June 2019 - 23

AG LABOR REVIEW
'Flyover country' shows variety of US agriculture
MICHAEL MARSH
President & CEO
National Council of
Agricultural Employers
Michael@ncaeonline.org
Often below I see the patchwork of
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.
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.
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. VGN
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VGN | JUNE 2019 | 23
June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2019
