March is National Agriculture Month. This is a good time since the agricultural year is about to begin. Soon farmers will be out in their fields preparing them for new crops.

For years I was deeply involved in agriculture. My husband operated a dairy farm with registered Holstein cattle. Farm life is a good life — a good way to raise a family.

The family worked together. Our children learned responsibility by working on the farm. My husband used to say that they had a unique bond. They did a lot of talking as they worked in the barn together milking the cows. Many problems were solved during that time.

In the 1980s I became an agricultural writer. I have worked for the same paper for more than 30 years. They recruited me to do features for them. Back in the old days I had to take photos, get them developed, then send them in to the paper. That took a lot of time and a lot of energy. There was a long lag before an article could be published.

I loved going out to do features. Everyone had a story. I usually connected with the people I wanted to interview during their off season since then they had time to talk to me. I went back to take the pictures at a later date.

Most of all I connected with other farmers. There is a certain connection that all farmers have. Farmers are the ultimate optimists. They prepare their fields, plant the seeds, then wait for the crop to grow.

Mother Nature has a hand in farming. She can make or break a year. I remember one year when we were still taking in the first crop of hay in August. By then it was none too good either. It rained some nearly every day. That is why the haying was so late.

At the time we lived in a trailer. Each night that we were in bed we could hear the pitter-patter of raindrops. It became very annoying. We knew the hay got wet or we knew that it would not be a day to cut hay.

The upper farm was run by my brother-in-law. Things took longer to mature up there because of the elevation. My husband ran the lower farm. My husband was not one of those early farmers. He was usually the last one out of bed. His theory was that it would be late in the morning before anything was dry enough to work.

At any rate, the farm work was always there.

Today I still live on the farm, but my life is considerably different. Now, I am strictly a consumer. I truly appreciate those who work the land so we can eat. Everything that gets set on your table is grown by a farmer somewhere in the world.

Look at the shelves in the grocery store. The variety of products offered is unlimited. We go up and down the aisles never thinking about where the food came from. We make our choice of food, go home to fix it, then we eat. Little thought is given to the producers.

Today I want to thank those hardworking farmers for what I have to eat. I know what goes into the production of food. The work is hard and the work is long. Nothing comes easy on the farm.

Oh, yes, all of those pastoral settings look so nice. The cows are chewing their cuds resting in the field. The lambs are out playing and grazing. The goats do the same.

All of those animals represent a lot of work. Each one needs to be fed and cleaned up after. Each one needs to have shelter. Each one needs medical care. Farmers provide all of that. Farming is a seven-day-a-week job. Often it also involves getting up at night to check on the animals when they are having their young.

I remember many nights of interrupted sleep when my husband was delivering calves. Yet, it was up and at ’em the next morning.

If there are some farmers among your friends take time to thank them for all of their hard work. Without farmers there would be no food.

I noticed that one agricultural business was recently sold to a company in China. What does that mean for you? It means that what you purchase was processed in China with their regulations in place. Are their regulations the same as those in the U.S.? No, the health standards are much different. Things are not nearly as clean as they are here.

The meat will be marked grown in the U. S., but the processing isn’t documented. It will be done in China. Think about that. What might happen to our food supply?

I do not like this policy one bit. Time to frequent the little producers — the things that are grown here and processed here. I think that the small producers may find an increase in their business.

Get your priorities straight.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.