As you know so well, soil that plants are rooted in has much to do with the fruits and flavors they bear. So, it's not a huge leap to apply that analogy to humans.

Those of us growing up in productive country soils sometimes scratch our heads at the attitudes and logic of urbanites. Those differences come into play countless ways.

* City folks, for instance, have never had to think beyond the nearby Big Box for where they get food. Many have no clue how to prepare a meal, except for pulling something out of a box or can. Most ruralists, however, can often grab at least a quick bite from woodland edges during summer on their way to the field. They know where most of their food originates.

A TEACHABLE MOMENT: Urbanites are attracted to what they like, but don’t understand – how food is made. That curiosity is a powerful teaching tool.

* Livestock producers know that food animals are just that. But just the thought of squirrel pie would leave most townies aghast.

* Speaking of four-footed foods, townies tend to be abhorred with using guns to kill anything. Yet, people of rural persuasions know that too many of any wild creatures isn't good, and needs to be balanced out. And when you're miles from back up, it's wise to have a weapon packed up that you know how to use.

* Town dwellers strongly identify with flowers as the scents of summer. Agriculturists, though, understand that not everything comes up or goes down smelling like roses – literally and figuratively.

* Nowhere are the rural/urban differences wider than in childhood upbringing – the roots of our values and perceptions. Urban urchins tend to be under-motivated couch potatoes fixated on Xbox gaming and the like.

Country kids, in contrast, tend to be far more active and task-oriented, thanks to "slave-master" (just kidding) Moms and Dads. They hone their electronic skills with real-life work apps. If and when they venture beyond the farm gate as young adults, they often ache to return after a few short years.

* Rurban differences also carry into marital compatibility. Citified singles may think in terms of speed dating and hooking up. But even the loneliest farmer knows that hooking up requires experience in hitching up tractors, trailers and financial "wagons" for a successful long haul. That's why, as the Farmers Only dating service slogan puts it, "City folks just don't get it."

* All this is why city folk transitioning to rural areas rarely make good neighbors. While it's not true for all, decompressing and reconditioning them to their new environment can be challenging.

* And if the citified work in bureaucracy (You probably guessed I'd bring this one up.), they're often from the extreme end of the urban continuum – born and raised in near-sterile environments. So it's no surprise they have minimal understanding or appreciation of the dynamics and personal nature of farming.

* One more trait separates the people of agriculture from the concrete world’s creatures. Your business thrives on technologies, so you tend to more voracious foragers – readers. My proof? You’re reading this!

So, got a pair of overalls? Got a plaid shirt? Enjoy your distinctness. Use it as a marketing strategy to separate your business from competition.

Even if you don’t “do” overalls, take pride in your endeavors. You think differently than city folks. Enjoy being so!