About Me:
Hello my name is Sarah and I am an agriculturalist. I LOVE agriculture!
I grew up in a small town near Sacramento, California on a few acres.
I grew up in a small town near Sacramento, California on a few acres.
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| In our garden as a baby. |
My parents were pretty old fashioned – we had animals and a big garden every year when I was little. We got fresh eggs from our chickens. All of the food I can remember was made from scratch. We regularly went to the Farmer’s Market. We hung our clothes out to dry in the summer. I was in 4-H growing up and FFA when I was in High School.
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| At the auction with my market lamb. |
I always knew I wanted to be a teacher so a career in agriculture never crossed my mind, well it did . . . I also always wanted to be a farmer but I decided (in maybe 2nd grade) that I was going to be a teacher and farm at night or marry a farmer. I knew agriculture would always be a part of my life and as all children do I thought everyone had the agriculture education and practice that I had had growing up.
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| Graduation from credentialing! |
I went to college got a degree and a credential. In college there were so many people that didn’t even know how to grow a plant! My first year teaching I asked my 3rd grade Science class what animal beef came from. In unison they shouted out “PIG.” I lowered my head and shook it. I looked up to 25 eyes happily staring at me waiting for a, “Good job students!” I am usually very positive but all I could muster up was, “No” and another shake of my head. Eager to please they started shouting out animals – deer . . . duck . . . chicken . . . fish . . . quail (ok, I made up the last one). They didn’t even guess cows! A few months later during writing time after a few lessons on personal narratives (personal narratives are true and about the author) I gave my kids a few examples and had them tell me if it was a personal narrative or not and why. A few quick stories in I told them about a cow getting out and how my sister had to get up in the middle of the night because her neighbor called and said a fence had broken and some of her cows were in the road. I asked if this story would be a personal narrative. They said no. This whole time I was thinking ‘Awesome they get it!’ “Why?” I asked eagerly awaiting them to tell me that it was not about me. Without missing a beat they say, “Because cows are not real animals.” I could go on and on with stories like this but the bottom line is our kids (and adults) are so disconnected with their food supply it is sad. The general public has no idea where their food comes from. I can’t remember where I read this (if you know please tell me so I can give credit to the source) but I love it – The last generation thought food came from the grocery store, this generation thinks it comes from the fridge. So, when I got my Master’s Degree I made an agriculture supplement for 3rd grade (the grade I was teaching at the time). I also started featuring an ag commodity a week. I wrote up facts and printed pictures and then we tried the commodity at the end of the week. I figured if I teach students about agriculture then they will grow up respecting and supporting their local farmers and ranchers.
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| My first graders read a story about a chicken, so I brought chicks in to class. |
Now, I am married to my high school sweetheart Michael. We have 3 young children and we uprooted our beautiful life and moved to a new state. We didn't know a single person in our area and bought our house site unseen ... all during a pandemic, oh and without jobs lined up! We live on the edge! We couldn't be happier with our move and love the beautiful state of Idaho!
I had 12 years in the classroom and now am at home with our littles. Not what I had planned, but it is amazing!
We still dream about owning a nice big plot of land. Where we can farm, raise animals for our freezer and others, and just have some room that is ours. For now, we are content in our little house with our beautiful but small yard and our garden boxes! Life is good here in Idaho!
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About this Blog:
After hearing so much misinformation out there I had to try and do something. I am a teacher . . . I have always heard that teaching is in one’s blood. So, my natural way to help is to try and educate. I started this blog to educate people about their food and fiber (and all the other components of agriculture).
I started this blog to teach about agriculture but it has turned into more of a lifestyle blog. I write about life, home improvement projects (mostly thanks to the amazing lumber industry - a part of agriculture), and anything that interests me (gardening ... again, ag)!
I hope you enjoy!
