Our Blog: where do you stand?

Not Just a Farmer: In the Field with Standing Partnership

By: Jessica Hartman | 09/08/2010

As the newest member of Standing Partnership, you can imagine my surprise when I was given the opportunity to travel my third day on the job. Though I've only been at Standing for a little over a week, I've already experienced Standing's commitment to hands-on learning.

Last week, I was provided with a chance to travel along with a co-worker and a few of our agriculture clients to a vegetable grower's produce distribution facility in northern Illinois. While there, we met with the farm's owner/operator, toured the distribution facility, learned about the operation and inspected produce.

I can assure you I am forever changed. Never again will I enjoy a cob of sweet corn without first thinking about the science behind its development, the struggles the farmer had to overcome in order to grow an edible piece of corn for me to enjoy and the hardships he or she faced when shipping vegetables to grocery stores around the country.

In my opinion, farmers are often viewed as being just that-farmers, when in fact they are so much more. After meeting with and speaking to the owner and operator of the produce facility, I realized his job encompasses countless responsibilities. He acts as CEO (he makes all of the business decisions), an engineer (he built much of his own equipment), a chemist (he must understand how to properly maintain his crop by keeping it insect-free), manager (his facility employs more than 200 seasonal employees) and accountant. Additionally, his success depends greatly upon the weather, his hours are long and his job can, at times, be very dangerous.

As I reflect on my new role here at Standing, I realize that while my job presents challenges and includes a variety of tasks, I won't have to think about how uncontrollable factors,  like rain, or lack of it, will impact my paycheck. I won't have to think about how worm infestations will affect bottom line, and unlike a farmer, I won't be solely responsible for all business decisions.

Next time you enjoy a meal, take a moment to consider the farmers' work that made it possible.

Posted in Agriculture and Nutrition, Public Relations, Reputation Management