By Jessica Domel
Have you ever had a moment that made you stop, think and shake the cobwebs out of your mind before answering?
As a farm girl, I frequently have those moments.
You see, people like to ask me questions about where their food comes from. And I love to answer. Normally, the answers spill out like second nature, but one question actually stopped me in my tracks at the grocery store.
“Do potatoes grow on trees?”
I stopped checking out my phone and looked up.
The gentleman explained a friend of his told him they grew on trees and that’s why some have dirt on the outside.
Instead of laughing or staring blankly at him, I explained that potatoes grow in the ground. I showed him photos on my phone. We talked about a trip I took to see potatoes harvested that are used for chips.
He was enthralled and he genuinely wanted to learn more.
I love experiences like that. After all, we all have things we know that others don’t. Or they have things they could share with us that we don’t know.
Agriculture, unfortunately, is one of those things that many people are so far removed from that they have a hard time connecting with how their food gets from the farm, ranch or dairy to their table.
To me, this underlines the importance of agricultural education in school, at home and in the store.
The more we’re informed, the better consumers we are. The more we know, the more we can share.
Want to know more about how your food is grown or raised? Check out our library of videos where Texas farmers, ranchers and dairymen tell their stories. They answer some of my most burning questions and share their love for what they do.
The best part? You can watch them from the comfort of your home, office or classroom. Enjoy! Is there a food grown in Texas you’d like us to feature? Let us know in the comments!
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