October 12 is National Farmer’s Day but a single day is definitely not enough to thank our farmers and celebrate their valuable contribution to society. Without farmers, we would have nothing to eat. It’s that plain and simple. Even in the midst of national disasters and lack of support, they labor day-in and day-out just to produce food for everybody.
Of course, they get earn a living raising animals and growing crops but they what they do is even more important for the rest of us. Imagine if all the farmers decide to drop their hoes and find other ways to take care of their family. Fortunately for everybody else, farming is in these people’s blood and hearts. That is why we should celebrate and thank our farmers not only on National Farmer’s Day but whenever we get the chance.
Use Social Media to Thank Our Farmers
During this time, medical frontliners have received bulk of the praises for giving their all to help fight the coronavirus. Somehow, farmers and other people in vital industries have gone underappreciated. Today is the day that farmers feel they are extremely appreciated. National Farmer’s day or not, it’s time to show them our deepest gratitude.
The simplest thing you can do is to thank our farmers through appreciation posts on social media. However, this may not reach every farmer deserving of the praise. Still, this is better than not doing anything at all. Besides, social media is a good place to open other people’s eyes on the condition and needs of our farmers. If a click and share can help the plight of our farmers then that is a good way of thanking them for all their efforts. So go ahead and post a simple thank you note, an inspirational quote or even a meme to celebrate and thank our farmer friends.
Send A Thank You Card
If you know some local farmers, go ahead and send them a card as a sign of appreciation. You can drop your gift off yourself or have it delivered. Just make sure to practice the necessary coronavirus safety measures if you decide to go out or when dealing with a courier.
Your thank you card can be as simple as a folded piece of cardboard or paper with a nice message and colorful art. This is a nice arts and crafts project to do at home. You can give them out to thank our farmers even if it’s not National Farmer’s Day.
The Tractor Thank You Card by Tractorama, available on Zazzle, is a cute way to thank our farmers. You can order it as is or with a white envelope. You can choose to use the design on other products such as postcards, magnetic cards, or flexible photo magnets.
Wear Your Gratitude
Buy one for yourself or give it to a farmer as a sign of gratitude. The If You Ate Today Thank Farmer Pride Shirt is the perfect way to show others how important farmers are. As the shirt says, we wouldn’t have anything to eat without them. People often take for granted that they can readily buy food from the grocery store or order a nice meal from restaurants. We seem to forget that someone planted the seeds and raised the animals that make up our meals.
Give A Gift
The season of giving is upon us but we don’t have to wait a couple more months before we can give gifts to our dear farmers. Let’s show our gratitude by getting them something as simple as a planner or as expensive as a food dehydrator.
Personal Gift
If the farmer is family or a close friend, your thank you gift becomes even more meaningful. Give them something with a personal touch. How about a bottle of wine? Surely, any farmer would appreciate a glass of wine after a hard day of work. They can also pop a bottle open to celebrate a special occasion or to serve to a guest.
The Thank You Personalized Chardonnay Wine Crate by ArtTownGifts not only allows your farmer friend to enjoy some fine Tanner Ridge California Chardonnay, they also get a wooden crate with a personalized thank you note from you.
Seeds or Seedlings
You know what farmers will never get tired of? More trees, plants and crops to grow. Do a little research on companion planting before giving out seeds or seedlings as gifts, though. There are plants that grow well together and then there are those that do not. Determine what the farmer grows so you can choose the right gift.
If your farmer friend grows cranberries, for example, you can get them blueberries. The Powder Blue Blueberry variety is a good choice as a gift. They can plant them together with the cranberries or somewhere in their front yard. The powder blue color of the berries makes it a good choice for a hedge. Aside from making your home look pretty, the perennial hardy plant produces highly nutritious and flavorful berries.
Gift of Humor
Who doesn’t appreciate humor? Give the local farmers one more thing to smile about with a gift that celebrates their contribution to society in a light way. The lemon-scented Soap For Essential Workers by Whiskey River Soap Co. “smells like validation… that only the plague could give you.” Funny but true.
They also have a Soap for Stoners that “smells like Colorado.” This one is perfect for cannabis farmers. Hey, they’re still farmers, right? We should also be celebrating and thanking them since their produce helps people that really need them. This one is cannabis scented (of course).
Gift of Organization
One key to a successful farm is organization. Many young farmers today use laptops and similar devices to stay organized. If your friend prefers the old ways, get them something like a planner or journal instead. They can use it to plot their plan for the season and to keep track if everything is going according to plan.
The momAgenda Home Office Edition planner is perfect for this task. The 9” x 11” day planner uses a unique week-at-a-view format with monthly views tabs. There are also a couple of folders to keep important papers.
The planner gives the farmer a quick way to check what the scheduled tasks are. If you have scheduled soil tillage in the next few days, for example, that should give you time to prepare. Check the tractor if it’s good to go. If you’re doing it by hand, see if you have the right tools. Organization skills are also important for livestock farmers. They have to be constantly reminded of what to do and what the animals need so they would grow properly.
Of course, farming is not the only thing farmers do. They also need to organize their schedules to do other stuff such as canning produce, homeschooling, and celebrating special events. A planner will help make sure you don’t forget these important tasks and dates.
Kitchen Helpers
Farmers also get busy in the kitchen. Oftentimes, they have lots of produce left after selling what they can. That means they have to find ways not to make the most of their harvest. Tomato farmers, for example, can turn their excess harvest into tomato sauce, paste, ketchup, and juice. They can also can or dry them.
Get them something that will help in the kitchen. This cute Chicken Little Timer from Norpro, for example, is a great simple device to have in the kitchen. It’ll help keep your farmer friend from burning their meals. Farming is a tiresome job and it’s not unlikely that they doze off while waiting for the food to cook. The Chicken Little Timer goes up to 60 minutes. That should be enough time for a meal to be done. Plus, it’s a cute little chicken! Any farmer would love it.
For close friends or relatives that are into farming, you can gift them something a bit on the expensive side. The COSORI Premium Food Dehydrator and the MOOSOO M Store 15-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker and Canner is perfect for those who always end up with excess produce. These two are also good investments for farmers looking for other ways to earn money.
The food dehydrator will help fruit farmers turn their excess harvests into fruit crisps, which they can pack and sell for additional income. The electric pressure cooker, meanwhile, will help in the canning process. That’s aside from its other uses such as slow cooking, steaming, and cooking rice among others.
Gift for Their Children
Aside from gifts that your farmer friend can use on their farm, you can get something for the family, particularly the fids. They will fully appreciate if you help put a smile on their children’s faces. Don’t go for any kind of gist, though. Put a little effort and find a gift that the kids will love and will not be bad for Mother Nature.
Enter Green Kid Crafts. This company is all about making children happy and taking care of the environment at the same time. The Climate Change Discovery Box, for example, contains fun science projects and activities that teach children about climate change. This is particularly important to farmers as climate change directly affects their main source of income. It’s a good idea to teach children about the effects of climate change early on so they can eventually help make the changes the world needs right now.
Visit the Local Farm
A visit to the farm is in itself a good way to thank our farmers. Showing up to appreciate their hard work should make farmers feel good about themselves. Most farmers like to have guests and the fact that you chose to spend some of your valuable time in their farm should let them know they’re truly valued and respected.
Some of these farms provide a tour of their place for a small fee. Whatever you spend will definitely be worth it. If you visit an apple farm, for example, your eyes will be treated to some glorious views of rows and rows of apple trees. They should have fruits ready for harvesting right now.
Your eyes will not be the only ones leaving the farm satisfied. Your taste buds and tummies will fully enjoy the freshly picked apples you get. Also, the experience of picking the fruits yourself is something you should be thankful for.
Since Halloween season is here, you may also want to go on a little tour of the nearest pumpkin farm to get your supply of Jack-o’-lanterns. Are you familiar with the TLC show Little People, Big World? The stars of the reality show own a pumpkin farm. If you live in or near Portland, Oregon, you can visit the farm and see the celebrity family.
Buy From Farmer’s Markets
The best way to thank our farmers is to buy their produce. For sure they’ll be grateful since the money they earn from their harvest will be used to pay off bills, buy other basic necessities, and send their kids to school among other expenses.
When you do visit a farmer’s market, refrain from asking for discounts. Pay what they ask for. Better yet, pay extra to show your appreciation.
Start A Garden
Finally, one way we can indirectly thank our farmers is to put ourselves in their shoes. Spend some time on your garden with our dear farmers on your mind. Maybe you can share whatever you harvest with the local farmer in case they don’t have what you have. If you don’t have a small farm or backyard garden yet, now is the time to start one.
You’ll need a gardening starter set. The ABCO Sport 9 Piece Garden Tools Set includes a transplanting tool, shovel, cutter, fork, weeder, rake, digging gloves, and a 25 ounce sprayer. You also get a tote bag to keep all your new tools. This gardening kit should help you with your new hobby and hopefully, you’ll eventually take gardening and farming seriously.
Ever since the pandemic happened, people around the globe have taken up hobbies to cure themselves of boredom while in self-isolation. Many have taken up backyard gardening or farming. In fact, you’ll be late to the party if it’s just now that you’re thinking of starting a garden. The world has seen a rise in backyard gardening ever since the pandemic forced people to stay indoors. By now, these people have an idea how difficult it is to maintain a farm.
When you visit a local farmer, find out everything you can about backyard gardening. These people will be glad to share their knowledge. As a thank you for their time and teachings, bring them a gift or purchase something from them.
Again, we wish to remind you to take the necessary safety precautions if you do intend to visit a farm or buy from a farmer’s market. Always wear face masks whenever you go out. It would be better if you have a face shield, too, for additional protection. Don’t forget your hand sanitizers. You can’t help but touch some of the produce and other farm products, which visitors before you may have touched. Just to be on the safe side, avoid touching your faces and keep your hand sanitizers handy. Also, social distancing people!
Hopefully, you will make the effort to thank our farmers and make them feel special even after National farmer’s Day. They spend all their days raising and growing our food. I’m pretty sure we can use more than one day a year to spread love to our farmers. Visit Gentleman Pirate Club if you wish to know more about farming and gardening.
