OK, so where is the fun part. Well the Ashtabula County Fair is coming up in just under two weeks. I absolutely LOVE the fair. You might say I am somewhat of a fair junkie. I love the whole experience. The noise, the smells, the sounds. The animals, the exhibits, the food. The entertainment, the tractor pull, oh how I love the tractor pull. I'm just smiling thinking about it. I only eat jalapeño poppers once a year and this is it!
Now that we don't do large animal medicine at the clinic anymore, I don't get to see the horses, cows and pigs prior to fair like I used to, but I do still get to see a handful of turkeys for pullorum testing. I really like turkeys. They have lots of personality and are just very cool birds. When the turkeys start showing up in the appointment calendar, I know the fair cannot be that far away. Their arrival at the clinic marks a very special time in summer for me. I think the rest of the clients enjoy seeing them out in the parking lot as much as I do too. Plus there is nothing cooler than seeing appointments out in the clinic lawn.Maybe because I was raised a city kid and now live and work in the country, but I really have enjoyed learning about where our food comes from. And no, it does not come from the grocery store wrapped in a package of cellophane. It comes from the farms of rural America. And the future of our food supply is in the hands of our children. I do worry that the children of today are getting so out of touch with where food really comes from. I know as a kid, I did not understand half of what I understand today. So I'm rambling a bit, but here is the true value of our county fairs and our 4-H programs. We need to teach our kids the truth about food. The alternative is that farms will be so over-regulated by people who have no idea about the truth of food production that farms in this country will cease to exist. Then how do we feed our nation? From exported food products? Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. OK, got a little bit serious here, but I love the fair for so many reasons. Fun is one, but education is another. I guess it should be no surprise that a veterinarian is an education junkie too.
So please go support your local county fair. Take your kids and let them learn about the cows and the chickens and the pigs and the horses. Have fun eating greasy fair food (just don't do it all the time). Enjoy what local agriculture brings to the table. And when you hear those diesel engines cranking up, you can think of me sitting in the infield at the tractor pull and cheering on my farmer friends!
