Monday, July 23, 2012

Well...

After a long hiatus, I think I'll start blogging again, if that's alright with you all.

I had to take time off for a few reasons:

1) It hasn't rained since May 26th, so I haven't had much free time on my hands, and when I do, I mostly sit in my chair and try not to fall asleep.

2) I was burned out. I took a million pictures this spring, but I could never convince myself to actually share them with you. I don't know if I was being lazy, or didn't care, or what the deal was. Just couldn't do it anymore.

D) I was angry. I'm working on it, but those that know me well can attest to the speed with which my disposition can turn from chilled out to foaming at the mouth. This was kind of a self-imposed ban, also, because I can only take so much bitching and moaning about farming from people that don't know how to do it before my head explodes. I've always been a big believer in cutting out the things in my life that are causing me grief or stress, so I went away from the "GMO" and "food vs. fuel" argument. I didn't feel like beating my head against a brick wall anymore.

Time away has helped. Another thing that is motivating me to blog is the misinformation about farming that I hear or read every day, either on the news, in the paper, on Facebook, or in comments on other blogs, articles, etc. It never occurred to me that people actually think that Monsanto tells me what to do on my farm. I have also read comments from some people that think this drought is just a ploy from Monsanto and farmers to drive the cost of food up. Really? This has been confirmed as the worst drought since 1936, but it's all just a get rich quick scheme? Anyway...

Readers (if I have any left), I encourage you to ask me any and all questions you might have about agriculture. You have a right as consumers to know the facts, not what you hear or read or regurgitate from any number of different sources. I probably won't know a lot of the answers right away, but I'm really good at research, and I can take a lot of pictures. I know a lot of people that know a lot more about farming and ranching than I do, so I'll ask them to help me help you. There are some great resources out there, known as land grant universities that can tell you all you need to know and more. Lastly, don't be afraid to ask a farmer questions. Be respectful, and he or she will tell you most anything you want to know. Heck, come out here. I'll show you what we do and why we do it.


2 comments:

  1. It's good to see you back. Can't blame you for a break -- haven't been the best at blogging myself in recent months -- but I've been wondering how it's been going out your way with the lack of rain. Praying for you and all of the other farmers out there. Thanks for being so willing to give us insight into the reality of what you do, Ben.

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