'Tis the season
True confessions time: I don't know a thing about agriculture.
I grew up in Salina, where the closest thing that came to farmland was the big grass fields across the street from our house and behind my elementary school. Now those fields are filled with rows and rows of houses, playground equipment, and parking lots.
It's not like I don't have farming in my blood. My mom grew up on a farm near Winfield — that's why during family trips she could point to the crops and say, "The soybeans are looking good this year," or "There's a nice head on the wheat."
Maybe the other side of the family, the side that features my dad who grew up in Los Angeles, Calif., counteracted all the farming genes. Because when mom points out the crops, all I say is "Oh."
But even if I can't understand the intricacies of crop rotation and irrigation, I can appreciate the heartache and hard work that goes into it.
And I can appreciate the incredible effort put forth by the county 4-H'ers for this year's fair.
Most of their work is behind-the-scenes. Weeks and years spent with those animals, getting them ready to go. Late nights with the woodworking projects, paintings, and baked goods.
It's all effort that takes place outside of the fairgrounds, but that doesn't make it any less worthy of recognition.
This year, don't just breeze by the rabbit building. Stop and talk to the owners and handlers. How old is that bunny? How often do you feed it? Where was it bred?
Behind-the-scenes work: 4-H'ers know all about it. It's time they were recognized for it.
— JENNIFER WILSON
