Working For Change

My grandmother was always passionate about agriculture. In the late 70’s she recognized a serious problem in how the general public lost sight of where their food comes from.Not one to sit on her heels, she self produced a slide show made up of photos of our farming operation and took it to every school and community group that would have her. Her work in this, as well as others, were the roots of the Agriculture In The Classroom program that Farm Bureau uses nationally.

Bringing photos to show did not allow for a full farm experience. My grandmother, and other local farmers, put together our county’s first Farm Day at our county office building and invited hundreds of local school kids to see displays of different farm commodities. This now takes place at a real farm with dozens more presentations, more interactivity, and more kids. The latest one here was Friday with one of her granddaughters working and three of her great-grandchildren.

How did one widow farm wife from a modest background have an impact on thousands of kids and adults? She didn’t ask anyone to sit or stand. She didn’t ask anyone to join the “cool kids,” or make them feel small. She didn’t ask anyone to wear a pin or ribbon. Most definitely, she did not want to take the spotlight for the chain of events she helped set in motion.

My grandmother knew the only way to make a difference and to change minds was to work. Spider-man’s Uncle Ben famously told him that with great power came great repsonibility. Perhaps, we could also add that even those with little can contribute so much more than they think they are capable of doing.