01/31/06 Perceptions

There are those farming that are convinced they exist constantly in the radar of environmental groups, you know the ones, when it comes to stewardship, pesticide application or water rights, they are the ones that have a chip on their shoulder, thinking the pubic is always out to get them. Well, I say don't fuel the fire. Since we can't stop the yearly migration of the great SUV's with trailers filled with very recreational toy imaginable passing though our farming habitat, we can quit giving them ammunition to hurt us. The view they see through their tinted windows shapes their perception of agriculture. So if empty pesticide containers litter the landscape near an orchard, don't be surprised when the public opts for organic. If the creek running through farm country is littered with old tires and rusty equipment, can you blame environmentalists for believing fish need protecting. All of us in agriculture would do well to stop and reflect on the picture we are painting of the industry we love. I'm Susan Allen and this is Food Forethought.