No one believes that you must be the child of a teacher in order to become a teacher yourself. It’s a laughable proposition. In fact, there are no professions that impose such a restriction that you must be born into the trade to become a part of it. There seems to be a misconception that agriculture is an exclusive club only available for those who were raised in a farming family.
I was born into a family of artists. My mother was a designer and my father a musician. My mother spent her summers on her grandparents’ farm, but by the time I came along that had been passed down through generations to more distant relatives. Through some strange twist of fate, I received the latent farming genes passed down on my mother’s side. When I could talk I talked about farming, cows and horses. When I could draw it was all illustrations of farm animals and barns. I was fortunate enough to grow up in the country, but what a confusing child I must have been for my parents!
I got my start in agriculture by working in our neighbor’s tobacco fields. I had seen older kids helping with tobacco harvest near my house. The younger ones would pile the stalks and the older ones would string the stalks onto lathes. I snuck down and left a handwritten note in the farmer’s truck explaining that I wanted to work for them and that I was “strong for my age, especially for a girl.” Looking back, I wonder what kind of laugh they got out of my letter. But I received a call that night and started in the tobacco field the next day.
I quickly became engrossed in agriculture. I was so fortunate that local farmers gave me a chance and allowed me to work with them side-by-side from a very young age. I joined FFA at their encouragement and had many new doors opened for me. I worked a variety of agricultural jobs, from a greenhouse to a produce and petting farm, and worked with animals from beef cattle to horses. When I had the opportunity to start milking for a family friend I was hooked and I knew I found my niche. After receiving my degrees in animal science and agricultural education from UW-River Falls I found my calling as a dairy education specialist for AgSource working with dairy farmers to help them become more profitable with their dairy farms. I still milk cows for my husband’s aunt and uncle, occasionally surprising them at the morning milking when I need my cow fix (sorry for surprising you at 5 am aunt Sally!).
What is there to learn from my experiences? Agriculture does not need to be an exclusive club. Those of us in the industry need to keep open minds and hearts to those interested in learning what we do. The passion for agriculture is something we can develop and nurture in others, regardless of their background. So as industry professionals we need to bring the neighbor kid over to help us walk cows and teach them what it means to watch for signs of calving. We can invite the children who live in the city to keep their FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience project in our barns. “No agricultural experience” on a job application doesn’t mean “no passion for agriculture”. This is an opportunity to open doors and share the aspects of agriculture we love with someone who will come to love them too.
Thank goodness we don’t need to be born into a profession to become proficient at it. I can barely etch out a stick figure and I can’t carry a tune, much to my parents’ chagrin. But I can care for dairy cattle with an undying passion and give everything I have to the dairy industry. And somewhere there is a child who is just like me waiting for someone to take their hand and welcome them into their barn.
Taliah Danzinger
Taliah lives on a small farm in Durand with her husband Kyle. They raise bull calves as steers, as well as an assortment of chickens, horses and other livestock. She received her bachelor’s degree in animal science and agricultural education at UW-River Falls. She works as an Education and Marketing Support Specialist with AgSource Cooperative Services.
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