What's Your Beef Friday :: Mike Rowe

I cannot begin to list the reasons why I love Mike Rowe so much but in a nutshell he appreciates where his food and fiber come from. This is an older article but it was published in the most recent issue of RANGE Magazine so it reminded me of how much I appreciate what he does.

You can read the entire article here, but below are some of my favorite quotes.

On Dirty Jobs, I’m no expert, and I’m even less of one here. But I have a theory, and it goes like this – all jobs rely on one of two industries – mining and agriculture. Every tangible thing our society needs is either pulled from the ground, or grown from the ground. Without these fundamental industries there would be no jobs of any kind. There would be no economy. Civilization begins with miners and farmers, and polite society is only possible when skilled workers transform those raw materials into something useful or edible.

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Our collective definition of a “good job” has evolved into something that no longer resembles Work, and that has detached us from a great many things, including our food, and the people who provide it.

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I auditioned the other day for the voiceover on a TV commercial about the American Farmer. (Yeah, I still audition.) I don’t recall the whole thing, but it started out like this – “Every year we demand more and more from our farmers. More food from less land. More food from less energy. More food from less labor. And every year our farmers deliver.”

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That last line, "And every year our farmers deliver," gives me the chills. I cannot tell you how true that statement rings and how appreciative I am that I live in America with the freedom to eat organic or grass fed and know that year round I can go to the store to buy onions and potatoes.

We are truly blessed with an abundant, safe and affordable food supply. Thank you American Farmers and Ranchers for all you do to feed me and my family.