{"id":802,"date":"2025-01-16T12:18:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T18:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/?p=802"},"modified":"2025-02-03T12:32:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T18:32:27","slug":"what-farmers-want-city-people-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/2025\/01\/16\/what-farmers-want-city-people-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"What Farmers Want City People To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even here in Kansas, there is a big disconnect between rural farmers and city dwellers. Maybe that\u2019s because people might believe that food comes from the store, or from our amazing food court, and don\u2019t realize how much work goes into the food that they consume.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Farmers will tell you, too, that some people don\u2019t realize how many animal byproducts are part of their daily routines. And let\u2019s not even get started with hormones\u2014the evidence might surprise some people who haven\u2019t researched it for themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wouldn\u2019t it be helpful if farmers and city people talked to each other?<\/span><\/p>\n

Henry Heigert, a 20-year-old third generation farmer who has been farming his entire life, explained what he would want individuals that do not have a background in farming to know about his way of life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Farmers Ultimately Want City Folks to Know<\/b><\/p>\n

Heigert wants to set the record straight on the government\u2019s involvement in farming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not live off of the government,\u201d Heigert said. \u201cWe make our own money.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0There is a common misconception that farmers and ranchers are getting payouts all the time from the government. This is not true. Farmers and ranchers are working every day to put food on other people\u2019s tables and make a living while doing so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cheyenne Westerman, an intern at Hildebrand Dairy who milks cows and helps maintain the overall wellbeing of the dairy cattle, wants consumers to get involved and see agriculture for themselves before judging farmers and ranchers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would want [people] to know there is definitely a lot more to it than meets the eye from a broad perspective,\u201d Westerman said. \u201cYou can\u2019t have an understanding of agriculture if you have never experienced it, so I understand the fear of not knowing. I also think that is something that can be combated if they\u2019ll just listen to what agriculture advocates are saying or go see a farm and understand why we do what we do before making a judgement call\u2026 Understand why we do it first and then take your position.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sage DeFord, a horse trainer and lifetime rancher out of Montana, would like people to remember the importance of ranching.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the ranchers they wouldn\u2019t have beef, good quality beef,\u201d DeFord said. \u201cThey put a lot of work into it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hours<\/b><\/p>\n

When it comes to farming and ranching, there is no time clock to punch in and out of. There are no set working hours. Equipment can break down and throw a wrench into the rest of the day. Farmers work until the job is done.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not set hours in farming,\u201d says Heigert.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Westerman confirmed the long hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s labor intensive,\u201d Westerman said. \u201cYou don\u2019t quit when you think you should clock out. You quit when the job is done, which is really different from other professions for sure.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DeFord agrees with Heigert and Westerman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not really set hours,\u201d DeFord said. \u201cIt completely varies depending on the day and what needs done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Genetically Modified Organisms<\/b><\/p>\n

Genetically modified organisms better known as GMOs have been a sore subject for consumers for ages. <\/span>There is a common misconception<\/span><\/a> that GMOs are harmful to the food that we eat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no harm that comes from a genetically modified crop or a crop that has had some sort of chemical put on it to control weeds or pests,\u201d Heigert says. \u201cSo people need to understand it\u2019s not going to hurt them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Westerman wants consumers to do their own research.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all I would encourage them to look at the regulations on those labels that they see on food products and see what those labels actually mean,\u201d Westerman said. \u201cWith GMOs, I would specifically say research those and see what does GMO actually mean. Go into that research, and figure out the background behind it all.\u00a0 I think that would enlighten a lot of people as far as knowing what labels actually mean on food products, because a lot of that is marketing.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Heigert\u2019s opinion, non-GMO and organic foods are a marketing gimmick for larger corporations to make more money.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lab Grown Beef and \u201cHormone Free\u201d Products<\/b><\/p>\n

Beef grown in a lab is highly processed.<\/span><\/a> Homegrown beef is not grown in a lab. It does not have preservatives. While he did not know the nutritional difference between lab grown beef and homegrown beef, Heigert knows the popularity of lab grown beef would be detrimental to farmers everywhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just know it\u2019s highly processed and if it were to take off it\u2019s just going to kill people out here trying to make a living raising actual livestock,\u201d Heigert said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While it may cost more upfront, consumers can buy fresh beef straight from a farmer or rancher rather than buying meat in a grocery store. It is a lot more cost effective in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think if people would study [labels] and understand what \u2018organic\u2019 means, or \u2018no hormones added\u2019 means, they would understand animals produce their own hormones so you\u2019re not getting a \u2018hormone free\u2019 product, you\u2019re just getting one that they didn\u2019t add extra hormones,\u201d Westerman said. \u201cThe animal still has hormones that it produces in its body.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Farming?<\/b><\/p>\n

When asked why he has been so drawn to farming Heigert said, \u201cIt\u2019s what I want to do\u2026 It really is what people say. It\u2019s in your blood.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Heigert\u2019s favorite part of farming is the \u201cfreedom.\u201d He enjoys not being someone else\u2019s employee. In a way, he is kind of his own boss. He works alongside his father on their farm. For a lot of farmers it is important that young people get involved early.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Agriculture has played a big role in Westerman\u2019s life as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[It\u2019s] definitely something I\u2019ve always been passionate about and something I want to continue because I think it\u2019s a really important aspect of life that a lot of people don\u2019t understand,\u201d Westerman said. \u201cOr can get away from realizing \u2018Hey, the stuff that you get in the store actually comes from somewhere. It doesn\u2019t come from the store\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her favorite part of farming is working with animals and seeing the sunrise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe work itself is really rewarding,\u201d Westerman said. \u201cYou can always see the impact that you make on the animals.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DeFord could hardly choose her favorite part about ranching.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[My favorite part is] the animals and being outside,\u201d DeFord said. \u201cI guess [I like] everything about it, pretty much.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Last Thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n

Heigert\u2019s final words to consumers pack a big punch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is somebody out there that feeds you every day,\u201d Heigert said. \u201cYou don\u2019t buy it from a grocery store, and it\u2019s not grown in a lab. Somebody\u2019s working every day to make sure there\u2019s food on your table and clothes on your back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Westerman wholeheartedly agrees with Heigert.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the work that farmers do is really important because they\u2019re ultimately what feeds and clothes the world,\u201d Westerman said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By Audrey Hook<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even here in Kansas, there is a big disconnect between rural farmers and city dwellers. Maybe that\u2019s because people might believe that food comes from the store, or from our amazing food court, and don\u2019t realize how much work goes into the food that they consume.\u00a0 Farmers will tell you, too, that some people don\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1002,"featured_media":804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,5],"tags":[17,18],"ppma_author":[127],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-agriculture","tag-town-and-country"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Audrey Hook","author_link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/2025\/01\/16\/what-farmers-want-city-people-to-know\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2025\/01\/Kansas-Farmland-300x225.jpg","coauthors":[{"link":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/2025\/01\/16\/what-farmers-want-city-people-to-know\/","display_name":"Audrey Hook"}],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Featured<\/a>","News<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Featured<\/span>","News<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Agriculture<\/a>","Town and Country<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Agriculture<\/span>","Town and Country<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 years ago","modified":"Updated 2 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on January 16, 2025","modified":"Updated on February 3, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on January 16, 2025 12:18 pm","modified":"Updated on February 3, 2025 12:32 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":127,"user_id":1002,"is_guest":0,"slug":null,"display_name":"Audrey Hook","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f79c3a45a811c37a7a31efddbe79249f44c62f7ea8b9766c81a5f622e4c0fffb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"Audrey","last_name":"Hook","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/files\/2025\/01\/Kansas-Farmland.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":869,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions\/869"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.jccc.edu\/messenger\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}