It’s no secret that one of the biggest, if not the biggest obstacles farmers face is the misconceptions and fears about the food they raise.

The question is, will we be able to change that?

This morning, my little boy jumped on the school bus headed for first grade. Grinning from ear to ear, with his “Avengers” backpack snug on his shoulders. In that back pack was a John Deere combine with “tracks” (Grady thinks these things are the greatest thing since sliced bread) in a gallon zip lock bag ready for show and tell.

This morning it dawned on me, that little boy that got on that big yellow school bus can have just as much impact, if not more of an impact sharing the truth of agriculture than me.

It is said, todays population is two generations removed from the farm. If my son goes to school sharing his love of agriculture he is sharing that with the third generation removed from the farm.

Granted, we live in a rural community and he goes to a very small school where he only has 25 kids in his entire class. But, even if he can open the eyes of one other child, it’s a step in the right direction.

The thing is, we aren’t just teaching consumers about our livelihood, we are teaching our children as well, which I often forget. They don’t come out of the womb with a basic Ag 101 knowledge (although, how cool would that be?). They learn right beside us.

We’re showing them how to responsibly treat our animals. We’re showing them how to care and maintain the land. We’re showing them that the food we raise is safe and our families eat it everyday.

My little boy went to school today, combine in hand, wearing an invisible cape for agriculture. Grinning ear to ear, sharing his stories of combines, corn, and cows.

Today, we may be the ones at the front lines fighting for agriculture but we can’t forget about the trainees beside us. Watching, listening, learning.

Growing along side of our crops, our animals, and our industry.

So today, as my little boy stands up in front of his class sharing his love for farming I can’t help but beam with pride. He chose to take a combine when he could’ve easily taken one of his transformers or robots.  It fills me with such joy knowing he enjoys something I am so passionate about. Most children, see their parents as their heroes. Today, Grady’s actions, made him mine.