It has almost been a month since I came home from school and boy does time sure fly by fast. So much has happened since I last wrote that I don’t even know where to start. I have a lot of catching up to do, and I’ll get there eventually, but for now, I’m going to write about what’s on my mind.

Tonight was one of the last nights I got to wear my Miss Maryland Agriculture 3^rd Runner-Up sash ever as I attended a Harford County Farm Bureau Board of Directors Meeting. I’ll be giving up the title in about a month and a half and I’m so sad to see such an incredible chapter in my life close.

It’s no secret that I’ve been wearing a sash for 7 years now. I served as a Dairy Maid, Alternate Dairy Princess, regional and state Dairy Princess, Miss Harford County Farm Bureau and Miss Maryland Agriculture 3^rd Runner-Up. I’ve been pretty lucky with being so involved in such outstanding programs like the Maryland Dairy Princess Association and the Miss Maryland Agriculture Program. Although I talk about my experiences in both, they’re completely different from another. Yes, they’re both centered around agricultural education and helping young women develop into strong agricultural ambassadors (and of course the fancy names and sashes), however my year in each truly differs from the other.

As a dairy princess, I learned the facts. I taught people about the dairy industry, milk, and its nutritional significance. I learned about the consumer’s view, which is extremely valuable. I learned about conducting myself from etiquette to wearing proper business attire. I learned how to respond to the public and how to cater a presentation to a specific audience. The list goes on and on, and I loved every minute of my reign.

I have to admit that this year has been even more beneficial to me. I honestly wouldn’t have believed you a year ago if you told me that something could be better than my time as a dairy princess, but looking back now, I realize how blessed I am to have been in these two programs, especially Miss Maryland Ag.

The distinction between my experience with dairy princess and Miss Maryland Agriculture has been something that is so simple that it might seem stupid. I’ve grown up on a dairy farm, I know most people in this county involved in agriculture, and I’ve gotten to meet a massive amount of people around the state and country from my experiences in 4-H and other activities/opportunities. Having said all that, the differentiation between these past two years has been the people. It’s not that I’m not only representing dairy people anymore. This year has taken me across Maryland to meet SO many people who come from so many different walks of life, farmers or not. I’ve heard everything from a story from an old man about how he tragically lost his farm years ago but he still continues in Farm Bureau to a mother telling me how excited she is for her daughter to grow up and participate in the stuff that I’m doing. I’ve always known what agriculture is, but this year I learned who agriculture is.

Agriculture is not just plows and cows, it’s people coming together to stand for something they believe in. It’s these people fighting for what they know is right but for what will help so many people in the world. It’s the united group that single-handedly feeds the world’s population. It’s the people who rally behind one another when tragedy strikes one of their own.

No one is lying when he or she says “farming isn’t easy,” and that’s a fact. It’s one of the hardest jobs in the world, but is tremendously important. Farmers are always scapegoated for issues, but by standing strong and supporting each other, they fight back and bring the best out in each other. Farming brings remarkable people together. I’ve seen it happen at the Maryland Farm Bureau Convention where I met farmers who told me their stories of how they got to where they are. They narrate their stories with pride because they’ve ended up in the farming community. The common themes in the characteristics of “who agriculture is” that I’ve observed this year are pride, diligence, support, and relentlessness. Those who are involved in agriculture have to be tough, but they don’t have to be so inspiring. But they are. They put all the hard work in daily, they work with each other, they never give up, and they’re proud of who they are. There’s nothing like a farmer or an agriculturalist.

To give you an example, when a dairy farming family’s house went up in flames, the grandmother went through the burning house to rescue her granddaughter. Both are recovering, but what is also incredibly admirable is that the whole agriculture and dairy industries are rallying behind them to raise money to pay for medical bills. If selflessly saving a little girl wasn’t enough, coning together to help the woman who did and her granddaughter is also astounding.

And this is why I love farming and agriculture. As I told the Board of Directors tonight, I might not be going into ag education without this past year. I understood farming going into this and how vital it is to every person in the world every single day. But that didn’t really matter because I never realized WHY I loved agriculture so much until this year when it clicked as I met so many phenomenal people. Now that I’ve put the pieces together, I can’t wait to meet even more people and see how the agriculturalists better the world.