The traditional center piece for a dinner like this would be fresh cut flowers. However, this year they felt with the economy the way it is, why not spend the same money on canned goods and dried goods in which they donated to the Joseph House. You're thinking, I like that!
The food was absolutely fabulous, (as usual). What really blew me away was the attendance. They had more than 300 people there last night and I have to tell you, this is about the most enjoyable group of people you'll ever come across. I met neighbors I had no idea were neighbors, all of them a complete pleasure to meet. I just love the fact that even though one might be some 4 or 5 miles away, we're in God's Country and quite frankly there just might not be that many homes in between our properties, therefore we actually are neighbors.
The volume of Politicians is quite overwhelming as well. Kratovil was a no show but says he really loves you and looks forward to working with everyone down the road, more or less. He did send one of his Staffers to the event but she didn't really look all too comfortable. I don't know why, because she's a very kind young lady.
As you can see from some of the pictures above, it was a well attended event by all. One thing I walked away from this event with, (besides some of the greatest fellowship good people can share) is that our Farmers are not too happy with the most recently passed legislation as well as what is on the table. Hopefully many of the Farmers can comment on this Post and share their own thoughts on this issue.
Our Eastern Shore Farmers truly do not get the recognition they deserve. I listened to some of the speeches where they mentioned millions upon millions of dollars worth of wheat going overseas and grown right here, "hopefully the Farmer made a profit off of it." Now that's a scary thought. However, if our Farmers didn't do what they do, well, quite frankly we'd all go hungry and die. We take their sun up to sun down hard work for granted and there's no doubt about that.
I personally think it's important to impress upon all of you this year to start purchasing much of your groceries from your local Farmers Market. Take your kids there and give them an education as to where this food comes from and shake hands with your local Farmers and thank them for what they do. It's a dying art Ladies & Gentlemen and our Federal Government is making it more and more difficult to produce and survive with very little profit left in the end. Of course, our Government knows more about Farming than Farmers do, right? NOT!
I'd like to thank the Farm Bureau for their invitation last evening and as always it was great to see so many friends and associates supporting the most wonderful group of people on Delmarva.
14 comments:
We attended. It was a great night for agriculture in Wicomico. The food was delicious and it was so nice visiting with many friends. The Farm Bureau does so much good in the community without many realizing what they do. I'm happy to be a long time member.
Joe - Thank you for the most informative and excellent article I have read to date on local farming.
You have brought up a lot of great points.
I too encourge everyone to go to the farmers markets - be it where a group of famers are at one site or a local farmers stand. There are a great number of people who think their food is supplied by the grocery stores and that is not true. Famers grow the food to supply the grocery stores. Look at the label of any food product you use and check the ingredients and see what came from a farm. You will be pleasantly surprised
I have had a small stand in my yard for a number of years and it still amazes me when I comment I have to go pick more tomatoes, peppers, whatever and they comment to me "You don't buy them at the grocery store??" So that is my chance to educate them a little. It is my hope that I am able to spread my little bit of knowledge with them.
I could go on and on but will not do so cause I want to leave room for others to write in.
One last note though, If you have eaten at least once today, thank a farmer!
Again, thank you Joe. Keep up the great work!
Signed,
Your neighbor!
I, too, attended last night and had a great time. The ladies who provided the meal (Ladies Aux of Sharptown)
showed they really know how to cook.
The silent auction items were some
of the best I've seen at events like this one.
If you are a farmer, thanks for all you do for our community.
I support local everything but I have a problem with farm subsidies. To many people are getting checks to not farm, some of them wouldnt farm anyway. Some of these checks are more than a regular worker makes in a year. Pull the weeds and support the real farmers.
What a nice evening and very educational. MDFB President spoke about the regulations that are being placed on the farmers from EPA and MDE. What he didn't say is that Wicomico County is also on the attack with their zoning changes.
John Cannon has a lot of nerve showing up there after his recent vote on farm land zoning. Go home slumlord.
Our opportunity will come in Nov. 2010.
If Kratovil's young lady was named Tamara, cut her some slack. She's brand new.
Yeah, we can get rid of Cannon, McCain, Sample-Hughes and MacLeod. Can anyone tell me what Sample Hughes does besides hold quarterly meetings? Does she ever vote against Cannon or McCain?
Farmers are really giving and sharing people. They just don't like to have things snatched from them without compensation. This is the case with the zoning issue.
vote em all out!!!! We need big changes if this county is to make it. A great start would be Cannon. If that weasel is re-elected I will stand on the Court House Steps and eat my shorts. As for Mcloud and Huges they are big disapointments as well.
Joe,
Nice article on the Farm Burea, however, I would encourage all the farmers who are reading this thread to take a look at the following bill that is in the Senate
This is S.425 Sponsored by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio on 2/12/2009
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s425:
On the outside this piece of legislation looks like a reasonable food safety bill. However, reading deeper into it this is purely sponsored by the corporate farm lobby's to in essence do away with family farms through government controls on food safety and distribution, which in the end it amounts to the criminalization of family farms, backyard gardeners, organic growers, and farmers markets!!
If you want to do something, you need to write a letter to make sure that this does not pass.
I wrote our Senators the other week and have told others to do so, but it sounds so incomprehensible, that people simply don't believe it!
Believe it!
While a number of the Farmers and Land owners were at Sharptown. Lee Richardson was at the Pittsville Fire Dept. Wildgame dinner. In additon to Lee Richardson who is a member of the Farm Bureau Board of Directors, a poultry grower and grain farmer, in partnership with his Father Sidney Richrdson, his fathers cousin Pete Richardson was there to do the Auction as either Pete or his associate Buddy Harrington( Retired from Salisbury Police Dept andnow a full time Parkside teacher) have done the acution for the last 7 years.
Everyone knows that Lee and Pete do not agree on land development issues. It seems Lee has now become in favor of reducing landowners values by reducing the development ratio from 1-3 to 1-15. Even though his father has admitted that being able to sell lots off the various farms they have purchased has allowed them to stay in farming.
Pete of course is in favor of a more intense development ration.
Also in attendance at the Pittsville dinner was Wayne Tull who is also a Mega acres landowner and his son Rodney Tull. The Tulls have supported the Pittsvill dinner every year and this year donated 4 Youth Day deer hunts.
Is this the old story of I have mine..... the heck with everyone else? Or is this an example of the son wanting to buy cheap farmland? This is disappointing.
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