What are the three things that come to your mind when you think of the word ‘farming’
Answers
Explanation:
Close your eyes and envision a farmer? Where are they standing? What are they wearing? What is their ethnicity? Are they male or female? I have collected nearly 1000 responses to these and other questions as part of my work toward a PhD in Career and Technical Education at VA Tech. Let me take you back to 1995. Where are the farmers at? In 1995, Miss Andy (for those of you who don't know, my wife is the former Andy Echols of Union, WV) and I were happily milking 90 Holsteins and routinely hosting over 150 kindergarteners from Smyth County Schools each spring. One sunny May morning, children from Atkins Elementary School were to visit us. As their bus pulled into our barnyard, we could see the excited children who were to be our guests. We could also see the costume projects their teachers had worked on with their classes. Each child had a straw hat on their head and bandana tied around their neck. They had taken milk cartons and made cow bells with their names on them. It was really cute and they had worked really hard on the project. However, we met them coming off the bus, and were confronting by one little chubby fellow who preceded to look Miss Andy and I over from head to toe and ask, "Where are all the farmers at?" We were cleaned up and wearing jeans and our farm polo shirts, and frankly, the little guy didn't recognize that we were the farm owners. After just a few questions, we realized that these children expected to get off that bus and walk right on to the stage setting of "Hee Haw." We were too normal looking to fit their stereotype. While our rural heritage is important to all of us, how important is it that the public has a realistic, modern view of agriculture? The images we give to people, especially young people are very powerful tools. Do you present a modern positive view of agriculture or do you reinforce old stereotypes of farming and the people who farm?