Assignment Examples
Farmers' Market I
I think for most farmers they choose farming because it is a family business. For example one farmer talked about how his dad retired a few years ago and he took over. He gets help from his uncles and dad. He has been "farming" his whole life, but took over in 2006. He described his job by saying, "Yes a farmer grows crops and drives tractors and some have cows, pigs, and chickens but that is just a snapshot of a job description. Farmers at some point in the year do accounting, marketing, mechanical repair, sales, purchasing, consulting and conservation." Farmer do much more than I thought before this assignment Harvesting the crop is only a part of what it means to be a farmer. Also farming can look a little different depending on who you ask. He said that his time in field varies depending on the time of year which makes since. His response was,"Probably a total of 13-16 weeks of the year are dedicated to actual field work be it planting,harvesting or spraying. Currently we are in the middle of harvest and working from 6:30 am till 7:30 pm 6 days a week until the job is done. If I had to say maybe 1000 hours per year per person." Farmers are busy people, which explain why most of their wives were at the market I went to.
I found his responses to the most difficult and rewarding parts of being farmer to be interesting. For the most difficult part he said not having control of the weather. The weather is such a crucial part to grow good crops. If the weather is not participating there is not much a farmer can do to fix the situation. I can see how that would be frustrating. We complain about the weather everyday, but for most of us our job doesn't depend on if it's sunny or not. For teachers we go to work rain or shine. Our student may be a little antsier if they have to have indoor recess, but the show still goes on. In farming if their is too much rain the crop could go bad or if their is too little it could go bad as well. He said the most rewarding parts to him are being able to work close with his family and also producing a crop that he can give to people all over.
When asked if he felt valued, he said, "absolutely". He didn't hesitate. We come from a small community, where their are many farmer. He did say," I would like for people to trust that we farmers are working hard to conserve the soil that we use and that we take every precaution to protect our waters and air. It would be nice if the general public would trust that we are not harming the environment. We make our living from the soil, the last thing that we want to do is harm it." This is something I didn't even think about. I have always thought highly of farmers just because of growing up in that type of community. They do their jobs so we have food to eat. There people that apparently don't trust farmer, which is very interesting to me. I am guessing that many of those people must have not grown up around farmers.
Going into this farmer's market activity I was a little apprehensive.I thought I knew just about everything their was to know about farming considering I grew in a house surrounded by corn and bean field. My best friend's grandpa was farmer, so we occasionally would go out in the field and ride the tractors with him. I would even go field trips growing up to learn about farming at our local community college.
I did not expect to see much diversity among the people at the farmers. There were several African Americans as well as Whites. As for gender there was about a fifty fifty male to female ratio. I had never been to a farmer's market before this trip. I had the stereotypical view of a farmers as mostly white males. I think that was mostly because that was all the farmers around my hometown that I knew. My view changed post visit.
The farmer's market I attended was connected with my community college in my hometown. I believe this is way there was such a variety of people there. There were not just vegetable vendors, but spice, soaps, the fire department was there, and also Amish products. It was small, about 8 booths. The people running the booths were farmer's wives, young college students, and local community members. There were families that attended as well as individuals. Not many people were there due to the weather being so cold. I think the reason that their were not many booths was both due to the weather and to it being near the end of the season. One lady told me it was their next to last week. Most of the farms represented were family farms. A few had big signs with the name of their farm and some family pictures.
After doing this activity, I have a better understanding of all farmers do for the community. They do a lot of work and don't get much recognition. One thing I noticed at the farmer's market was how proud the different vendors were of the veggies and products they had to sell. I saw many plants and veggies I had never seen before at the grocery store. The vendors were more than happy to tell me about them and how to use them. The were very knowledge about what they do.
I didn't get any veggies, but mom got some goat milk soap. We also got a delicious a cinnamon roll and bread from the Amish stand.
I found his responses to the most difficult and rewarding parts of being farmer to be interesting. For the most difficult part he said not having control of the weather. The weather is such a crucial part to grow good crops. If the weather is not participating there is not much a farmer can do to fix the situation. I can see how that would be frustrating. We complain about the weather everyday, but for most of us our job doesn't depend on if it's sunny or not. For teachers we go to work rain or shine. Our student may be a little antsier if they have to have indoor recess, but the show still goes on. In farming if their is too much rain the crop could go bad or if their is too little it could go bad as well. He said the most rewarding parts to him are being able to work close with his family and also producing a crop that he can give to people all over.
When asked if he felt valued, he said, "absolutely". He didn't hesitate. We come from a small community, where their are many farmer. He did say," I would like for people to trust that we farmers are working hard to conserve the soil that we use and that we take every precaution to protect our waters and air. It would be nice if the general public would trust that we are not harming the environment. We make our living from the soil, the last thing that we want to do is harm it." This is something I didn't even think about. I have always thought highly of farmers just because of growing up in that type of community. They do their jobs so we have food to eat. There people that apparently don't trust farmer, which is very interesting to me. I am guessing that many of those people must have not grown up around farmers.
Going into this farmer's market activity I was a little apprehensive.I thought I knew just about everything their was to know about farming considering I grew in a house surrounded by corn and bean field. My best friend's grandpa was farmer, so we occasionally would go out in the field and ride the tractors with him. I would even go field trips growing up to learn about farming at our local community college.
I did not expect to see much diversity among the people at the farmers. There were several African Americans as well as Whites. As for gender there was about a fifty fifty male to female ratio. I had never been to a farmer's market before this trip. I had the stereotypical view of a farmers as mostly white males. I think that was mostly because that was all the farmers around my hometown that I knew. My view changed post visit.
The farmer's market I attended was connected with my community college in my hometown. I believe this is way there was such a variety of people there. There were not just vegetable vendors, but spice, soaps, the fire department was there, and also Amish products. It was small, about 8 booths. The people running the booths were farmer's wives, young college students, and local community members. There were families that attended as well as individuals. Not many people were there due to the weather being so cold. I think the reason that their were not many booths was both due to the weather and to it being near the end of the season. One lady told me it was their next to last week. Most of the farms represented were family farms. A few had big signs with the name of their farm and some family pictures.
After doing this activity, I have a better understanding of all farmers do for the community. They do a lot of work and don't get much recognition. One thing I noticed at the farmer's market was how proud the different vendors were of the veggies and products they had to sell. I saw many plants and veggies I had never seen before at the grocery store. The vendors were more than happy to tell me about them and how to use them. The were very knowledge about what they do.
I didn't get any veggies, but mom got some goat milk soap. We also got a delicious a cinnamon roll and bread from the Amish stand.
Farmers' Market Visit
I went to the Bloomington Farmer’s Market on September 27th, 2014. I interviewed a farmer named Katie.
Here is her Farm’s website: http://www.prairierthfarm.com/PrairiErth_Farm/Home.html
Her personal blog: http://www.prairierthfarm.com/PrairiErth_Farm/Katies_Blog/Katies_Blog.html
Why did they choose to be farmers?
Katie and her husband had great jobs at State Farm, but had a strong passion for preserving the land and growing their own food. They felt like Illinois has such great soil and resources and corn should be used for its intended purpose…FOOD.
How many years have they been farmers?
They have been Farmers for 5 years.
How many hours do they spend in the field?
They spend about 60+ hours a week on the field each week.
What is the most challenging aspect of their job?
Katie says that being your own boss is very challenging and managing people is a skill that she has had to develop. She says that while she and her husband may have a passion for farming, their employees may not share that same passion which becomes difficult. Katie talked about how when you’re working on the field you don’t have time to do other aspects of farming like working on the books. She also said that there is no vacation or break during the summer.
What is the most rewarding feature of being a farmer?
Farmer Katie says that the best part of being a farmer is eating the best food in the world and working with customers that appreciate their work and are grateful for what they are doing.
Do they feel that they are valued? What kind of support would they like to get from the community?
“Yes, Absolutely!!”
Observe the market: Are both genders represented? Are all races represented? What does the absence or presence of a particular race or gender mean?
Both genders are represented at the market which is nice. It seemed to be a lot of white people at the market so I can’t say that all races are represented. The absence of a particular race could potentially mean that the market is only advertised in certain areas that attract a certain clientele. Also, perhaps there could be some racism that rises up at the market. While my sister and I were there, I could tell that we were getting some awkward stares and looks. I know there is a stigma that only “certain people” go to the Farmer’s Market, and that could be part of the reason why only one race was really represented.
Reflect on your experience before and after the trip?
I loved the atmosphere at the market. There was live music and it was extremely peaceful. I have never been to a Farmer’s market before so I really had no thoughts going in, but I would definitely go again. If more people experienced the genuine passion that the farmers have and the quality food that is presented there, then people would be more encouraged to shop there more often.
What vegetables and herbs did you get? How does getting vegetables from the market different than getting them from a grocery store? Did you get an herb to plant this fall?
I bought some carrots that were pulled fresh this week. Katie has some potatoes that were pulled the day before. When you buy from the market, you have peace of mind knowing that the people who are selling you the product believe in what they are selling you and are selling you a high quality product. You know that the food is fresh and not treated with a lot of chemicals that are not good for you.
I went to the Bloomington Farmer’s Market on September 27th, 2014. I interviewed a farmer named Katie.
Here is her Farm’s website: http://www.prairierthfarm.com/PrairiErth_Farm/Home.html
Her personal blog: http://www.prairierthfarm.com/PrairiErth_Farm/Katies_Blog/Katies_Blog.html
Why did they choose to be farmers?
Katie and her husband had great jobs at State Farm, but had a strong passion for preserving the land and growing their own food. They felt like Illinois has such great soil and resources and corn should be used for its intended purpose…FOOD.
How many years have they been farmers?
They have been Farmers for 5 years.
How many hours do they spend in the field?
They spend about 60+ hours a week on the field each week.
What is the most challenging aspect of their job?
Katie says that being your own boss is very challenging and managing people is a skill that she has had to develop. She says that while she and her husband may have a passion for farming, their employees may not share that same passion which becomes difficult. Katie talked about how when you’re working on the field you don’t have time to do other aspects of farming like working on the books. She also said that there is no vacation or break during the summer.
What is the most rewarding feature of being a farmer?
Farmer Katie says that the best part of being a farmer is eating the best food in the world and working with customers that appreciate their work and are grateful for what they are doing.
Do they feel that they are valued? What kind of support would they like to get from the community?
“Yes, Absolutely!!”
Observe the market: Are both genders represented? Are all races represented? What does the absence or presence of a particular race or gender mean?
Both genders are represented at the market which is nice. It seemed to be a lot of white people at the market so I can’t say that all races are represented. The absence of a particular race could potentially mean that the market is only advertised in certain areas that attract a certain clientele. Also, perhaps there could be some racism that rises up at the market. While my sister and I were there, I could tell that we were getting some awkward stares and looks. I know there is a stigma that only “certain people” go to the Farmer’s Market, and that could be part of the reason why only one race was really represented.
Reflect on your experience before and after the trip?
I loved the atmosphere at the market. There was live music and it was extremely peaceful. I have never been to a Farmer’s market before so I really had no thoughts going in, but I would definitely go again. If more people experienced the genuine passion that the farmers have and the quality food that is presented there, then people would be more encouraged to shop there more often.
What vegetables and herbs did you get? How does getting vegetables from the market different than getting them from a grocery store? Did you get an herb to plant this fall?
I bought some carrots that were pulled fresh this week. Katie has some potatoes that were pulled the day before. When you buy from the market, you have peace of mind knowing that the people who are selling you the product believe in what they are selling you and are selling you a high quality product. You know that the food is fresh and not treated with a lot of chemicals that are not good for you.