I remember on our first date Kyle told me his family farmed. Besides my brother in law who farms in Mexico, I didn't really think people farmed anymore (ignorant, I know). Low and behold, a few months later, we got married and I found myself in the middle of Washington while Kyle worked hard on the 2,000+ acre family farm with his brother and dad. I really grew to love the land and the profession of farming. At first I was really hesitant to be "out in the country" but I actually ended up loving it. Luckily, I had my awesome mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and my oldest sister to relate to and to help me out with the transition. I saw how happy farming made Kyle. Not only that, but I'm certain my great grandpa, Ezra Taft Benson (who was an American Farmer and served as United States Secretary of Agriculture during both presidential terms of Dwight D. Eisenhower and also as the 13th President of the LDS church) would be elated that farming is now running even deeper in my blood. I really grew to respect farmers and the countless hours, blood, sweat and tears that go into their crops that they provide.
After our summer ended, Kyle and I packed up and moved back to Rexburg to finish school at BYU-Idaho. Coming back to school married, I ran into a lot of people I haven't seen in a while and they have asked what my husband does. When I say that he farms, I get so many negative reactions. I've noticed that majority of people are clueless as to how hard and prestigious farming really is. Since being back to school, I've had a lot of people come to me and say they can't imagine me as a farmers wife and "they think it's funny to see pictures of me out in the country", or that they think it's weird that my husband farms. It really has made me almost sad (and absolutely infuriated, Kyle hears it all the time) that people don't realize that the food on their table, the lotion they put on their face, the paper they write on, has all been farmed by a farmer. And no, we don't have missing teeth, we aren't dirt poor, we don't wear overalls, and we aren't 20 years behind socially and technologically.
It's crazy that ever since I've seen how farming really works, farmers do not get nearly enough credit for what they do and how hard and long they work. I wish people (especially majority of students here at school that are not from Idaho or farming places) weren't so naive and could have a positive paradigm shift towards farming. Next time you're on a road trip, take a look up from your iphones and look and see how many miles of farmland you pass. The farmers are working for you. There have been countless times were I have had to bite my tongue while listening to people talk about farmers and/or farming.
I can't wait for the day when Kyle and I have kids so that we can raise them on the farm. I have seen how beneficial it has been to my husband and it has taught him the value of hard work. The farm made my husband the great guy that he is today. He has such a passion for it. If he loves it, I love it. Farmers make the world go round.
