What a great pleasure to be able to write this after the fall we have just experienced! In my previous column we were in the middle of 2020’s harvesting activity and all was well. Energy level was high, members were free to make their plan and work on their plan. At that time all was well and hopes were high, but there was no certainty that conditions would hold.
As it turns out, Mother Nature remained in a good mood and we had the same great conditions through the end of harvest, manure applications (we had not seen the bottom of the pits for quite some time!) and fall work. In addition, conservation practices could play out in good order. What a great confidence builder to be able to make a plan and see it through to the end.
While nobody forgot we were in the middle of a pandemic, we were more than able to get our work done while making sure we kept producing the food the world depends on us to produce. Along those lines, I was very intrigued to see the results of a recent national Gallup Poll. The poll asked people to rank the level of trust they had in a wide variety of occupations. In 2020, for the first time ever, farmers and agriculture ranked highest on the list of all occupations. This was very remarkable, and a great message.
In “normal” times perhaps, society focuses a bit much on things that are not really that important. When the chips are down, however, and people are out of work, afraid for their family and loved ones or worried about leaving home, one thing they did not need to worry about was having enough high quality, affordable, nutritious food for their family. That is our job, and we take great pride in it.
I hope you can take a minute to read this issue of the PPF newsletter. Here you will find updates on our Conservation Conversations, see what Discovery Farms is up to, read about our upcoming annual meeting and more.
Cheers to 2021!
Don