An Agrarian’s New Year: 4 Resolutions for People who Love Ag

Visit a Farmer’s Market

We all talk about the need to support local farmers, but how many times did you go the farmer’s market last year? I planned to go several times… but HEB sells “locally” grown food, and they sell a lot of items that are certified Go Texan. It was more convenient to go there, however “local” to a grocery store can mean anywhere in the state, rather than what you might think of as local. Farmer’s markets usually only sell food that are in season. Grocery stores generally sell foods all year around because larger farms can afford to grow fruits and vegetables indoors in a greenhouse. Dedicate your time once a season to visiting a farmer’s market and seeing what foods are in season. The sellers at a market love to talk about their products, how they grow them, or their favorite recipes to use them in. If you visit a farmer’s market, ask that farmer about their product! It can be a great learning experience, and it’s just a lot of fun. Plus you’re helping out your true local farmers by buying their goods straight from the farm.

Be an AGvocate

Being an “agvocate” can mean different things. Mostly, it is advocating specifically for agricultural issues as well as agriculture as a whole. We want to tell the whole world about how great agriculture is because we love it! Right?! But, being a true agvocate means knowing your facts before you spread the news. For example, PETA does the opposite of agvocating. They spread lies about agriculture. One of their ads shows a man holding a bloody sheep that says “Here’s the rest of your wool coat.” This is simply absurd, because shearing a sheep is just like giving a sheep a haircut. You use shears that look like bigger versions of what you would trim a man’s hair with, and then you trim their wool. You don’t cut their skin off... that would be incredibly horrible for everyone involved. On the other hand, you can’t believe everything people say when promoting ag either (some make false promises, or say that agriculture has absolutely no impact on the environment. Obviously it does have some kind of an impact.) We want to be sure about what we know and share the truth about agriculture! So before you share that video on Facebook, or that picture on Instagram, make sure it’s from a reputable source.

Get Involved 

Getting involved with agriculture is one of the best ways to learn and understand what the industry does. It can be intimidating to get involved if you’re thinking about commercial farms, or starting your own farm. The good news is there are ways you can start small! If you have a child who’s interested in ag, get them involved in FFA or 4-H. They don’t have to start out raising animals or crops. They can do things like making recipes, quilting, leadership development, careers & workforce prep, and more. As an adult, it may seem harder to get involved. You can try growing your own crops or flowers to sell at a farmer’s market, become a 4-H leader, or volunteer at fairs. Your community may have agriculture committees or events that you can become a member of or volunteer for. If you aren’t sure what part of agriculture interests you the most, try visiting a fair and see what pulls your heartstrings. There are so many ways to get involved if you just look for an opportunity.

Be Conscious about Conservation

The ag industry gets a bad rap when it comes to being eco-friendly or conservation practices. While commercial and local agriculture both produce some greenhouse gases, they are by no means responsible for all of global warming or ecological destruction. In fact, they are working hard towards sustainability. Planting your own flowers or crops, even for harvesting, can help increase the quality of your air. Be mindful of the things you throw out. You started a protein based diet this year, could that egg carton be recycled or composted? What about those empty glass bottles from New Year’s Eve, are they in your recycle bin? We may not be able to reverse the effects we’ve had on the world, but we can certainly reduce our future impact. Make sure you’re doing your part to keep trash out of landfills. I’m not saying your resolution should be as extreme as going zero waste-though if that is your New Year’s Resolution, then hooray and good luck!-but just be conscious about what impacts you are having on the environment. Buy items or foods that are produced sustainably. Try DIY projects before you buy something completely new. There is an old quote that emerged from the World War II Era that I try to live by: “Use it up, Wear it Out, Make it do, Or do without.”

The New Year is rolling in, let’s make it our best year yet! Let me know your New Year’s Resolutions in the comments below, and tell me how you can be an agvocate!