Cut to the Chase -- Barefoot in the Dirt

By Rebecca French Smith

With about a foot and a half of snow on the ground, I am seriously looking forward to spring. Punxsutawney Phil said it would be here early this year, but one tweet I read called him a hack—I am reconsidering my trust in his predictions.

Truth is, spring comes when it comes, and I am ready for it. The first falling snowflakes of winter are beautiful and welcome, but there is nothing quite like the feel of freshly plowed earth beneath your feet and between your toes, or the earthy scent lingering in the garden air. It connects you to the land, to the seed you’re about to plant, in a unique way. It is … grounding.

But for many, they can’t remember the last time they were barefoot in the dirt, if ever.

Recently, a story on Politico, “Agriculture has slipped from D.C.’s radar screen,” piqued my interest, not only because it has been a struggle of late to keep those who produce the nation’s food in the forefront for our national legislators and the President, but because the gap between the farm and the vast majority of the population is widening.

It seems we in agriculture and rural America are “singing to the choir” too often and need to reach beyond. Are you listening? If you’re reading this, consider yourself reached out to, whether you’re in agriculture or whether you don’t know the first thing about growing something—perhaps even your houseplants are plastic.

My family grows a large garden—okra, zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, cantaloupe, sugar snap peas, even tried eggplant and green peppers, with which we haven’t had too much success. Even in a good year though, we are challenged to make the food we grow last more than a few months.

Truth is, when I look in my pantry each evening for dinner, there are groceries there I cannot grow. I simply do not have the time or resources to produce everything my family eats, wears or uses. I remind myself to be thankful for the things we’ve grown accustomed to. I could not survive without the practice and passion of farmers who help me live the life I live. Rural America and farmers are a necessity for me.

However, people beyond the farm are at least three generations removed from it. They do not readily connect those dots. Many children think milk comes from a carton, not a cow. While we face different challenges and issues, it will take all of us—both rural and urban—to bridge that gap of understanding. In doing so, we can create harmony at a very polarized time.

I am privileged to have space to grow a garden, to put a seed in the ground and watch it grow. It is a simple pleasure that I wish I could enjoy year-round—maybe a greenhouse is in order.

Truth is, we should all go barefoot in the dirt more often.

(Rebecca French Smith, of Columbia, Mo. is a multimedia specialist for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)