that the community will not succeed at saving local farmland until “we” put our money where our mouths are. That is, until the members of the community start making different decisions about land use, about where we choose to live, and about whether or not we are willing to actually fund the preservation of agricultural resources locally.

He admitted to being “part of the problem” for choosing to move from Northbrook – an older, well established community – to Sun City in Huntley, an area that was, until recently, a farm.

Farmers comprise about two percent of the local (and national) workforce. Yet, what other industry touches everyone’s life so profoundly? When you eat, you are eating things that were grown, raised or produced by farmers somewhere. Those farmers may be in China, or here in McHenry County, but if you eat, you need farmers. Where will our food come from if all of the farms turn into subdivisions and strip malls?

Samuelson suggested that if we do not take steps to preserve farmland in the United States, then there will come a day when all of our food products are imported from around the world. He pointed out that, despite some problems, the United States has the safest food supply in the world today. If we become dependent upon foreign nations for our food, we will be unable to control the quality, safety, or supply of food. I do not want to rely upon the policies, politics and practices of another country for my dinner – a country where I have absolutely no control over what happens to the food supply produced there.

Bottom line is, we have to eat, and food doesn’t come from the grocery store – it comes from farms and through the hard work of farmers.

People may move to the country to leave urban problems behind – to get more breathing room, and improve the quality of their lives. But when people then complain about the odor of manure in the air or the dust from the farm fields, they fail to understand the benefits that come along with the odors or the dust. Benefits like food.

Samuelson suggested having a welcome wagon for all newcomers to the “country.” A pie made from local apples, and a pamphlet explaining that there are smells, sounds, and sights in these rural areas that will be foreign to the transplants, but it is all part of the deal. You want the peace, space, and security of the country? You want to eat three meals a day? Then, please, embrace the farmland and all that comes with it!

It may be winter, but here are three ways you can still support local farmers: