You’re 10. You’re on the first uphill climb on a rollercoaster, about to surge down the other side at 100 mph with just a small lap belt holding you in. Your car-mate yells, “Hang on!” and you can’t help but notice your heart skipping a beat. And in 3 minutes, the ride is over, hair is crazy, but if you were like me, you lined up to do it all over again just for the thrill.

I guess that’s what life and work is all about. Hanging on for the thrill of the ride. I was once asked: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I was 17. I didn’t know where I’d be the next day, let alone 10 years from then. Some kids are born with the desire to work in agriculture; for others, it’s an “acquired taste.” I took for granted the freedoms I had on the farm growing up: The picnic bench watermelon-eating fiascos, the treasured arrowheads buried deep beneath the hay bales, the pigeon songs in the old barn. As a youth, I loved agriculture. I just didn’t know I wanted a job in ag.

So what really inspires today’s youth to work in the ag industry? Is it classes they take in school? Being a member of a club like 4-H or FFA? Guidance counselors, friends, parents, the media? According to a study by AgCareers.com (top link), perceived benefits to a career in agriculture include “rewarding opportunities that provide good benefits” and “optimistic about the number of opportunities available.” Now if we can only help shape the perceptions of influencers (parents, peers) who believe that a life in ag is hard work and little pay.

Most days it IS hard work, and the pay, well, volatile. But farmers and ranchers and those in the ag industry seem to like the thrill of the ride. After all, that’s what life is all about, right? And, like this tree frog on our sliding glass window…hang on. We’re in for one heck of a ride.

Until we walk again…