What am I?

Am I a farmer?

I used to say I was without a doubt. Now, I'm not so sure. My lifestyle has changed a bit. I moved 300 miles away from my dairy farm and work full time. What classifies you as a farmer?

I went to fill out a form the other day and it stated, “You must be a farmer/rancher to win.” Well, do I qualify? Does my first source of income have to be from the farm to be a farmer? Is it enough to be involved remotely on my family farm and help a neighbor on theirs?

Is it a money commitment? Time commitment? Or is the status of being a farmer driven by passion or personal belief?

I still do the record keeping back home in Minnesota. (Not my family records, cow records; Lord knows I don’t want to know my family tree!) I also milk cows at a local farm. When I take time off from my full time job, it isn’t to go hiking through the mountains or lay on a beach, it’s to go home and help on the farm, show my cows or help at the county fair. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t have a “cow conversation.” Now, that might include an actual full conversation with a cow, but don't judge, they are good listeners.

My PTO: Showing Raisa :)

I work full time at an agricultural marketing agency because my passion is in connecting people to their food. To do that effectively, I think you have to be both a producer and consumer. My main income isn’t from the farm, heck it hasn’t been in the 22 years I’ve been alive. Actually, for the first 20 I counted it as volunteer work on my resume! (Insert dad quote about instilling values through hard work and not cash payment...) In a world where people are so many things at once, can a girl not have a city job and be a farmer?

Team motto: #listentothestadick. By the way..these are my awesome co-workers.

I’m an employee on a dairy farm because I miss the cow connection. I’m a teacher because I inform people about dairy farms. I’m a listener because I want to improve our farm. I am the person who will connect consumer's with their food, and farmer’s with their buyers. Does that make me a farmer?

Shout out to Cows on the Concourse for allowing me to listen to consumers! Oh and spend a whole day with baby calves :)