Farms and food go together

Editor’s note: Gates Bierhuizen (right) recently won the Culpeper County Farm Bureau’s senior essay contest. He was awarded a plaque and a $100 cash prize. Here is an excerpt from his essay, “Farms and food go together” ...

Ben Franklin once said, “Look before, or you’ll find yourself behind.” I think that means if one doesn’t plan for the future and adapt to meet potential needs then one will be left behind.

Every year more farms are being covered over by asphalt and manicured yards. It is frightening how many acres of prime farmland are being taken away from food production and placed into subdivisions and shopping malls. With the growing population and the need for fresher, more organically grown foods increasing, will farmers be able to keep up and continue producing the quality and quantity of food products that they currently do if the farms are not there?

Cattle and sheep need open fields to graze upon. Hay and crops require large tracts of fertile land to grow and reap. Fruit trees require specific locations and weather conditions to produce their crop.

Farming is a hard job. The benefits are few, but some are fresh air, an abundance of personal freedoms, and the joy of raising uncontaminated food for one’s family.

Farming and good, healthy food go together like steak and potatoes. Without the one, you simply cannot have the other.

Gates Bierhuizen
Freshman, Eastern View High School