June 2019 - 26

AG LABOR REVIEW
'Flyover country' shows variety of US agriculture
Often below I see the patchwork of
MICHAEL MARSH
President & CEO
National Council of
Agricultural Employers
Michael@ncaeonline.org
I spend a good deal of time in airports
and in flight to different destinations
around the country. Perhaps, to some, it
might seem glamorous to fly here and fly
there at 32,000 feet over the United States.
Glamorous? I don't know about that,
but there are some things about airline
travel I enjoy.
It's a good time to work and I always
find it cool to look out the window and
see the landscape pass by. Although we're
moving at about 500 mph, it looks as if
we're slowly passing over what lies below.
From that vantage point, it gives me the
opportunity to look far and wide.
Over some parts of the country I see
forest. Over other parts I see cities.
These are much easier to spot at night
when their lights twinkle through
the atmosphere. However, over much
of the country I look down and see
something that makes me smile.
Doubtless my seat mates find me a
quiet but curious companion.
fields, roads and circles of American
agriculture. It looks like a quilt or a
tapestry of sorts. Different colors and
textures blend into a mosaic in natural
light and shadow.
In certain parts of the country I
distinguish section lines and farm houses
spread distant from one another, along
with barns, outbuildings, corrals and
elevators. If I look closely, I can observe
drainage on the property witnessed
sometimes by scars that knife jaggedly
from the high spots to the lower ones.
Creeks meander through some of the
land on their way to somewhere else.
What I also see, at least in my mind's
eye, are the stories that preface what I
observe today.
I see the struggle of generations toiling
long hours for too little return, relative
to the effort. I observe where someone's
great-great-grandparents staked a claim
and set about the hard work of trying
to build something lasting for their
kids, their grandchildren, their greatgrandchildren,
and so it goes.
While flying along and looking down
I can imagine the tales that created the
legacy I see below.
The rains, the droughts, the winds
and snows all played a part. Some years
might have been challenged by pests like
grasshoppers. Other years may have been
challenged by an early freeze, a late snow
or a hailstorm. Farming and ranching
are always tough and Mother Nature, as
the families who work at it know, can be
whimsical and hard.
While flying along and
looking down I can imagine
the tales that created the
legacy I see below.
But somehow, the hearty people who
work the land keep at it. And, because I
eat, I'm glad they do. They get up each
morning, yawn, stretch and rub sleep out
of their eyes. After a cup of joe, they pull
on their boots and tie the laces. If it's cold,
they'll put on coveralls over a sweatshirt
with a hoodie. Then they'll typically put
on a cap of some sort because, of course,
livestock don't care much for bed hair.
Then, out they'll go and out is
important because that's where most of
agriculture still takes place. Perhaps, if it's
chilly, their breath will turn to frost or, if
it's not, beads of sweat will soon darken
the sweatband of the cap they've put on.
If it's raining, folks try and retreat to those
chores in the shop they've been putting
off until such a day occurs.
Looking out that airplane window, I can
watch crops mature with the seasons. I
might see an orchard that blooms bright
in the spring, having branches later bent
by fruit ready to pick. I might see a wheat
field green and lush with spring moisture,
mature into golden bounty. And then,
after harvest the whole thing starts over.
Doubtless, some of the other
passengers on my flight look at the earth
below as well. They may not have the
affinity for agriculture I do and may not
see what it is I see. They may consider
what I view to be nothing more than
passage from one place to another. Some
will leave the flight recalling little of what
was below because to them, and their
experience, they've seen something they'll
refer to as " flyover country. " If they ever
talk of it.
I've surveyed something a bit different
than my companions. Having a connection
to land and agriculture, I've viewed
something important and truly special.
On my flight, I've beheld America. FGN
2019
NORTH
AMERICAN
STRAWBERRY
GROWERS
ASSOCIATION
Summer
Tour
Tuesday, August 20
Wednesday, August 21
&
Drury Inn & Suites Pittsburgh Airport Settlers Ridge
Join NASGA for our 2019 Summer
Tour as we visit farms in Western
Pennsylvania. We will visit NASGA
members and see a variety of
productions systems, on farm valueadded
activities and some excellent
farm markets.
Tour Stops Include
* Sand Hill Berries and Greendance Winery
* Soergel Orchards
* Janoski's Farm and Greenhouse
* Shenot Farm and Market
* Kaelin Farms
* Harvest Valley Farms
8405 Fruit Ridge Ave. * Sparta, MI 49345
800.452.6748 * sales@peachridge.com
www.peachridge.com
26 | FruitGrowersNews.com
For more information visit
www.nasga.org, or call
Kevin Schooley at 905-735-5379
http://www.nasga.org http://www.peachridge.com http://www.FruitGrowersNews.com
June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2019
