4 minute read
A Better Place
A Better Place
Agriculture is grounded in a commitment to sustainability across past and future generations
By Erica Lain
Hello Fresh Pickings readers!
My name is Erica Lain, and I am a third-generation farmer. I grew up in eastern Iowa on a farm alongside my two brothers. It was there that I developed a passion for the agriculture industry and the people in it. As a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in animal science, Ames will always have a special place in my heart for many reasons, but meeting my husband Kenton was the biggest blessing.
Kenton grew up on a farm in southern Iowa, where we now live and farm with his family. I am grateful to be able to help on the farm and work for Iowa Select Farms as their sustainability manager. Last year, we proudly welcomed our sweet son Jensen into the world. We are truly grateful and thank God daily for providing us with this farming lifestyle.
Agriculture’s Lifelong Impact
Agriculture has done more than make an impact in my life; it has shaped who I am as a person. The most special memories I have with my late dad were on the farm. This wonderful industry has provided me with my husband and a career that allows us to raise our son the same way we were raised.
Like most farmers, my dad was a busy man. Calving season turned into planting season, which turned into hay season, and before you knew it, harvest was upon us. Yet, he always made sure he was there to watch my brothers and me grow up. The times spent with him on the farm and remain the fondest memories. I can still remember how perfect a pillow could fit beside the seat in the John Deere 4440 tractor and how the dust on the dashboard of the semi turned into many writing lessons.
Dad not only made time for us, he included us. I tagged along in the night to help the newborn calf nurse that was struggling to get his legs under him. I raked hay, moved cows and delivered many meals. These were things I proudly told my classmates about the next day, but at the time didn't realize how I was learning and growing into who I am today.
Over the past 11 months, I have watched these same things slowly shape Jensen. He is already mooing at the cows outside the window and making sure his tractors include sound effects on the living room carpet. His dad and uncles make the best role models. Under those tough, dry and cracked hands, farmers have the purest hearts. They are gentle and nurturing, yet, when work needs to be done, it gets done in time for church on Sunday morning and family dinner afterward. These things may sound cliché to some, but I cannot think of a better way to raise a young man.
Striving for Continuous Improvement
It is with these things in mind, I am striving to do things better.
It is what keeps all farmers striving to do things better. So many times, I have heard it is not what you have but what you leave behind. As a farmer, that includes a business and the ground the business is built upon. It is more than just growing crops or raising animals. It is figuring out how to produce more corn on fewer acres, feed more animals with fewer inputs and do it all while remaining sustainable. At Iowa Select Farms, I focus on these things, tackling challenges like nutrient management, water quality, employee success and community growth. Staying sustainable is something farmers have done for hundreds of years, and we strive to continue to do for the next hundred.
Family values and experiences combined with sustainability is what agriculture is about, and I am excited to share a few of my experiences over the next year. I am grateful to live and raise my son on the farm. I could not be prouder of Iowa's farmers who are continuing to make this world a better place.
