I’ll admit right now that I’m a “Jeopardy!” fan. This highbrow game show offers a tough brain challenge, and I enjoy watching it when I can. My wife and I often record it to time-shift the show and watch together. And over the years — and I’ve been watching since Art Fleming was the host and it was on NBC in the morning — there are things you notice. For example, sometimes “Jeopardy!” contestants avoid categories until they absolutely must answer them.

Recently — and this has been a hit on YouTube — contestants were unable to answer any of the questions in a football category. (Contestants actually must guess the questions that go with the answers on the “Jeopardy!” game board, but it’s awkward to say that way.) Were these super-smart contestants falling into a nerd trap? Perhaps. You can search “‘Jeopardy!’ sports questions” and find the video of that day. Even host Alex Trebek had a little fun with the contestants as they kept missing the questions.

We have a copy editor for Western Farmer-Stockman who has been on “Jeopardy!” And she’s legit —Elisabeth Carrel made it to a second day. She’s very smart. I haven’t asked if she would have done well on those football questions. But perhaps on another category?

Which brings me to a show I just watched where the category was agriculture. Yep, a series of questions about this industry we so love. And what happened?

First, contestants avoided that category like the plague. No one went looking, even at a time when contestants do that “random walk” through the game board in search of the “Jeopardy!” square where they can bet big. The category just sat there, waiting for the clock to force them to choose it.

Second, when the time came — and it usually does — to answer the ag questions, it wasn’t clear they would get them right. Heck, one question was kind of basic — I almost missed it. The answer was “What is fertilizer?”

What it means
This fear of the agriculture category was more evidence of what I’ve discussed in this column in the past. The public doesn’t get us. They think they know about food, but the term “agriculture” apparently even scares some very smart people.

We’re talking folks who know their Greek poets, mind you — but perhaps nothing about corn, soil or weather. That’s a pretty solid challenge being thrown back at farmers and commodity groups. We need to work harder to tell our story.

Of course, we could encourage the “Jeopardy!” quiz writers to ask more questions on the topic; that would get people to study more. You study for what you think might be on the show. But that’s not easy, and lobbying game show question writers probably isn’t the best answer.

Instead, think of yourself as a game show educator. You want to be available to that consumer who has a question, and to discuss the answer from your perspective as a producer. Despite all this rigmarole about the “dangers of farming,” those who raise food are still trusted.

Oh, and if you get on “Jeopardy!” and the agriculture category comes up — don’t wait for the clock. Answer the questions. I’m pretty sure if that category had come up when Elisabeth was on the show, she would have.