Even With COVID-19 Farmers Will Not Shelter In Place

I can assure you farmers and all those involved in agriculture, food processing, retail and transportation are not "Sheltering in Place." Sure precautions have been taken to limit in person contact and a new term I have learned, "social distance."  As I write this farmers are taking care of their livestock and making plans to plant another crop soon.

Two weeks ago when I saw panic buying of food and empty meat cases at some grocery stores I thought, maybe more people will understand food comes from farmers before it gets to the grocery store? Someone else thought of that too. Kelly at the Faribault Chamber of Commerce sent me a poem about this and said "I thought you would like it."

The author of the following poem is unknown. I searched the internet to try and find the person to credit that understands where food comes from. I could not find the author, but whoever it is thank you for helping spread the word about what farmers do every day not matter what!

"They ran to the groceries, they filled up their carts,  They emptied the Tops and Price Chopper and Walmart, They panicked and fought and then panicked some more, Then they rushed to their homes and they locked all the doors.

The food will be gone! The milk eggs and cheese! The yogurt! The apples! The green beans and peas! The stores have run out, now what will we do? They’ll be starving and looting and nothing to do!

Then they paused, and they listened a moment or two. And they did hear a sound, rising over the fear, It started out far, then began to grow near.

But this sound wasn’t sad, nor was it new, The farms were still doing what farms always do.

The food was still coming, though they’d emptied the shelves, The farms kept it coming, though they struggled themselves,

Though the cities had forgotten from where their food came, The farms made them food every day, just the same. Through weather and critics and markets that fall, The farms kept on farming in spite of it all.

They farmed without thank yous. They farmed without praise. They farmed on the hottest and coldest of days.

They’d bought all the food, yet the next day came more, And the people thought of something they hadn’t before.

Maybe food, they thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe farmers, perhaps, mean a little bit more." - Unknown