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Steve Harvey shares respect for America's farmers

Steve Harvey may have flubbed Miss Universe, but he nailed it when it comes to America's farmers.

Mindy Ward, Editor, Missouri Ruralist

January 8, 2016

2 Min Read

Steve Harvey made news last month when he misread the winner of the 2015 Miss Universe contest. But this month he got it right when talking about America's farmers.

I am a Steve Harvey fan, not from the Miss Universe pageant, but rather the television program "Family Feud." He's a great host with a lot of wit. The show provides my family with many laughs at the end of a day.

He garnered my respect as he dealt with mixing up the name of the winner of the Miss Universe pageant. The fact is--he owned his mistake. Too many individuals today would have found someone to blame, but not Harvey. He claimed it, apologized for it and reached out to those it affected.

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Now Harvey goes and does it again--this time in an area closer to my heart--farming.

He recently posting a video--"What I learned growing up on a farm"--on his webpage. In it, Harvey reminisces about raising livestock and tells of his genuine respect for farmers.

Harvey recalls waking up early in the morning but before he could eat, he had to feed the animals. He admitted not understanding why the chores of feeding the hogs, chickens and cows needed done before he could eat.

His grandfather would reply, "Young man if we don't take care of these animals that we are requiring to take care of us, what is going to happen to us?" His grandfather went on to explain that the importance of caring for the animals that produce the meat and eggs, and even those animals like horses, that were used back then to plow the land.

Yet the most pointed portion of the conversation for those in farming was this:

"What I respect about farmers is they understand everything comes in season. Even if floods come, even if drought comes, one thing about the farmers, they do it all over again, because they understand that eventually they will be able to harvest."

He added, "A farmer understands better than any other worker in this country. A farmer has an understanding that most that people never achieve in their life. I really respect the farmers and their commitment, but I respect also their understanding."

So here is just one more reason to be a little more understanding of a television host who misread a card--especially if you are a farmer.

About the Author

Mindy Ward

Editor, Missouri Ruralist

Mindy resides on a small farm just outside of Holstein, Mo, about 80 miles southwest of St. Louis.

After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism, she worked briefly at a public relations firm in Kansas City. Her husband’s career led the couple north to Minnesota.

There, she reported on large-scale production of corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and dairy, as well as, biofuels for The Land. After 10 years, the couple returned to Missouri and she began covering agriculture in the Show-Me State.

“In all my 15 years of writing about agriculture, I have found some of the most progressive thinkers are farmers,” she says. “They are constantly searching for ways to do more with less, improve their land and leave their legacy to the next generation.”

Mindy and her husband, Stacy, together with their daughters, Elisa and Cassidy, operate Showtime Farms in southern Warren County. The family spends a great deal of time caring for and showing Dorset, Oxford and crossbred sheep.

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