Recently, I happened to find an article in a magazine about a family from Kansas that was spending a weekend at their original family farm for a reunion. To some this might seem rather mundane. The difference in this family from other farm families is that they were spending their reunion on another family’s farm.

Due to a lack of interest in farming, no one was interested in continuing the family tradition on the farm, so the original owners sold it.

Some might see this as a part of life; others might feel saddened by the end of a family tradition. In my own experience I feel caught between these two feelings.

Growing up on a Century Farm, I have always been convinced that there would be no reason for my family to worry about this type of thing. However, as my two younger brothers grow older, I have begun to realize that they may choose a different occupation.

We can’t really blame them; at this point farming is a very inconsistent lifestyle. Some might see this as lamenting the end of the family farm, but I see it as attempting to understand the changes the agriculture industry is seeing.

The family from Kansas found comfort in visiting their home, with each person bringing a little anecdote about what growing up on a farm was like. Part of me finds this event comforting, the other part of me feels like I would personally find this type of event very discouraging if it were my own family.

However, as the face of agriculture changes it is ultimately our chance now to set the precedent for future generations. By setting the precedent I mean to show future generations that just because you no longer live on a farm or are involved in farming, you can still find agriculture interesting and important.

Many find those who did not directly grow up on farm and later show interest in agriculture to be undesirable. I don’t agree with this mindset. It is very important that all people with varying experiences and views of agriculture are welcomed to get involved in the industry.

The agriculture field at this time is struggling to keep an open mind to the rapid advances and changes that we are seeing.

This does not mean that every farmer is narrow-minded.

This concept comes from my personal exposure to agriculture students or tomorrow’s farmers. Not every student is this way; however, I have found many that do represent a negative mindset toward those who did not grow up on a farm.

It is my hope that as the amount of farmers involved in the industry narrows, we will see an increase in the amount of inclusion of those who were not raised on a farm. Utilizing talents outside of the usual agriculture job gives us the chance to compete with other industries. While a background in agriculture is a preferable attribute to the industry, it is not the only way to be.

As a farmer, would you try to make your own computer? Most likely not; you would ask a computer engineer to do that. Would a computer engineer hop in to a tractor and plant corn without having any experience? Probably not, but this doesn’t mean that a computer engineer and a farmer can’t work together to improve the agriculture industry.

As the industry changes it is important to keep an open mind to other ideas and concepts. Change is uncomfortable; people outside of agriculture making decisions directly affecting our industry is sometimes scary. Striving to improve for the best and imagining how our decisions will affect the future generations of farming, we can put our minds at ease.

Danelle Zellmer

is a junior in public service and administration

in agriculture from Atlantic.