We’ve talked about wheat and canola now lets talk about another crop that is largely grown in ND; soybeans. I find soybeans to be the prettiest when they are bushy and green but even more impressive than that is the many ways they are used and consumed. Did you know that some crayons are made with soy…soybeans? Anything from animal feed, tofu, soymilk, edamame, soy nuts, tempeh, soy sauce, soybean oil, for biodiesel, candles and the list goes on…
This past growing season I took a picture of one of our soybean fields every week. The progression of little, tiny plants just poking out of the ground to a big dried down plant ready for harvest was fun and interesting to follow along with. You know that feeling that you get when you accomplish something after working on it for a while? That is the same feeling that farmers get when they can harvest a plentiful crop and get it safely stored.
With this being National Agriculture week, I hope you have enjoyed and learned something new about Agriculture. Whether you are involved in agriculture in some way or not it is important to know where your food comes from. When writing this I asked myself “Why, is it important for everyone to know where their food comes from?” And this is what I came up with.
When you have a greater understanding of something you are more likely to have respect for that thing/person. This can apply to so many other areas of life, too. Like, your doctor … if you saw the ins and outs of what they do for their patients and all the other people/occupations that support the doctor’s role, you probably would have a hard time not respecting them more. Let’s apply this principle to agriculture. If you take the time to see how the food gets to your table, the people that grew it, those that supported the farmer – crop insurance, grain elevator, machinery dealers, banks, truckers, grocers, etc. I’m sure that you would appreciate your food even more than you do now! What would be your answer to why it is important to know where your food comes from?
Here is a challenge for you. Go to your pantry or fridge, pick out something and learn who grew it/ raised it and what part of agriculture it came from. What was it before it became what it is now? This is an exercise I love doing! I have learned so much just asking the question – “Where did this come from?” Thank you for reading! Check out more topics and recipes at thefarmchicken.com .
– Mariah Nienhuis | TheFarmChicken
