"May Our Farmers Stand With Pride"

(Terry Entzminger leading a Vacation Bible School group on a tour of his dairy.)


For this blog, I will occasionally borrow material from others that has inspired me, so I can pass on the inspiration.


The following poem was written by a neighbor of ours, Terry Entzminger. Terry and his family operate Entzminger Dairy and Terry manages the milking herd of 825 Holstein cows and oversees the raising of 750 replacement heifers. Entzminger Dairy is one of the best managed dairies I've had the opportunity to set foot on (and I've visited thousands around the world). Terry is a true advocate for agriculture. The Entzminger's hosted over 500 local school children for farm tours last year and has Terry has served as a director for dairy organizations for over 15 years. Very deservedly, he was recently awarded the North Dakota Farm Bureau Cultivation Award for his contributions to the agriculture industry. Terry is a modest, soft-spoken man, but laughs easily, and is a joy to work with. Jeremy and I are so pleased that each spring and fall, he marches a group of heifers down the gravel road to our pasture to graze our cover crops. Having those four-legged guests on our land increases the fertility of the soil, and helps our farm to stay profitable. Oh, and it helps to pacify my desire to stay involved in the dairy industry. You can take a girl off of the dairy, but you can't take the dairy out of the girl!



Terry is not only an accomplished dairyman, but a talented poet. So without further adieu...



"May Our Farmers Stand With Pride", by Terry Entzminger



From gently rolling pastures

To open fields far and wide,

From each barn door to the orchards

Our farmers stand with pride...

Yet there are too many people

Who do not understand,

That the food upon the table

Comes off the farmer's land...

For the food we take for granted

Was once a tiny seed,

That was planted by a farmer

To supply the food we need...

But we have a disconnection

Since our food comes from a store,

And we have lost appreciations

As what we need the farmers for...

Although if we awoke tomorrow

And there was nothing left to eat,

We might gain appreciation

For our farmer's daily feat.



I hope you have enjoyed this poem as much as I do. It hangs on the wall in my office because Terry was kind enough to give Jeremy and I a framed copy for our wedding. We in agriculture must encourage each other and these words encourage me every day.



For information on ordering Terry's book of poetry, entitled "Beyond the Heart and Mind", contact me. It does not include the above poem, which was written after the book was published, but it is filled with many other gems.