Ron Smith 1, Senior Content Director

April 21, 2016

3 Min Read
<p>Farm country is an ideal place to honor Earth Day.</p>

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Earth Day than to get out of town. Exit the Interstate highway, drive onto a farm-to-market road … and enjoy the scenery.

You don’t have to go far. Head west, or east, or north, or south out of Dallas, and things begin to open up within 40 minutes or so

Look for freshly plowed fields and machinery moving up and down rows laid out as straight as lines on graph paper. You might even catch a few farmers planting summer crops. Wheat fields should be about to turn from a deep green to a tinge of light brown on the heads, which should be about full by now, heavy with kernels, prompting the stalk to bow just a little. Listen to the wind as it moves across the field, creating a slight clicking sound as the grain heads bump together.

To the south, corn and grain sorghum should be out of the ground, small spears of green uniformly spaced down parallel rows extending as far as you can see.

Green expanses of pasture and rangeland, interspersed with prickly pear, red cedar, and the ubiquitous mesquite, teem with cattle herds.

Notice the farmsteads: often modest, but comfortable homes, barns, equipment sheds, and big green or red equipment parked in the back. Expect a yard dog or two, and a saddle horse grazing in a paddock near the house.

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If it’s not too late, notice the brilliant hues of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, Mexican blanket, and other wildflowers I’ve never been able to identify. If you’re lucky, you might drive by a field of canola still in bloom — a startling yellow expanse that disappears into the blue of a cloudless sky. A few redbuds may still add a vivid splash of color to ditchbanks and hillsides. Back to the northeast, up in Fannin or Grayson counties, you might spot a few dogwoods among the hardwoods and pine trees.

If you get behind a spray rig, a tractor, or other piece of large farm machinery on these narrow roads, be patient. The driver has work to do, and needs to move to the next field as quickly as possible. He’ll pull out of your way as soon as he finds a wide spot. While you’re creeping along behind, take time to appreciate the engineering that went into that machine, and think about the skill it takes to operate it safely and efficiently.

If you see a pickup truck parked at a field edge, you might stop and see if anyone’s close by. Could be a farmer is checking on planting progress, and if you’re nice, polite, and inquisitive, he’ll probably spare a few minutes to explain what he’s doing.

It’s pretty simple, really: he’s feeding you, maybe making fiber for your clothes, or raising livestock that provide leather for your shoes and the steaks or burgers you might eat on your way back to your suburban home.

Before you leave, shake his hand. Tell him thanks for all he does. He doesn’t hear that often enough. Tell him you’re celebrating Earth Day. He’ll understand — he celebrates it every day.

About the Author(s)

Ron Smith 1

Senior Content Director, Farm Press/Farm Progress

Ron Smith has spent more than 40 years covering Sunbelt agriculture. Ron began his career in agricultural journalism as an Experiment Station and Extension editor at Clemson University, where he earned a Masters Degree in English in 1975. He served as associate editor for Southeast Farm Press from 1978 through 1989. In 1990, Smith helped launch Southern Turf Management Magazine and served as editor. He also helped launch two other regional Turf and Landscape publications and launched and edited Florida Grove and Vegetable Management for the Farm Press Group. Within two years of launch, the turf magazines were well-respected, award-winning publications. Ron has received numerous awards for writing and photography in both agriculture and landscape journalism. He is past president of The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association and was chosen as the first media representative to the University of Georgia College of Agriculture Advisory Board. He was named Communicator of the Year for the Metropolitan Atlanta Agricultural Communicators Association. More recently, he was awarded the Norman Borlaug Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas Plant Protection Association. Smith also worked in public relations, specializing in media relations for agricultural companies. Ron lives with his wife Pat in Johnson City, Tenn. They have two grown children, Stacey and Nick, and three grandsons, Aaron, Hunter and Walker.

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